Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a useful information to this Friday’s most important releases — the important thing music that everybody will probably be speaking about at the moment, and that will probably be dominating playlists this weekend and past.
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This week, Lorde reinvents herself, Alex Warren brings ROSÉ into his sonic world, and KATSEYE proceed a “Gnarly” run of success. Try all of this week’s picks under:
Lorde, Virgin
The promotional marketing campaign for Lorde’s long-awaited fourth album has concerned tales of a bitter breakup and physique dysmorphia, creeping emotions of stage fright and questions on her gender identification. As an alternative of retreating from the intimate stress factors and private adjustments which have outlined her mid-twenties, she poured them into a brand new album, and is now hoisting them up for the world to see. One hearken to Lorde’s Virgin confirms that it’s by far the bravest album of her profession.
Learn the full review of Lorde’s new album.
Alex Warren & ROSÉ, “On My Thoughts”
A No. 1 smash will typically end in some attention-grabbing cellphone calls about potential collaborations, and after Alex Warren adopted up his monumental hit “Strange” with the Jelly Roll team-up “Bloodline,” ROSÉ has now hopped on the actor single from his upcoming album You’ll Be Alright, Child, with the BLACKPINK star holding her personal amidst the horns and kick drum on the somber, likable folk-pop sing-along.
KATSEYE, Lovely Chaos
Extra pop songs ought to sound as audacious as “Gnarly,” KATSEYE’s off-the-wall breakthrough single that leads off their new 5-song EP — and whereas that hyperpop sledgehammer units up a barely extra subdued challenge, the lady group scores with slinky pop harmonies (“Gameboy”), dance balladry (“Imply Women”) and a wise twist on the anthemic “Gnarly” sound to shut issues out (“M.I.A”).
Lizzo, My Face Hurts From Smiling
Though Lizzo has launched a handful of pop-leaning singles thus far in 2025, My Face Hurts From Smiling options none of them — as an alternative, the shock mixtape is a full-throated foray into rap music, designed to let her have a blast on tracks alongside SZA and Doja Cat and additional regain her mojo earlier than a presumably extra mainstream-focused new album.
Don Toliver, “FWU”
Don Toliver’s helium-coated voice joins forces with Mustard’s hard-clapping manufacturing on “FWU,” a brand new single that serves as Toliver’s first solo single of the 12 months and boosts his momentum with out excessive stakes — “FWU” rolls alongside ceaselessly and purposefully, meant to be performed loud and greater than twice.
Numerous Artists, F1 The Album
On the identical day that the Brad Pitt racing drama zooms into theaters, the complete F1 album is unveiled as probably the most star-studded soundtrack of the 12 months, with beforehand launched tracks by Don Toliver and Doja Cat, Tate McRae, Ed Sheeran and ROSÉ complemented by new choices from Burna Boy, RAYE, Madison Beer and extra — simply you should definitely save time for Peggy Gou’s vivid, shuffling “D.A.N.C.E” within the again half.
Barbra Streisand, The Secret of Life: Companions, Vol. 2
Barbra Streisand’s elegant sequel to her 2014 duets album Companions succeeds as a consequence of its good visitor record: whereas legends like Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and James Taylor swing by to sing and pay homage, the looks of artists like Hozier and Laufey properly shake up the sound, and the Babs-Mariah Carey-Ariana Grande summit “One Coronary heart, One Voice” lives as much as his high-powered pedigree.
Editor’s Choose: Blood Orange, “The Subject”
On the identical day {that a} main new pop launch that Dev Hyne contributed to, Lorde’s Virgin, is unveiled, indie followers will be equally enthralled by the primary track in three years from his Blood Orange challenge: “The Subject” — which melds the voices of Caroline Polachek, Daniel Caesar and others with Hynes’ personal — is hauntingly attractive, a hymn-like variation on Blood Orange’s danceable pop-R&B that hopefully previews extra to return from the studio grasp.