10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of February 18, 2022
We're headed into a long President's Day weekend, which means we'll have an extra 24 hours to listen to our favorite music.
And if you're in the mood for something new, we have a big treat for you, because this was another one of those weeks where there were so many great new tracks it was almost impossible to narrow it down to our top 10. This week saw new songs from Sara Kays, Paris Jackson, Sabrina Carpenter and so many more, so if you want to know what we're listening to, keep scrolling for 10 big things that happened in music the week of February 18, 2022.
1. sheyda Imagines an Epic Kind of Love in 'Big Heartbreak'
Nashville-based singer-songwriter sheyda is known for her powerful voice, and poignant lyrics to match, and her latest song, "Big Heartbreak," flaunts both. The song is about going big or going home when it comes to love, and giving a relationship your all—even if that's going to hurt in the long run. "When we wrote 'Big Heartbreak,' it was on the back of a conversation we had about how we wanted our love to be great," sheyda told Sweety High. "The idea that, if I'm going to love you, or be loved by you, I want it to be monumental. Even if you're going to eventually break my heart; make it big."
2. Maude Latour Becomes Her Own Muse in 'Headphones'
Maude Latour never fails to impress us with her dreamy and vibrant brand of alt-pop, and her latest release, "Headphones," was just what we needed going into the long weekend. It's a song about surviving heartbreak, the ups and downs that come with it and learning how to listen to the positive messages in your head. "'Headphones' starts exactly after where the Strangers Forever EP left us—heartbroken and experiencing loss, but slowly finding strength, as we say goodbye to a person of our past," Maude revealed in a press release. "'Headphones' is an opening of a new world; it is the first ray of light as the storm begins to end. I was lying on a hardwood floor, realizing I was truly alone in my head, no more romantic partner to lean on, when I first heard a voice in my head. It was my own. I wanted to learn to love myself, I wanted to grow within. 'Headphones' is that terrifying leap into our future, and into our deeper selves."
3. Sea Girls Explore a Love Never Pursued With 'Lonely'
English rockers Sea Girls are releasing a highly anticipated album, Homesick, next month, and if they're not already on your radar, now is the time to take notice. Their newest song "Lonely" is a dreamy and nostalgic exploration of a love that could have been great, but never quite came to be. "It was written the day Ennio Morricone died, so was initially in honor of him, a nod to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly—hence the whistle and the line 'O.K. Corral,'" explained singer Henry Camamile. "It's about the best friend I probably should have gone out with, but never did. We both moved on and the band happened and life got in the way for the both of us."
4. Carlie Hanson Drops Her Evocative Debut Album, Tough Boy
We've been keeping a very close eye on alt-pop singer-songwriter Carlie Hanson for a while now, and her new debut album Tough Boy is the perfect distillation of everything we love about her music. It's raw and real, with tracks spanning a whole breadth of emotions, and the perfect sound for each feel. "Tough Boy embodies the tornado of feelings I've experienced in the last year and a half," Carlie told Sweety High. "It was a weird time to begin making an album. Obviously, the pandemic had just hit and I was freshly 20 years old. I spent a lot of alone time during COVID, but because of this, I was able to discover parts of myself that I didn't even know existed." The album features a dozen songs and we're having a hard time picking a favorite, but it just might have to be "Nice to Know Ya."
5. Justin Park Touches on His Unexpected Roots in 'MI VIDA'
Korean-American singer-songwriter Justin Park takes a slightly unexpected turn singing in Spanish, to a flamenco sound, on his new track "MI VIDA," but each of the elements of the song works together in perfect harmony. It turns out Justin's mother's side of the family actually immigrated to and lived in Argentina and Paraguay before coming to the states, so the track alludes to his family history. "I personally wanted to call back to a bit of my musical influences from back in the day, like Usher, NSYNC and Carlos Santana, and by keeping that R&B-pop sort of structural feel, along with a bit of energy and romance with the guitar," Justin revealed Sweety High in an interview. "I just felt like having all this together would make this song very universal and very easy for anyone to really like."
6. Zolita Sees Her Love Story Fall Apart in 'Single in September'
Zolita's upbeat and '90s-tinged new track "Single in September" is a track about clinging to a love that doesn't last through the summer, and we can't stop listening. It also has a striking music video that's destined to go totally viral. It features a queer love story that starts off ridiculously romantic before things take a turn for the worse as the two come to realize the unlikelihood of their relationship continuing through college. You'll just have to watch to see where it goes from there—and await its sequel.
7. Trombone Shorty Captures the Essence of a Live Show in 'Come Back'
Raise your hand if you haven't been to a concert in person since the start of the pandemic! Troy Andrews, better known as Trombone Shorty, has set out to capture all of the bold and bombastic energy of a live show on his upcoming album Lifted, out this April, and you only have to listen to the opening notes of the new lead single "Come Back" to see he's done just that. "I think Lifted is the closest we've ever gotten to bottling up the live show and putting it on a record," Trombone Shorty explained in a press release. "This time around, I told everybody to really cut loose, to perform like they were onstage at a festival." We know what we'll be listening to in two months.
8. Sara Kays Shares Her Relationship Doubts in 'When You Look at Me'
Have you ever been in a relationship and felt like it just wasn't the same anymore? Pop singer-songwriter Sara Kays has, and she channeled all of that doubt and questioning into her gorgeous new song "When You Look at Me." "'When You Look At Me,' is about feeling like the person you're with doesn't look at you the same anymore, or act like they used to around you," Sara shared in a press release. "I wrote this song about a month ago when I was feeling that way in my relationship and decided to record it shortly after that while it was still real to me."
9. Paris Jackson Bares Her Soul on the lost EP
Paris Jackson's musical career is not one to sleep on. Since she signed to Republic Records in 2020, she's been releasing some truly beautiful and deeply personal music, and her new EP, the lost, might be her prettiest yet. The EP features three songs—"lost," featuring Caamp, plus "breathe again" and "never going back again," and each one is more heart-wrenching than the last. "because who doesn't love a lil ep about an ex lover?"Paris wrote on Instagram. We definitely love it.
10. Sabrina Carpenter Acts Fast and Thinks Later in the New Music Video for 'Fast Times'
Actress and singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter puts her all into everything she does, and the music video for her new single, "Fast Times," is no exception. It's positively dripping with style, melding elements of spy thrillers and heist flicks to create something impossible to resist. We especially love the way Sabrina shows off all kinds of looks as a master of espionage. "I'm in my early twenties, and it sometimes feels like you have to pick up, digest, process your emotions and move on before you even realize what happened," Sabrina explained in a press release. "Reminds me of the times in life where we act on impulse knowing we risk the consequences of what that might bring but it's worth it for the ride of what could be." Sabrina's debut album with Island Records is also set to come pretty soon, and we can't wait.
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases the week of Feb. 11, 2022.