Today is the day the Recording Academy reveals the 62nd GRAMMY Awards nominees, including this year's list of contenders for Best New Artist. This year's nominees are (cue drumroll): Black Pumas, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Maggie Rogers, Rosalia, Tank And The Bangas and Yola. With so much rising talent in contention this year, let's learn a bit more about each nominee's breakout year in music.

Black Pumas 

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Austin neo-soul duo Black Pumas, a.k.a. GRAMMY-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Quesada and singer/songwriter Eric Burton, originally came together in 2018, releasing their debut album last June via ATO Records. 

Billie Eilish

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At just 17 years old, L.A. pop wunderkind Billie Eilish is changing the popular music game with her fresh, genre-bending sounds (and edgy fashion). Born and raised in Highland Park, Los Angeles, Eilish started gaining a following in 2016 when she released her single "Ocean Eyes" via SoundCloud. She's also largely known for her haunting 2019 single “Bad Guy," which hit number one on the Billboard Charts in August, breaking Lil Nas X’s 19-week run of "Old Town Road."

Her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? debuted atop the Billboard 200 and contained four U.S. Billboard Hot 100 top 40 singles: "When the Party's Over," "Bury a Friend," "Wish You Were Gay" and "Bad Guy." 

"All I can say about that is I just don't even get it," Eilish told the Recording Academy of her rising success last year at Lollapalooza. It's just crazy to me because I grew up as a fan and I still am a fan, you know. I'm a fan of so much music and art and artists and stuff, and I grew up with their sort of mindset, and now, I'm seeing it from the other side, but also, being on the other side, it's weird. It's just something that doesn't happen, so when it happens, it's like, 'What the f***?'"

Lil Nas X

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20-year-old country-rapper Lil Nas X took off this year with his viral hit "Old Town Road," which was initially released independently in December of last year. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March of this year. The Billy Ray Cyrus-assisted remix followed a month later, and both songs are featured on Lil Nas X's debut EP, 7. 

"I was doing Facebook comedy videos, then I moved over to Instagram, and then I hopped on Twitter ... where I really was a master. That was the first place where I could go viral," he told Rolling Stone last April.

Back in August, the Recording Academy discussed Lil Nas X's success, helped in large part by the popular music app TikTok: Back in February, the then-unknown rapper, two months after self-releasing the original version of the country-trap song, uploaded it to TikTok along with a "challenge": to change into Western garb before the drop. The song went viral on the app as users like Michael Pelchat, a.k.a. NiceMichael, added their own versions. A month later, Lil Nas X signed to Colombia Records and in April they released the record-breaking remix.

Check out the complete list of 62nd GRAMMY Awards Nominees

Lizzo

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By now, you've definetly heard Lizzo's "Tempo" featuring Missy Elliott. Or maybe it's "Truth Hurts" or "Juice" thats been blasting near you. Lizzo's feel-good, relatable pop songs are everywhere, and keeping them a secret during the making of her latest album, Cuz I Love You, wasn't easy for the Detroit native.

"When you write these songs you get really excited about them and mind you, I had a song like 'Juice' just under my armpit in the darkness and nobody knew what it sounded like," the singer and flute player recently told the Recording Academy. "Or keeping it a secret that I had Missy Elliott on a song, at that point you just want to explode and when the album was out, I was so excited to just share the songs with people and the world."

But it's not just Lizzo's songs that are addictive for their messages of self-love and positivity, it's who she is, too. The singer gets into how being naked on her album cover may have been the ultimate act of vulnerability, but it was also a moment of strength. "Vulnerability and strength is what this album is all about," she said.

Maggie Rogers

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Maggie Rogers has a career arc like no other, and she's just getting started.

Ever since her NYU Masterclass video, which showed Pharrell tearing up at the sound of what would become her first single, "Alaska," went viral, Rogers has experienced unprecedented a level of overnight success experienced by very few new artists. In the time since, she released her debut album Heard It In A Past Life this past spring, and is currently on an expansive fall tour. She's also doing a killer job of staying grounded. 

"Writing music has always been how I've processed," the singer recently told the Recording Academy. "So much of this record that I made, Heard It In A Past Life, that is actively me processing this giant change that happened in my life. I write a song, and then I play it until I feel better, and then my life shifts, and then I write another song, and that's how albums have always happened for me. The thing that is most important to me is that I am doing this thing I love. It gives me this giant emotional release, and hopefully in some world it can do that for others. If that's all happening, then everything is good."

Rosalía

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Spanish singer/songriter Rosalía, already a Latin GRAMMY darling, has been using reggaeton, R&B and hip-hop inspired beats to bring Spain's flamenco influence to the world, and has already won over numerous artists from the Spanish- and English-language worlds. To date, she's collabed with everyon from J Balvin to Pharrell Williams, James Blake and Billie Eilish. She's also racked up five Latin GRAMMYs, becoming the first female recipient of Album Of The Year since Shakira won at the Latin GRAMMYs in 2006. The moment came as a surprise to the 26-year-old: "I'm serious, I'm in shock," she said after accepting the award. "This is the last thing I expected."

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Tank And The Bangas

New Orleans-based group Tank And The Bangas have a sound influenced by their hometown, blending hip-hop, jazz, funk, soul and even a little bit rock, but it's truly all their own. On "Smoke.Netflix.Chill," from their sophomore effort Green Balloon, they brought their playful vibes led by Tarriona "Tank" Ball's upbeat rap and spoken word verses over a laid-back, floating beat.

