This week in the best new pop music saw some exciting releases. Miley Cyrus debuted her anticipated album Plastic Hearts, Bad Bunny dropped a surprise project, and Rina Sawayama followed-up her sophomore record.
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.
Miley Cyrus — “Hate Me”
After months of teasing, Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts is finally here — and it’s great. Cyrus only previewed the album with two songs, but the project is 15 tracks that perfectly blend classic rock and modern pop. Her standout track “Hate Me” is perhaps the most buoyant on the album, combining bouncy bass drops with Cyrus’ soaring vocals.
Bad Bunny — “La Noche De Anoche” Feat. Rosalía
Bad Bunny also released an album this week, and it was his third release of the year. The record, titled El Último Tour Del Mundo, boasts a number of groovy reggaeton tracks. But his Rosalía collaboration “La Noche De Anoche” is one of his most captivating as it features heart-throbbing lyrics over a fluttering beat.
Rina Sawayama — “Lucid”
Following her smash hit sophomore album Sawayama, Rina Sawayama returns with the shimmering number “Lucid.” Over heavily-layered production, Sawayama pens an effortlessly-infectious tune about a budding relationship.
Christine And The Queens — “3Sex” Feat. Indochine
’80s French pop rock band Indochine tapped Christine And The Queens for the driving tune “3Sex.” Speaking about the single in a statement, Christine described how the collaboration came about: “Last April, Nicola Sirkis called me and told me about revisiting ‘3Sex.’ The whole world was breathing more slowly and my heart started pounding because this song tells something that is very personal to me, something that makes me want to be free.”
King Princess — “Pain”
After a wildly successful breakout year in 2019, King Princess returned with her first new single of 2020. Addressing the song, King Princess said: “‘Pain’ is cool because… It’s probably my favorite song I’ve ever written. It makes me so happy when I listened to it. I haven’t gotten sick of it. I like when it’s on in the background or my girlfriend just did my new video, she was… I had to hear it a bajillion times through the editing process.”
J. Lo — “In The Morning”
Following her eye-catching performance at this year’s AMAs, J. Lo is ushering in a new era of music. This week, the singer debuted the sultry single “In The Morning,” featuring a clapping beat and J. Lo’s upbeat lyrical delivery.
JoJo — “December Baby”
JoJo is ringing in the holiday season with the soulful number “December Baby.” The bright song boasts jingling bells and JoJo’s thoughtful musings about wishing to cozy up with the one she loves.
Fred Again — “Julia (Deep Diving)”
Producer Fred Again shared his song “Julia (Deep Diving)” this week, which was surprisingly based off of an Instagram post by songwriter Julia Michaels. Fred Again ripped the post’s audio and remixed it, turning her prose into a shuffling and reflective earworm.
TheHxliday — “Thank U”
Rising singer TheHxliday offered his brooding number “Thank U” as a reflection on his generation’s reliance on substances. “Kids these days feel the urge to take drugs to help cope with their emotions,” TheHxliday said in a statement. “With ‘Thank U’ it’s a message saying ‘You can take drugs. You can take anything you want but it’s only going to make things worse.’ You don’t need that to heal they’re better things to do.”
Clinton Kane — “Remember The Mornings”
Norwegian-Filipino singer/songwriter Clinton Kane shared his lovelorn ballad “Remember The Mornings” this week. In speaking about the song, Clinton Kane says: “‘remember the mornings’ is inspired by a girl who broke my heart; surprise, surprise, what else is new! It talks about how badly I want this person in my life even though she’ll probably break me apart, and how badly I want to call her every single night after my busy day even though I know she’s probably with someone else.”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.