10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of Jan. 8, 2021

New year, new music!

We don't know about you, but we are beyond relieved that 2020 is done and behind us. While that doozy of a year definitely brought us some incredible new music, we have even bigger hopes for 2021, and so far it certainly doesn't disappoint.

After all, it's not every week we're graced with new music from megastars like Zayn and Taylor Swift—and that's only two of our top 10 tracks of the week! Want to find out what else we discovered? Simply keep scrolling for all of our faves.

1. Niko Moon's Good Time EP Gets the Campfire Session Treatment

Nashville singer-songwriter Niko Moon has one of our favorite voices in country, and when we found out he'd be livestreaming performances of his entire Good Time EP—beside a campfire, no less—we knew we had to tune in. If you missed the stream earlier this week, these live, acoustic versions of the EP's six tracks are available on Spotify, and they just might be our favorite renditions of these fabulous songs.

 

2. JC Stewart Teams Up With Niall Horan for Sweltering New Track 'Break My Heart'

JC Stewart is one of our favorite artists we discovered in 2020, and he's starting 2021 off with a bang. His new single, "Break My Heart," was co-written by JC and Niall Horan about a fiery but destructive romance, and it's just as epic as you'd suspect. "'Break My Heart' is big, fast, and fun," JC said in a press release. "It's about someone who can catch you so off guard that they can ruin a city for you and tear your life apart. But sometimes that can be addicting." We have a feeling this song is going to be huge.

 

3. Laine Hardy Covers a John Anderson Country Classic

There's a good reason Laine Hardy won his season on American Idol. The man has talent, and it's on full showcase in his latest release, a cover of the 1983 John Anderson hit "Swingin'." His approach makes the country classic feel as fresh and fun as ever. In fact, we'd forgive you if you had no idea it was a cover!

 

4. Eladio Carrión Releases Sophomore Album Monarca

Eladio Carrión may not yet be a household name here in the states, but the Puerto Rican rap artist is a big deal in Latin music. This week, he released his second album, Monarca, featuring 14 powerful tracks. Check out the new music video for "Progeso" for a taste.

 

5. Dylan Conrique Goes Country With New Single 'Bitter'

Dylan Conrique is back to making stunning music this year, and we've never heard anything from her quite like the new track "Bitter," featuring Swedish singer Noak Hellsing. "I think now that I'm getting older, my audience is also growing up with me," Dylan told Sweety High. "I just thought it was time to step up a level with my music. I think this year is gonna be a good year, and like everyone always says, 'New year, new me.' This is also true because "Bitter" is more country-leaning. I'm so excited that I get to release something in that lane because I'm such a fan of country music and grew up listening to it."

 

6. Olivia Rodrigo Blows Us Away With 'Drivers License'

While Olivia Rodrigo is best known for her roles on Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, we think it won't be long before she's one of music's biggest stars. Her new song "Drivers License" has us absolutely stunned with its delicate but evocative vocal that forces you to feel every powerful word. It's a tale of heartache and insecurity, and it's everything we could have hoped for and more.

 

7. Maggie Lindemann Teases Her Upcoming EP With the Release of 'Knife Under My Pillow'

With Maggie Lindemann's Paranoia EP releasing in two weeks, we weren't expecting her to drop any new music this early in the year—but we were so wrong. The music video for the opening track, "Knife Under My Pillow," came out earlier this week revealing Maggie as she investigates a possible home invasion. It's an exciting pop-punk ode to anxiety, and we love every second of it. "When I was living in my old house, I had extreme paranoia," Maggie revealed to Sweety High. "I would always have to call people and tell them to come over because I thought someone was in my house trying to kidnap me or something. So yeah, I used to literally sleep with a knife under my pillow." We have to say we're glad that time has passed—and that she has this great song to show for it.

 

8. Zara Larsson and Young Thug Bring Us 'Talk About Love'

If you've ever worried about a new relationship getting too complicated, too soon, then you're going to instantly relate to Zara Larsson's epic "Talk About Love" featuring Young Thug. Despite its sultry and romantic sound, it's actually a track about not being sure about commitment, and putting off the discussion of love for fear of messing things up by getting emotions involved. Regardless of your own relationship status, it's all too easy to get hooked on this catchy beat.

 

9. Zayn Releases the Official Music Video for 'Vibez'

Zayn's third studio album, Nobody Is Listening, releases in just one week, and we weren't sure how we were going to survive the wait until the former One Direction star gave us the ultimate tease with the release of a fresh single called "Vibez." This is one mighty R&B track, with enough romantic vibes to last us the next seven days, and a swoon-worthy music video. If we had to make a single complaint about the track, it's that it's too short and we're desperate for more.

 

10. Taylor Swift Releases Evermore Bonus Track 'It's Time to Go'

Ever hear a Taylor Swift song for the first time and instantly declare it your favorite? That's how we feel about "It's Time to Go." It's available digitally for the first time this week after only being available on the physical deluxe version of Evermore, and we're a little mad that Taylor kept it from us for this long! There's a delicacy and familiarity to this track that makes it so compelling, with lyrics about tragic life moments that make you realize it's time to move on, let go and find something better. Seriously, we dare you not to fall in love with it.

 

If you've been a little out of the loop since 2020, click HERE to discover our favorite new releases from the end of the year.