Yola 

The spirit and soul of Yola's breakout Dan Auerbach-produced album Walk Through Fire was nothing if not well-earned. Even the title came from overcoming hardship, as her kitchen literally caught fire before the project, a symbol of the adversity the Bristol-born singer/songwriter faced—and overcame to create her own masterpiece. 

"I think how people are connecting with [Walk Through Fire]," the Americana performer told the Recording Academy earlier this year. "One of my specialist subjects is that connecting to what I'm saying. And I hope by doing that then that helps people connect as well with what I mean. And that gives us a relationship across airwaves, across oceans, across an arena."

Check Out The Full List Of 62nd GRAMMY Awards Nominations

In a time where pop balances between intimate vulnerability and brazen confidence, queer pop stars like Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Reneé Rapp, FLETCHER, and girl in red are spearheading a movement of their own: the lesbian pop renaissance.

The unofficially coined cultural craze has seen a number of queer women sing openly and explicitly about their same-sex relationships. And they're not holding back: "She was a Playboy, Brigitte Bardot/ She showed me things I didn't know," swoons Roan in "Red Wine Supernova," while Eilish gushes "she dances on my tongue" in "Lunch," and FLETCHER confesses in "girls, girls, girls" that she "kissed a girl and…really, really liked it."

This era of openly sapphic joy follows a history of hardships, with decades of queer artists defying prejudice and homophobia to sing openly about their desires and emotions. It's not been an easy journey — and struggles are still painfully evident. When grilled about her sexuality last year, Eilish declared on Instagram, "I like boys and girls leave me alone about it"; it echoed Dusty Springfield's 1970s interview when she revealed, "I'm perfectly capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy... and I don't see why I shouldn't."

Some have defined sapphic pop as a subgenre of indie or bedroom pop, and others have celebrated the more anthemic, upbeat "sapphic bops." But in reality, no one style of music encapsulates lesbian/sapphic songs; these artists are united by loving and desiring other women — some openly, while others were restrained due to societal pressures.

The current wave of unapologetic queer stars marks a pivotal moment in music history, where sapphic pop is no longer cornered in lesbian circles and gay clubs, but dominating mainstream airwaves, and influencing global pop trends while being rightfully celebrated by the masses. So as the current queer female stars continue to thrive, it's important to pay homage to all of the artists that paved the way.

Read on for a history of defiantly queer women and nonbinary people in music — a celebration of who they are, how they have loved and their remarkable musical imprint.

Costa Rican artist Chavela Vargas began singing in Mexican cantinas as a teenager in the 1950s, becoming a key figure of Mexico City's bohemian artistic boom. With slick, short hair and a powerful presence, Vargas sang regional Mexican music with hoarse fragility in her songs, including "Las simples cosas" and the haunting "La Llorona" (which means "The Weeping Woman"); her sobbing voice echoing the song's grieving protagonist.

With love songs addressed to women and an androgynous sense of style, Vargas never hid her sexuality, but first openly spoke about her lesbianism when she was 81. Before her death in 2012 at the age of 93, she lived a fascinating and exuberant life, was a friend and lover of Frida Kahlo and is rumored to have had flings with the likes of Ava Gardner. With her heart-wrenching vocal command, she is considered one of the most important artists in Latin American folk, and remains a towering figure in Latin American queer history.

Decades before female musicians began openly embracing their sexuality, Dusty Springfield cooly shrugged at rumors about her own — her aforementioned 1970 "coming out" interview solidifies her status as one of the first openly queer female pop stars.

Rising to fame in the 1960s with her blonde beehive and dark eye makeup, Springfield frequented London gay clubs at the height of the Swinging Sixties (which, ironically, didn’t have anything to do with queerness). With hits including "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" and "Son of a Preacher Man," her powerful voice channeled emotion with unnerving vulnerability. Though her music was never quite as frank as she was in the public eye, a few of Springfield's later releases touched on queer themes (1979's "Closet Man" and her 1989 collab with Pet Shop Boys, "In Private").

The second-wave feminist movement in the U.S. pushed gender issues to the core of the country's socio-politico agenda, including fights for abortion rights (Roe v. Wade in 1973) and the ferocious push to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Women artists were showing they were more than pop glam, picking up guitars and refusing to dress up for the cameras, favoring casual attire; sapphic pop was entering an era of authenticity and emotional honesty. Along the way, a group of feminist lesbians set up Olivia Records.

In 1975, Olivia's co-founder Cris Williamson released her politically charged folk album, The Changer and The Changed, one of the highest-selling independent records of the time; two years later, Linda Tillery's funk-soul track "Womanly Way" explored the sensual side of sapphic love: "I think I'd like to get to know you in a special kind of womanly way" she croons. Pioneering trans sound engineer Sandy Stone was an integral part of the Olivia team until she was forced to leave after receiving harrowing threats from separatist groups, sadly marking the steady decline of the groundbreaking label. 

In the UK, Joan Armatradingattracted buzz after performing gigs around her native Birmingham, earning fans for her slick guitar, melodic piano and powerful vocals. Though her lyrics were gender-neutral, Armatrading's music was largely embraced by the lesbian community — including the 1978 song "Taking My Baby Up Town," which celebrates queer love despite the prejudice and homophobia of the time ("You kissed me/ And then all the people started to stare/ We started a commotion/ Someone making comments, morals/ The state of affairs and I said, "What we got is the best"). In 2008, she performed on Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour, which raised funds for LGBTQIA+ charities; she has spoken openly about her sexuality in the past decade, and has been in a civil partnership with Maggie Butler since 2011.

