10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of August 9, 2024
New Music Friday truly is our favorite day of the week.
This summer's NMFs have all been blockbusters, and with a new beabadoobee album, major comebacks from some of our favorite stars and a fresh taste of Shawn Mendes's recently announced self-titled album, this week's new releases truly couldn't be bigger. Eager to give it all a listen? Just keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of Aug. 9, 2024.
('Why Why Why' via Island Records)
1. Julia Raye Is Stuck on a Bad Boy With 'Give You Up'
23-year-old pop-R&B artist Julia Raye is rapidly on the rise, and her newest single, "Give You Up," further cements her incredible vocal talents and penchant for relatable lyricism. Backed by an alluring dance beat, the song is an admission of Julia's weakness for a bad boy, being unable to let go even though he's not any good for her. As a classically trained vocalist, her voice truly soars on the track. "It's a song about that one guy who you know is bad for you, but you can't help falling for," Julia shared in a press release. "You can really hear the range of emotions play out in real time. It's confident, sassy, fun and honest."
Also read about: How Julia Raye Navigated Feeling Stuck in a Situationship With 'Expectations'
2. Tasha Surrenders to Abundance With 'So Much More'
Singer-songwriter Tasha just announced that her new album, All This and So Much More, will be out on Sep. 20, and with the release of title track "So Much More," it just jumped onto our list of most eagerly anticipated albums. Featuring hazy, droning guitars under silky and introspective vocals, it's a song about reexamining happiness and learning to embrace gratitude and optimism over letting the weight of the world drag you down. "The titular song of the album, 'So Much More,' is about reminding myself to hold onto a mindset of abundance in lieu of fear or desperation," Tasha explained in a press release. "It's about being grateful for what I have, and believing in the possibility of more goodness to come. Wonder, beauty, and love abounds when I'm able to keep my eyes and heart open to it. Capitalism feeds off of a scarcity mindset and encourages us to hoard what we have out of fear of losing it, being without it, or someone else having 'more' than us. This song (and whole album in fact) resists that notion in its ending declaration, 'You could have all this and so much more.'"
3. Kayley Green Writes the Ultimate Cowgirl Breakup Anthem With 'Shadow of a Cowboy'
We're new to rising country artist Kayley Green, but after hearing her newest song, "Shadow of a Cowboy," we're convinced she has major star power. Her storytelling is top-notch as she sings about the so-called cowboy who broke her heart, with a wistful country sound that instantly had us hooked. "As soon as we wrote 'Shadow of a Cowboy,' I knew it was special," Kayley shared in a press release. "I spent the last year of my life writing song after song, trying to find my voice and then learning how to write it into my music. 'Shadow of a Cowboy' was one of the first songs that I felt I was able to do that. The words, the melodies, the high notes, the bridge… it all felt so much like me. I'm so grateful to my co-writers for helping me write a song that I love so much."
4. Juliet Ivy Explores Her Human Experience in tiny but scary EP
23-year-old singer-songwriter Juliet Ivy has a knack for writing poignant, relatable tracks that speak to the soul—especially with the release of her new EP, tiny but scary. The five-song EP fives into the experience of a young woman in the modern age, pairing twinkling and dreamlike instrumentation and vocals with profound lyricism that never misses the mark. "Girlhood is really present in this project—all the ever-changing, complicated, intertwined emotions of being a young girl," Juliet explained in a press release. "This EP is welcoming the people who found me from the first project playpen into my brain, my bedroom and my childhood, and having them get to know me a little better. playpen represented how I saw things outside of myself; this next project is more internal."-
5. Dean Lewis and Sasha Alex Sloan Team Up for a Romantic Duet on 'Rest'
Artists Dean Lewis and Sasha Alex Sloan are both self-proclaimed "sad" artists, so their gorgeous new collaboration, "Rest," gives us something truly unexpected. Co-written by the two artists, it's the ultimate romantic track, driven by their equally powerful vocals in a stirring and evocative duet. Truly, it feels like these two were born to work together. "I've been a fan of Dean's for a while so when I found out we were writing together I was a little nervous but the second I walked in the room all my nerves went away," Sasha said in a press release. "We clicked instantly. This song is the first song we ever wrote together, and I think we stumbled onto some magic that day… so excited for the world to hear it." "Rest" will also appear on Dean Lewis's third album, The Epilogue, set to drop on Oct. 18
Also read about: Sasha Sloan Tells the Story Behind 'Is It Just Me,' and How the Charlie Puth Version Came to Be
6. Dua Saleh and Sid Sriram Join Forces for 'time & time again'
Sudanese-American artist Dau Saleh is someone who should be on everyone's radars this year, and for their latest release, they recruited Indian musician Sid Sriram for the sleek and yearning "time & time again." The track is about a broken love between two people who are forever connected but will never be able to make it work together, with the two vocalists pronouncing their pain from each perspective. "The song reflects someone who could have been the forever person but we weren't meant to be in this time," Dua shared in a press release. "We still have this deep bond and, maybe this happens more in queer relationships, we still look out for each other." It's also set to appear on Dua's debut album, I SHOULD CALL THEM, out Oct. 11.
