Welcome to the first Best New Pop roundup of 2023. After a (hopefully) long and lovely holiday for everyone reading this, music releases are returning from their short breaks, too. Lots of major artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Kali Uchis, and many more are teasing their eventual appearances on our weekly list. Meanwhile, other rising stars like Gracie Abrams have announced new albums and tours. There is a lot to look forward to in this new year.
For now, here’s this week’s list of some new pop jams that we’re extremely grateful for.
NewJeans — “OMG”
The K-Pop girl group NewJeans have already become a major force, amassing over 18 million streams on their brand new single, “OMG,” so far.
“I was really hoping that he will come through,” Hanni and Danielle sing on the chorus. The band, who previously released their first EP last summer, are continuing to raise the bar — not even a full two weeks into 2023.
Skrillex feat. PinkPantheress & Trippie Redd — “Way Back”
Another collaboration between Skrillex and PinkPantheress, “Way Back” also sees Trippie Redd joining the mix as he tackles the opening verse. As a teaser from the DJ’s first new album in almost a decade, it brilliantly utilizes PinkPantheress’ uniquely captivating vocals.
Shania Twain — “Giddy Up!”
A bonafide country song from the Canadian icon, Twain’s new song, “Giddy Up!” will instantly be stuck in listeners’ heads with a catchy instrumental, layered chants, and just a ton of carefree energy.
Mckenna Grace — “Ugly Crier”
Grace’s “Ugly Crier” opens with a dreamy-but-emotional retelling of those around her dealing with problems before bursting into a pop-punk-influenced track. However, she pulled the song’s inspiration from a personal experience of feeling like an outsider.
“I wrote this song after I went to this Hollywood party with a bunch of celebrities and felt completely out of place,” Grace said via Broadway World. It serves as the lead single ahead of her debut EP.
Sigala, MNEK — “Radio”
Before releasing their upbeat EDM collaboration, “Radio,” DJ Sigala had wanted to work with MNEK as a vocalist on a track for a long time. The result proved to work out, as MNEK apparently wrote the disco-meets-2000s inspired song in 20 minutes, according to RetroPop.
Juliana Tucker — “The Great Indoors”
“‘The Great Indoors’ is about finding comfort in solitude and learning how to look within ourselves for happiness rather than finding it elsewhere,” Tucker shared about the emotional ballad. “It’s a song for anyone who lives life for themselves rather than living life to please someone else.”
Caye — “A Door”
Caye brings the chill vibes on “A Door,” which he both wrote and produced. As he describes, the song’s intention is for listeners to take some space to meditate on the world around them — which the calming nature of the instrumental allows. It appears on his forthcoming February debut album, We Love, that also will drop just before a headlining tour.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.