The '80s brought a spirit of punk into the mainstream, and queer circles were attracted to the music's rebellion and rage. British-Canadian singer Carole Pope was part of the rock band Rough Trade, characteristically clad in leather and singing raunchy songs dedicated to the joys of BDSM and girl-on-girl eroticism. Rough Trade's lustful 1980 song "High School Confidential" shocked listeners at the time: "It makes me cream my jeans when she comes my way," swoons Pope. In 1981, she had a brief (but intense) relationship with Dusty Springfield.

A new folk movement was quietly brewing in the hushed tones and poignant strums of Tracy Chapman. Though she has never spoken publicly about her sexuality, her GRAMMY-winning hit "Fast Car" has been embraced as a lesbian anthem for its ideals of escapism and unhinged freedom. (Chapman's sexuality was later confirmed by her former lover, author Alice Walker, who spoke about their mid-90s relationship in 2006, though there's no disclosed relation to "Fast Car.")

Folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, who are both openly lesbian, formed in 1985 and immediately cultivated a cult queer following that led to a major label deal in 1988. Their 1989 self-titled album — which spawned the celebrated queer anthem "Closer to Fine" — went double platinum in the U.S. and won a GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Folk Recording in 1990. Just this year, the duo released a documentary, It's Only Life After All, which charts their journey, revealing the homophobic snubs they've stoically endured throughout their career.

Meanwhile, South AfricanBrenda Fassie began making music with her band the Big Dudes in the early 1980s, combining pop with hip-hop and kwaito. While Fassie did not explicitly sing about being queer, she often referred to herself as a lesbian and never hid her relationships with women. A staunch anti-apartheid campaigner, Fassie made pop with powerful social commentary; she was even hailed as the "Madonna of the Townships" for her brazen lyrics. Thought to be Africa's first openly queer pop star, Fassie remains a beacon of acceptance and tolerance in a region where homophobia is still rife — even two decades after her passing.

Building on the folk origins of Chapman and Indigo Girls, k.d. lang initially broke through with several country hits in the late '80s, but ruffled feathers with country radio when she came out as a lesbian in 1992. Nonetheless, she never backed down from who she was, and it launched her to sapphic pop stardom. Lang's alluring stage presence and a sensual masc charm helped her score a global hit with 1992's "Constant Craving," which has been cited as an ode to lesbian love. The song won a GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1993 — the same year she posed for a steamy Vanity Fair photoshoot with Cindy Crawford, which goes down in the lesbian history books.

In the late '90s, teenage twins Tegan and Sara picked up guitars and began performing confessional acoustic songs with big pop hooks and grunge elements (1999 track "Proud" features empowering lines such as "Freedom and blood/ I make my mark and fight for tomorrow… I'm proud to be me"). Their unapologetically queer music videos were intentional in their push for inclusion, complete with same-sex make-out scenes featuring LGBTQIA+ actors. The sisters, both openly lesbian, had a cameo in the cult lesbian series "The L Word," and their nonprofit Tegan and Sara Foundation promotes for LGBTQIA+ equality by raising funds for health care programs, summer camp and more.

The 2000s marked a shift away from the acoustic confessionals of the decades prior, with a move into club beats and big pop hooks. Queer band the Gossip, starring charismatic, rebellious frontwoman Beth Ditto, broke all expectations of what pop could be and look like, with punk chords, disco beats and a belting voice. Their 2005 smash hit album, Standing in the Way of Control, confronted the marginalization and fear experienced by the queer community. The album's titular song was written in resistance to George Bush's attempt to outlaw same-sex marriage; "Standing in the way of control/ You live your life/ Survive the only way that you know," screamed Ditto.

Before developing a synth-pop sound on later albums, Chile's Javiera Mena carved emotional, melodic songs on her keyboard with her 2006 debut, Esquemas Juveniles; the album featured heartfelt love songs like "Camera Lenta," which eschewed pronouns to sing about "the different paths to your eyes" in Spanish. Though she became more explicit with her sexuality in the 2010s — particularly on the lesbo-erotic hit "Espada" — Mena has been recognized as one of the pioneers in Latin America's LGBTQIA+ movement, alongside Ricky Martin, Kany Garcia and Pabllo Vittar.

London teenager Elly Jackson, better known as La Roux, immediately broke onto the pop scene with her smash "Bulletproof," and attracted a queer following for her androgynous looks — a refreshing anecdote to the chart dominance of hyper femme pop-stars of the time. While Jackson initially eschewed any labels, not wanting to be confined to queer audiences and baffled by the public speculation on her sexuality, she later embraced her place as an LGBTQIA+ icon (her 2014 track "Cruel Sexuality" appears to address her own journey: "Cruel sexuality / Am I a fool to let you trouble me?").

The 2010s marked a significant push for marriage equality, with same-sex marriage rights being awarded in countries like the U.S., UK, Argentina, Germany, and Australia, among others. This movement for equality was paralleled by a growing visibility of LGBTQ+ representation in pop culture — and sapphic pop was beginning to resonate more than ever before.