7. beabadoobee Is More Confident Than Ever on New Album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves
We didn't think we could love indie-pop sensation beabadoobee even more, but her third album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, reminds us precisely why we can't get enough. The album's 14 songs show just how much Bea has grown since her second album, Beatopia, as she paves the path for her future. The album also arrives with a music video for the new single, "Beaches," an empowering anthem about self-care and self-confidence, which seems to set the mood for the entire project. "I love this album," beabadoobee revealed in a press release "I feel like it's helped me so much more than anything else has in navigating this new era, this new understanding of where I'm at. I guess it's about becoming a woman. I think I'm more aware of my actions in these songs. In my previous records, I would consistently sing about my reaction towards other people's doings, like a blame game. But in this record, it's accepting that there's an inevitability of my fault in there too. Whether it's childhood trauma or relationship issues, it takes two to tango in everything."
Also read about: 36 Emotional Lyrics From beabadoobee's Beatopia to Use as Instagram Captions
8. Clairo Shares Her First Music Video in Years With 'Juna'
It's hard to believe that it's been years since Clairo released a music video, but she's finally broken the streak with the release of her latest video for "Juna." The track has been a fan favorite from her recently released third album, Charm, describing a love that's so strong it's become intuitive, where the two know each other fully, without having to ask or guess. Its new music video is especially captivating, juxtaposing the dreamy, romantic sound and whispery vocals against the violence of an indie wrestling match, but somehow, it just works.
9. keshi Releases His 'Perfect Song,' 'Dream'
Singer-songwriter keshi aims to do something he's never done before with his sophomore album, Requiem, out Sep. 13., creating songs that are just as sonically beautiful as they are meaningful, and we think he's nailed it with new single, "Dream." With an atmosphere curated by the delicate sounds of piano and a softly strummed guitar, it's a romantic and lovelorn song about a lost love who hasn't yet left his mind. "Dream is my idea of the perfect song," keshi explained in a press release. "Lyrics vivid yet concise, production sparse but intentional, and wrapped up with a tagline that's supposed to gut you. It's about the 'what if' that keeps you up at night, and the feeling you can't seem to let go. It's beautifully haunting—the kind of song you sing with your heart in your throat."
Also read about: Keshi Talks About the Indulgence of Romance in His New Song 'TOUCH'
10. Shawn Mendes Teases His Self-Titled Album With 'Why Why Why' and 'Isn't That Enough'
After last week's announcement that Shawn Mendes will be releasing his fifth album, the self-titled Shawn, on Oct. 18, he made that news even more real last night by releasing not one, but two, irresistible new singles. "Why Why Why" is a rousing but introspective self-examination questioning the choices he's made in the past, and how they've taken him to where is today, while "Isn't That Enough" is a folksy acoustic track about acceptance and wondering whether it's all "enough." The album promises to encapsulate his experiences over the past few years, including the aftermath of his canceled 2022 tour, and was recorded all over, from Costa Rica and New York to Washington State and Nashville. "Music really can be medicine," Shawn shared in a post. "Two years ago, I felt like I had absolutely no idea who I was. A year ago, I couldn't step into a studio without falling into complete panic. So to be here right now with 12 beautiful finished songs feels like such a gift. Honestly thank god for my friends and family. Life can be brutal but having a small group of people you deeply trust to walk you through makes it so much better. I really hope you love this album, I do. I really really do. I hope it makes you feel warm and close to the earth like it does for me."
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of Aug. 2, 2024.