Happy New Year!! 2021 is finally here! Kicking off the new month and year are these five picks. We’ve got the latest from pop singers Lauv, Aly & AJ, dance pop phenoms Kylie Minogue and Dua Lipa, Grammy-winning English artist Jacob Collier & alternative artist Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness. All that and more in this week’s New Music Friday post for January 1, 2021.
“2021” by Lauv
Pop singer-songwriter Lauv gave one more song for the fans on New Year’s Eve to help end 2020 on a higher note. This song is an ode to a fresh start in 2021. One where you’re going to do your best to elevate your love life, to be more attentive to their needs, wants, wishes, etc. This is for all the guys and girls out there who want to continue dating their love of their life and nobody else.
Sonically, I feel it fits the current vibes of mainstream radio and I feel like this could be the next hit song for the 26-year-old artist. If not on radio, I predict this will be a heavily used song on TikTok with fans lip-syncing or dancing to the track. It’s definitely a different sound from him compared with his first album, ~how i’m feeling~. “2021” is like hip-hop meets pop meets EDM.
I expect a corresponding music video to be released soon but if not I’m still looking forward to hearing more tunes from him as the months go on. How about you? Maybe a new EP or even a second studio album is in the works! Drop your predictions in the comments below.
Check out Lauv’s official merch store, right here. His touring dates for later this fall are available here. He will be making stops in New Zealand, Australia & Jakarta. Singer-songwriter Jeremy Zucker will be joining him as his opening act. Hopefully more dates will be added after the pandemic in other parts of the world including North America.
In the meantime…
“Potential Breakup Song” by Aly & AJ
Due to the rise in popularity of their 2007 Platinum-selling single, “Potential Breakup Song” on TikTok, the ladies of music duo Aly & AJ have re-recorded it for a new generation of listeners. This also serves as a nostalgic trip for those who discovered them and adored them over a decade ago.
This is not for the children as they’ve added expletives in the song. Sonically, this track has definitely gotten a whole new edge and a fresh new sound. I feel it’s sassier than the original and fitting for those who are currently experiencing or had experienced a one-sided relationship or multiple. Thoughts?
Play this song if you want to warn your boyfriend or girlfriend to step up or else the days of you dating them are being numbered.
If you want to hear the clean version, click here. If you want to hear the original version from 14 years ago, then click here. Watch the performance above for a “Slow Dancing”/ “PBS” jam session! It aired on New Year’s Eve online for you guessed it, TikTok! Enjoy!
Prior to that epic performance, they proposed to their fans on Twitter, the idea of re-imagining their other hit song, “Like Whoa.” Commenters seemed to be onboard with that suggestion with some requesting the whole Insomniatic album to get the explicit treatment. Click on the tweet below to see all of their positive reactions.
Would you like to see this come to fruition? Let me know in the comments box below.
“Real Groove – Studio 2054 Remix” by Kylie Minogue & Dua Lipa
Get up on your dancing shoes for this remix of Kylie Minogue’s hit song “Real Groove.” 2x Grammy-winning artist, Dua Lipa joins her dance pop track for an epic collaboration that fans will be buzzing about. With the rise in stardom for Lipa in 2020 in her Gold-certified Future Nostalgia album release, this remix makes perfect sense to be dropped for the world to hear.
This track is for all those dance lovers, Minogue and Dua Lipa lovers, 80’s disco-lovers and everyone else in between! A perfect distraction from the stresses of the day.
Check out my original post featuring “Real Groove” by clicking here. The song is featured on her latest album, Disco which ranked in the top 10 on Billboard’s Best Dance Albums of 2020 as well as the top 10 on Variety’s Best Albums of 2020.
“The Sun Is In Your Eyes” by Jacob Collier
Grammy-winning artist Jacob Collier kickstarts 2021 with a short and sweet stripped down style single, “The Sun Is In Your Eyes.” The 26-year-old explained in the description in the video seen above, “Here’s a song I wrote last year! I recorded it on my phone for safe-keeping. [Now] it’s yours to keep.”
A nice gift for fans of his for the new year! I enjoy the laid-back vibes on this love song which talks about the beauty of your significant other. Their eyes are like sunshine to you, their smile is refreshing like a glass of cold water, and their lips are like golden treasure. Very poetic if I do say so myself. Thoughts?
No matter where life takes you, the love you have for him/her/them is unconditional. I love how it’s capped off in the ending of the song, when he sings, “I see you clearly now/I hold you dearly now/The sun is in my eyes.” It went from their eyes to now his eyes, so that I feel encapsulates the overall and genuine affectionate feelings he has for his lover.
2021 will hopefully be a brighter year for many, and I’m eager to hear more from Collier later this year. Check out Jacob’s merch store, right here. Stay updated with his official website, here. It includes a list of 91 cities he’s promising to tour in once the pandemic is over and concerts can run safely for the fans.
“New Year Song” by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
My last pick of the week is from none other than Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. He expressed how difficult 2020 was for him saying, “I’ve been on this earth a fair amount of years, most of them I’d count myself lucky while a handful have been quite challenging. If I’ve learned anything, they sneak up on you, the hard years, and this one was no exception.”
As December 2020 came to a close he found inspiration to create this hopeful new song just in time for 2021! He shared that the song was born on a piano at 4th Street in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. A snippet from the above video’s description reads as follows:
“Wherever this song finds you in life, whether you feel inclined to skip it or listen on repeat, I send it on with the sincere hope that whatever hardships and beauty you’ve encountered this year. you find half the hardship and twice as much beauty in the next.”
Aurally speaking, this is such a feel good song filled with optimism and warm wishes moving forward as we begin 2021. I thought the piano melody was beautifully composed. By 2:10, you will likely get goosebumps! Credits to Suzy Shinn for helping him produce this amazing track.
So here’s to a new year that we can all picture together that should be and hopefully will be brighter, one with brand new opportunities, pathways, and memories being made.
That does it for this week’s post! Thank you all for reading another edition of New Music Friday here at Philip’s Music Corner. If you liked what you read, kindly click on the follow button down below. Also if you like, please support my work by donating to my Paypal. I truly appreciate it!
Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about any of these picks in the comments box down below! You can also give the songs featured this week a thumbs up or a thumbs down using the buttons under each pick. As always, stay safe and happy listening!
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