L.A.-bred trio MUNA released their indie pop debut, About You, in 2017, loaded with heartfelt songs that helped the trio quickly cultivate a die-hard following of queer fans. Listeners identified with the band's rebellion about heteronormative tropes and coming-of-age queer songs like "It's Gonna Be Okay, Baby" ("Your gonna move to New York, and experiment with communism/ Go down on a girl/ After reading her some Frantz Fanon").

Another bisexual indie darling (and MUNA's eventual "Silk Chiffon" collaborator), Phoebe Bridgers, also released her debut in 2017. Titled Stranger in the Alps, the album navigated toxic relationships, as well as Bridgers' experiences with women, with queer fans gravitating toward her unprecedented bisexual representation.

A year later, Bridgers teamed up with fellow LGBTQIA+ stars Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to form the supergroup boygenius. The trio has flipped the "boy band" trope on its head, showing that masculine heartthrobs can emerge from feminine fluidity. With lyrics that delve into queer love and heartbreak — and live shows featuring plenty of onstage making out — the band has had a seismic impact on the sapphic pop landscape (and won three GRAMMYs in the process).

In the mid-aughts, U.S. pop star Hayley Kiyoko was experimenting with her artistry following the split of being in girl group The Stunners. Reintroducing herself as a solo star in 2013, Kiyoko had the freedom to explore lyrical themes that were more true to her own experience — like her 2015 breakthrough hit, "Girls Like Girls." The song, and accompanying music video, cemented her place in the queer pop canon; which Kiyoko has followed up with several songs about queer love and relationships, including "What I Need" featuring Kehlani (who came out as lesbian in 2021 and has since explored her own sapphic narratives, like 2020's "Tangerine.")

After hinting at their sexuality with the breakup song "Talia" in 2017, King Princess, who is genderqueer, went all-in on their queerness with the laid-back indie love song "Pussy is God" in 2018. Since then, they've built a cult following with songs marked by blatant honesty in a shifting age of gender identity and sexual expression — like 2022's "Sex Shop," which contemplates the use of strap-ons and binders.

Meanwhile, pansexual and nonbinary artist Janelle Monaédonned vagina-shaped pants for their symbolic video "Pynk," their 2018 sapphic sex anthem from Dirty Computer — a queer afro-futurist album that rebelled against the conservative policies of the then-incumbent Trump administration ("If you try to grab my pussy cat/ This pussy cat grab you back" they spit on "I Got The Juice"). The album's accompanying science-fiction film featured Monaé playing an android on the run with a lover, played by Tessa Thompson. Monaé's went even more explicitly queer in follow-up album The Age of Pleasure, a hedonistic kaleidoscope of funk, pop and reggae ("I like lipstick on my neck, leave a ticky hickey in a place I won't forget," they flirt on "Lipstick Lover").

Though we're only four years into the 2020s, the decade has been marked by an explosion of sapphic pop. New Jersey pop star FLETCHER helped kick off the movement in 2020 with her EP The S(ex) Tapes, which navigated the end of a lesbian relationship through dark pop hooks loaded with sensual energy. Two years later, she doubled down on the lesbian narrative with her debut album, Girl Of My Dreams, which spawned one of the most viral queer songs of the decade this far, "Becky's So Hot." (In between, she delivered another lesbian bop alongside Kiyoko with 2021's "Cherry.")

Norwegian indie star girl in red, who is openly queer, cultivated a huge online following after the release of standalone early singles (in the track "i wanna be your girlfriend," she sings, "Oh Hannah… I don't wanna be your friend/ I wanna kiss your lips"), before releasing her highly anticipated debut if i could make it go quiet in 2021, featuring songs like "Did You Come?" ("Did you do the things you know I like? Roll your tongue, make her cum 20 times?"). Her connection to lesbians and bisexual women was so strong that the term "do you listen to girl in red?" evolved into a code to identify fellow queers on Sapphic TikTok.

In the Latin urban scene, openly gay Puerto Rican star Young Mikko is shaking up reggaeton with her assured flow and cheeky, suggestive singles including "Peach" — an ode to her lover's rounded butt. Brazilian star Ludmilla makes listeners blush with her sensual track "Sintomas de Prazer," talking about getting turned on while giving her lover pleasure.

After Billie Eilish established herself as one of the biggest pop stars of her generation, she faced intense pressure to come out as queer in November 2023. Six months later, her sexuality became a central theme in her third album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT — particularly the album's first single, "LUNCH," a fearless ride on pleasuring women. She seems to be enjoying her newfound freedom, too: in her recent remix of Charli XCX's "Guess," she deviously sings, "I wanna … kiss it bite it, can I fit it?/ Charli likes boys, but she knows I'd hit it."

Eilish was one of many Coachella 2024 performers who brought sapphic pop to the desert. Reneé Rapp's set was introduced by the cast of "The L Word," Ludmilla's shared a tender onstage kiss with her wife during love song "Maldivas", and of course, Chappell Roan — decked in her Eat Me tee — had thousands to sing along with her unabashedly kinky hits.

Roan herself is redefining pop, with outfits inspired by drag aesthetic and lyrics that are unapologetically sapphic ("Knee deep in the passenger's seat and you're eating me out/ Are we casual now?" she sings in country pop ballad "Casual"). In August, Roan broke records for attracting Lollapalooza's largest-ever crowd, and her rapidly rising fame helped her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, reach No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 (and a UK No. 1) nearly a year after its release.

Lesbian and queer artists have been making music for decades — and with artists more openly celebrating their sexuality than ever before, it's an undeniably exciting and historic time for the LGBTQIA+ music community. A new era of sapphic pop is upon us, and it's hot, explicit and gleefully unrestrained. You could even call it a femininomenon.

Summer may be slowly edging toward fall, but the red-hot streak of this summer's musical output shows no signs of slowing down.

This New Music Friday (Aug. 16), Post Malone goes country with his sixth studio album F-1 Trillion, Meghan Trainor adds four songs (and rearranges the track list) to the deluxe edition of her latest LP Timeless, and global girl group KATSEYE unveil their debut mini-album SIS (SOFT IS STRONG). Plus, Muscadine Bloodline share their fourth full-length The Coastal Plain and Nikka Costa drops Dirty Disco, her first album in eight years.

When it comes to singles, there's just as many new songs to explore — from superstar collabs like ROSALÍA and LISA's empowered "NEW WOMAN" to the latest releases from Hozier and Peggy Gou. 

Below, dive into eight more new releases from pop and K-pop to rap, rock, country, dance, and more.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars gave the world just 12 hours notice that they were dropping "Die With a Smile" this week, sending Little Monsters and Hooligans alike into a tizzy as they braced themselves for the surprise duet.

Mars' sensual vocals lead off the moony, apocalyptic love song, which marks Mars' first release since his GRAMMY-winning work with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic. Strumming an electric guitar, the 15-time GRAMMY winner vows, "I, I just woke from a dream/ Where you and I had to say goodbye/ And I don't know what it all means/ But since I survived, I realized/ Wherever you go, that's where I'll follow." 

As for Mother Monster's oeuvre, "Die With a Smile" lands somewhere between Joanne and "Shallow" as her fans wait impatiently for LG7. Not to be outdone, Gaga takes over on the second verse, supported by Mars' swooning harmonies as the duo crescendo the intensity of their devotion to meet the literal end of the world.

On New Music Friday eve, BLACKPINK member LISA added to her blossoming collection of solo bangers with "NEW WOMAN," an empowering shapeshifter of a duet that sees her joining forces with ROSALÍA.

"Hit it when I serve/ B—, you better swerve/ Revving up my aura/ Focus on my mind/ Taking my time/ I'm a new woman, woman," the K-pop star proudly announces on the chorus of the song before Rosalía slams on the brakes to sing and rap her way through a sultry verse in her native Spanish that translates, in part, to "I was born pure, yes/ Not an era will be a flop in my future/ W—, I'm Rosalía, I only know how to serve."

The accompanying Dave Meyers-directed video is filled with high-fashion looks (thigh-high boots on fire, that massive, floor-sweeping pearl necklace…or is it made of ball bearings?), Y2K nostalgia (flip phones!) and a bevy of quirky, genuinely off-beat moments that will be sure to help drive the conversation as LISA continues to establish herself — and her nascent LLOUD partnership under RCA Records — as a global force in control of her musical destiny.

Fresh off "Death Wish Love" — his folksy contribution to the Twisters soundtrack — Benson Boone uses his newest single "Pretty Slowly" to celebrate his sudden rise as one of pop music's shiniest new stars.

The deceptively upbeat track's lyrics reflect on the dissolution of a relationship lost to all the recent, stratospheric changes in his life as he croons, "Oh, how come all the best things fall apart/ And it started pretty slowly/ When you asked about the old me/ Oh, is he gone? Oh, is he gone/ Oh, I don't know/ I think I left him somewhere I no longer go."

However, the song's accompanying music video acts as a both a victory lap in the wake of his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblade, from earlier this summer and and energetic peek into the "Beautiful Things" breakout's high-octane live show — complete with thousands of ecstatic fans and his signature, onstage backflips.

YG — 'Just Re'd Up 3'

More than a decade after his 2013 mixtape Just Re'd Up 2, YG adds to the series with the long-awaited Just Re'd Up 3.

The Compton native has released six other albums and a litany of other mixtapes and collaborative projects in the interim, and his decade-plus in the spotlight allows him to recruit a wide array of contemporaries for the two-disc LP — from Saweetie ("SHE PRETTY") and Ty Dolla $ign ("IT'S GIVIN," "RESCUE ME") to Tee Grizzley and G Herbo ("MALIBU") and Lil Yachty and Babyface Ray ("STUPID").

"Die For Me," Jean Dawson's new collaboration with Lil Yachty, blends the experimental leanings of the L.A.-based polymath (and musical arranger on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER) with the bubblegum trap rapper's one-of-a-kind flow — and the result is magnetic.

Sonically, the swirling track feels like a logical follow-up to Bad Cameo, the "Poland" rapper's recent collaborative album with James Blake. After Dawson warbles the hook ("Don't show up at my funeral/ If you won't die for me"), Lil Yachty grabs the mic for a blunt-force eulogy that demands repeated listening.

Morgan Wade — 'Obsessed'

Morgan Wade preceded her fourth album, Obsessed, with delicate, heart-on-her-sleeve singles like "2AM in London" and "Time to Love, Time to Kill." Arriving almost a year to the day since her previous full-length Psychopath, the country upstart — and occasional Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guest star — is just as vulnerable on the rest of the album.

Showing off her aptitude for laying bare emotional storytelling and heart-crushing nostalgia, Wade cleverly exposes her fragilities and regrets across the album's 14 tracks — whether she's gender-flipping Shakespeare and competing with Romeo on the forbidden "Juliet," finding somber inspiration in fairy tales on the wistful "Hansel and Gretel," or duetting with Kesha on the repentant "Walked on Water."

Seven years since 2017's Coming Home, Falling In Reverse are back with their fifth studio album, Popular Monster. The LP's rollout has been spread across nearly half a decade, with the title track being released as the lead single way back in November 2019. Six additional singles have followed in the lead-up to the long-awaited project, including collaborations with Tech N9ne and Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible ("Ronald") and Jelly Roll ("All My Life"), as well as a reimagined cover of Papa Roach's "Last Resort."

And while Popular Monster's cover art is plastered with frontman Ronnie Radke's 2012 mugshot for alleged domestic assault, the release is hardly a solo project. In fact, it's the first Falling in Reverse album to feature Max Georgiev on guitar, Tyler Burgess on bass and Luke Holland on drums. (Derek Jones, the band's late rhythm guitarist, also contributed to the title track before his untimely death in 2020 from a subdural hematoma.)

Fridayy is practically begging to keep things simple on "Complicated," his yearning, pulsating new collaboration with DJ Snake. "Tell me what you want/ Girl, I want to know/ Please don't make it complicated/ We ain't gotta complicate it," he repeats over the DJ's hypnotic rhythms filled with Spanish guitar and distant jungle sounds.

Eventually, the three-time GRAMMY nominee's desperate pleas morph into an atmospheric echo as DJ Snake's handiwork takes center stage, plunging the track into a spellbinding synth breakdown that dances all the way to the finish.

Another month has passed us by, and August brings us closer to the end of the season. However, several new tracks and albums have dropped to lift our spirits. With brand new projects like Khalid's Sincere, Maren Morris' Intermission, and 49 Winchester's Leavin' This Holler, the beginning of August promises bright things ahead.

A slew of singles dropped, too, from exciting collaborations like Charli XCX's "Guess" remix with Billie Eilish and Jessie Murph's new track with Teddy Swims to new offerings from Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, Jelly Roll, Suki Waterhouse, and more. Whether you're looking for full projects or a few new playlist additions, you will not be disappointed.

As you prepare to close out summer, be sure to check out these 10 new songs and albums.

Just 24 hours after Charli XCX set the internet ablaze with a tease of her next collaboration, she not only unveiled the special guest, but she also dropped the track as a New Music Friday-eve gift: a remix of "Guess" with her fellow pop queen, Billie Eilish.

The pulsating song keeps the same club-ready aesthetic of the original from Charli XCX's brat, but taps into the sexual fluidity of Eilish's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT with the "LUNCH" singer adding a new verse (fans particularly went into a frenzy over Eilish's line "Charli likes boys but she knows I'd hit it"). The track offers a raunchy brand of girl power, further emphasized by the underwear-strewn video, as the unworn undergarments will be donated to survivors of domestic violence through I Support the Girls.

Seven-time GRAMMY-winner Kacey Musgraves is expanding the well she first introduced in March. With the release of Deeper Well, Musgraves showcased a softer side of herself that she discovered during periods of self-introspection following significant changes in her life.

Now, with Deeper into the Well, she takes us further along on her journey. Musgraves gave a taste of the additional seven songs with the release of her single "Irish Goodbye," which narrates the tale of someone struggling to find forgiveness for someone who abruptly left. The extended edition also includes two new features, "Perfection" with Tiny Habits and "Superbloom" with Leon Bridges.

The release comes one month before Musgraves is set to kick off her Deeper Well World Tour in Pennsylvania; she'll hit cities on both coasts, and conclude in Nashville in December.

Read More: For The Record: Why Kacey Musgraves' Timeless Album Golden Hour Still Shines 5 Years Later

Maintaining her message of confidence and self-worth, Saweetie releases "My Best," an unapologetic anthem that emphasizes knowing your worth and surrounding yourself with people who prioritize your best interests.

The music video visually represents Saweetie's personal growth, both as an individual and as an artist. Shot at hometown landmarks like her high school and childhood neighborhood, she invites fans on a nostalgic journey of introspection — while also reminding them to stay true to themselves.

Learn More: Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Saweetie On Her Long-Awaited Album Pretty B^^^^ Music & Why Women Rappers "No Longer Need A Co-Sign"

Four years after her smash "Dance Monkey" took over the world, Tones and I releases her second studio album, Beautifully Ordinary. The follow-up to 2021's Welcome to the Madhouse, the 16-song project reflects the artist's growth, exploring themes of nostalgia, love, and self-acceptance. Each song invites listeners to embark on an emotional, personal journey with Tones and I, offering a source of catharsis for those who relate to her experiences.

Tones and I first gave listeners a taste of the project in June with lead single "Dance With Me," a track that delves into themes of heartbreak and desperation. Despite its underlying message of loneliness, the track retains Tones and I's signature upbeat rhythms and vibrant instrumentals — and the rest of Beautifully Ordinary follows suit, offering intimate and heartfelt narratives through her radiant musicality.

Celebrating the six-times-platinum debut album that catapulted them to stardom, Sam Smith is releasing the 10th anniversary edition of In The Lonely Hour. This special edition features a reimagined version of their classic "Stay With Me," and a brand new track, "Little Sailor."

The original project launched Smith's career into the stratosphere, receiving critical acclaim and earning them four golden gramophones at the 2015 GRAMMYs, including Best New Artist.

"I feel so incredibly lucky to be celebrating this milestone with you," Smith wrote on Instagram. "My team and I have created this beautiful anniversary edition for us all, and for the last 10 years."

Learn More: 9 Times Queer Artists Made History At The GRAMMYs: From Elton John's Collab With BSB To Kim & Sam's "Unholy" Union

Fresh off going three-for-three at the 2024 GRAMMYs, Killer Mike delivers another potent project, Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival, Songs For Sinners & Saints. A follow-up to his autobiographical album 'MICHAEL', the 10-song collection dives deeper into his personal narrative, offering an epilogue filled with introspection and celebration — including the poignant track "HUMBLE ME," which reflects on his arrest after winning his GRAMMYs in February.

Killer Mike provided fans with a gift, releasing the album as a free download for the first 48 hours. In support of the release, Killer Mike electrified audiences with six performances over three nights at the legendary Blue Note jazz club in NYC, including a live-streamed show that attracted nearly 100,000 viewers. This project is a testament to Killer Mike's ongoing dialogue with his audience, addressing both tribulations and triumphs. As the tour continues with a stop at Lollapalooza just one day after the album's release, fans can engage further with tracks like "NOBODY KNOWS" and "HIGHER LEVEL," which offer a glimpse into the rapper’s evolving journey and continued impact on hip-hop.

Still riding high from her vocals featured on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER, country star Tiera Kennedy releases her latest single, "Cry," which samples Justin Timberlake's 2002 Timbaland-produced hit "Cry Me A River." It's another taste of Kennedy's forthcoming debut album, which she dubs "R&B/country."

"I've been really inspired by the music I grew up listening to," Kennedy shared in an Instagram video. "Timbaland had a hand in a lot of those songs."

Known for her distinctive approach to blending genres, Kennedy invites listeners to immerse themselves in her world of creative storytelling with her latest track. "Cry" explores the narrative of someone who has made their bed and has to lie in it, while Kennedy has already moved on.

Explore More: A Brief History Of Black Country Music: 11 Important Tracks From DeFord Bailey, Kane Brown & More

Returning with his third studio album, electronic artist Gryffin embarks on a new era and unveils a fresh side of his artistry with PULSE. The 14-track album features collaborations with a range of artists, including Rita Ora, Disco Lines, MAX, and more.

"PULSE is a return to why I fell in love with dance music in the first place, and this is the most creatively inspired I've felt in years," said Gryffin on Instagram. "I can't wait for you all to hear the new sound and feel the passion I've put into these tracks."

After more than a year of not releasing music, John K is back with a new single, "Lost." It's a song that vulnerably reveals feelings of completeness after finding the right person — a fitting narrative for the happily married singer, who is expecting his second child with his wife, Lenée.  . Becoming a father is one of the several major life changes John K has experienced in the past few years, all of which have shaped his upcoming music and brought his musical artistry to the next stage.

"I was writing with the aim of challenging myself to do something I hadn't done before," John K said in a press statement. "I shattered the box of what I thought I had to be, and it allowed me to get to deeper levels of honesty and really gain even more confidence. I took risks, and I honestly expressed myself.

After releasing two albums within four months in 2022, Jack White has essentially gone silent since — until now. Just two days after announcing his sixth studio album, No Name, the rock icon unveils his latest masterpiece.

The 13-track album stays true to White's DIY philosophy, with the recording, production, and mixing all handled by the artist himself at his own Third Man Studio. Even before the album dropped on Aug. 2, reviews were already glowing, with Variety calling it the album "fans have been lusting for" due to its parallels to the rip-roaring rock of his former band the White Stripes — but "without seeming retro or leaning too heavily on nostalgia."

Explore More: Songbook: A Guide To Jack White's Musical Outlets, From The White Stripes To The Dead Weather & Beyond

Ahead of his forthcoming album, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, Bootsy Collins has released "Pure Perfection," a smooth, sultry track featuring German rapper FANTAAZMA and rapper Giz. The track also features one of the funk icon's legendary alter-egos, "Bedroom Bootsy," who brings a sultry tone to the tune.

Due Oct. 25 (the day before Collins' 73rd birthday), Album of the Year #1 Funkateer includes an 18-song track list with contributions from Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and more. And if the smooth, thumping vibe of "Pure Perfection" is any indication, the funk vet is ready to take fans on a trippy musical journey — one that only Bootsy Collins can moderate.

We’ve been feeling the heat for a minute now, but summer is finally, officially, upon us.

What do you have on deck to soundtrack it? Perhaps you’re checking out Camila Cabello’s fourth offering, C,XOXO. Or Jxdn’s expectations-bucking new album, When the Music Stops. And there are so many other worthy candidates for your playlist — from Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai to Omar Apollo’s God Said No.

No matter where your stylistic compass points, this Friday release day has got something for you. As you gather your sunscreen and shades, let’s breeze through a cross-section of what’s out there.

K-pop loves its solo releases, showcasing how the various members of a group can shine individually while combining with ecstatic chemistry. Enter LISA, one-fourth of Korean titans BLACKPINK, who's already turned heads with her 2021 debut album, Lalisa.

"Rockstar" is another swing outside her main gig, featuring serrated chiptune production and LISA's commanding rap flow. The gritty, urban, futuristic video is a visual treat, and the chorus's boast of "Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?" is a multilingual flex — as well as a maddeningly unshakeable earworm.

The "Peter Pan" heavyweight and four-time GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini has called 2024 "a new chapter of music." Her collaboration with folk/pop singer/songwriter Noah Kahan, "Cowboys Cry Too,"  is the tip of the spear.

More than a month after the pair performed together at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, their first recorded team-up is an aching, yearning ballad about breaking down a gruff exterior and revealing true emotions.

"Cowboys cry too/ They may not let 'em fall down in their hometown thinkin' they still got s*** to prove," Ballerini sings in the chorus. "That well runs deep/ But when he's showin' his skin, lettin' mе in, that's when he's toughest to mе."

"So excited to release the best song of all time this friday!," Lil Nas X proclaimed on Instagram. (And on a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, no less!)

"Here We Go!" comes at an inflection point for the "J Christ" singer: "sorry I've been so scared with my art lately," he added in the same post. "I'm coming around to myself again. I will make you guys very proud."

This pro forma banger certainly inspires pride: tenacious lines like "I'm livin' and livin' I wanna die/ They tryna get even/ I'm beatin' the odds" will get under your skin. As for Beverly Hill Cop: Axel F, the Eddie Murphy joint will whiz to your screen July 3 via Netflix.

Lucky Daye picked up a win for Best Progressive Album at the 2022 GRAMMYs, for Table for Two. After a slew of nominations for work with Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige, he's investigating the Algorithm.

The single "HERicane" was just a teaser, with songs like "Blame," featuring Teddy Swims; "Paralyzed," featuring RAYE;" and "Diamonds in Teal" expanding on and honing his soul-funk-R&B vision.

"Don't know pickin' sides/ 'Cause I'm rollin' in desire," he dreamily sings in the gently roiling "Diamonds in Teal." "I don't know which lie's true/ Or maybe I do, or maybe I'm you." It's a suitable mission statement wrapped in a stealthily seductive package.

A jazzy, soulful, psychedelic band of Aussies, Hiatus Kaiyote has been wowing audiences for more than a decade. Whether through sampling or features, they've crossed paths with Drake, Anderson .Paak, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Love Heart Cheat Code builds brilliantly on their last three albums: their 2012 debut Tawk Tomahawk, 2015's Choose Your Weapon, and 2021's Mood Valiant. Tracks like "Telescope," "Everything's Beautiful," and "Make Friends" are burbling brooks of atmosphere, groove and vibe.

Any fans of deep, pungent funk grooves should investigate Boulevards immediately. The project of mastermind Jamil Rashad, their new album Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road tips its hat to yesterday's funk with a contemporary twist, bringing a refreshing spin on the well-trod template of syncopated basslines and stabbing horns.

Across highlights like "Do It Like a Maniac Part 1&2" and "Run & Move," Boulevards shows — once again — that few can nail this gritty sound quite like Rashad and crew.

British drill-inflected MC Headie One first made a splash overseas with his 2023 debut album, Strength to Strength. Less than a year later, he's returning with The Last One.

Back in 2022, he hinted at the existence of his sophomore album in his non-album track "50s" — "The fans calling for 'Martin's Sofa'/ It might be the first single from my second," he rapped. 

Helmed by that single, The Last One features Potter Payper, Stormzy, Fridayy, Skrillex, and more. The album is a leap forward in terms of production, scale and exploration.

Any theater kid worth their salt knows at least a few bars from the musical "Oklahoma!"; country sensation Kaitlyn Butts has just unfolded it into an entire album.

"It's a love story but there's also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it's set in the same place where I come from," she said in a statement, noting she saw "Oklahoma!" with her parents every summer during childhood. "Once I got the idea for this album," she continued, "I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love." 

A laugh riot as well as a colorful, openhearted statement, Roadrunner! does the old Rodgers and Hammerstein chestnut good.

Read more: 5 Female Artists Creating The Future Of Country Music: Jaime Wyatt, Miko Marks & More

Futurist Afropopper Amaarae made a gigantic splash with her second album, 2023's Fountain Baby — even Pitchfork gave it their coveted Best New Music designation.

That lush, enveloping album just got an expansion pack: roses are red, tears are blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play is a continuation of its predecessor with six new songs. The oceanic "wanted," featuring Naomi Sharon, is a highlight, as is a remix of "Disguise" with 6LACK.

"Ooh, I'll be wanted/ I've been wanted," a pitch-shifted Sharon sings near the end, as if turning over the phrase. "Wanted" is one way to describe Amaraae's position in the music landscape.

Learn more: Meet The Latest Wave Of Rising Afrobeats Stars: AMAARAE, BNXN, Oladapo & More

The 50th anniversary of hip-hop may have come and gone, but hip-hop is forever. Today, legendary hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Queen Latifah continue to bear the flame of the genre as an elevating force with "King King," a conscious, uplifting offering.

"This is dedicated to all the kings and all the soon to be kings/ We're counting on you/ We love  you/ This is for you, you and you and you," MC Lyte begins, while Latifah holds it down on the chorus with "This your crown hold it/ Even if it all falls down show it/ You know the world is watching now I know you get tired from keepin' it all together/ We need you."

During Women's History Month in March, MC Lyte released "Woman," the first single from her upcoming album, featuring hip-hop icons Salt (of Salt 'N Pepa), Big Daddy Kane, and R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn. MC Lyte's first new album in nearly a decade drops this summer; keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Learn more: 9 Teen Girls Who Built Hip-Hop: Roxanne Shante, J.J. Fadd, Angie Martinez & More