Spring is almost here! As the weather gets warmer, you might want to add these five songs on your next stroll around your neighborhood! This week I’m highlighting new tracks from pop artist Nick Jonas featuring Jonas Brothers, alternative pop artists The Knocks & Foster The People, hit singer-songwriters Ingrid Michaelson x ZAYN, Australian musician PJ Harding and rising Grammy-nominated artist Noah Cyrus & last but not least country singer Hunter Hayes! All that and more in this week’s New Music Friday post for Friday, March 19, 2021…
“Selfish” by Nick Jonas feat. Jonas Brothers
Pop star Nick Jonas gave fans even more from his latest Spaceman album this week with the deluxe edition featuring FIVE brand new tracks! The first one called “Selfish,” is a featured collaboration with his brothers, Joe and Kevin otherwise known as the Jonas Brothers. This reunion of sorts is a follow up to their 2020 Christmas song, “I Need You Christmas,” released last fall.
It was co-written by him and his brothers, Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic, Jason Evigan (see: “Physical” by Dua Lipa, “Like It’s Christmas by Jonas Brothers) as well as Marcus Lomax, Jordan and Stefan Johnson, members of The Monsterz & Strangerz, a reputable songwriting team.
This track has Nick and Joe as the vocalists and both are singing about their wives and how they desire to give them their full undivided attention in life. They want to support them in all of their endeavors both personally and professionally. They have to have them, all for themselves! How sweet is that! Isn’t that the perfect kind of selfishness to possess?
This is a feel good addition to what’s already a spectacularly written/produced album for the 28-year-old artist. You can also hear the track called “Dangerous,” plus new “chill versions” of “2Drunk,” “Don’t Give Up On Us,” and “This Is Heaven.” The latter song also has a music video which released this week too, so be sure to check that out if you haven’t done so already. It featured a live performing choir much like in his Saturday Night Live performance from a couple of weeks ago.
Purchase your Spaceman merch today!
“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Knocks feat. Foster The People
Here’s a cool nostalgia trip! The Knocks & Foster The People pair up once again to cover the 90s Britpop anthem, “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” They released a brand new EP together which is out now by the way and it’s titled Melody & Silence. It also contains three other tracks namely “Devil’s Haircut” which is a cover of Beck’s original, a cover of Moby & Gwen Stefani’s “South Side,” plus another iteration of “All About You,” the Sunrise Edition.
In the video above, we see The Knocks’ “B-Roc” and “Mr. JPatt” & FTP’s Mark Foster performing the song in the studio recorded in real time. I loved how they showed these jam sessions.
I love both versions of the song, so I can’t really pick a favorite. I did notice in the outro, it’s shortened a bit compared to the original. This new one has a modern club flair to it (most notably at 2:45) whereas the original embraced the 90s style without any club beat enhancements.
Overall, Foster’s vocals were solid as always! I’m happy they made this cover effort. Now a whole new generation of listeners will come to appreciate The Verve as well as discover The Knocks’ and Foster The People’s respective discographies moving forward. Looking forward to hearing them perform this song in a future concert!
Shop their merch stores, here and here.
“To Begin Again” by Ingrid Michaelson x ZAYN
Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson has collaborated with many artists throughout her illustrious career. Notable names like Mat Kearney, A Great Big World, Jason Mraz, AJR, Leslie Odom Jr, and Christina Perri just to name a few have all lend their voices. This time, she teamed up with pop sensation ZAYN in “To Begin Again.” It’s her first new song to drop since her 2019 album, Stranger Songs was released. It’s also the first time she’s worked with the former One Direction member turned solo artist.
Optimists would say the coronavirus pandemic is nearing it’s end and signs of hope and light at the end of the tunnel are becoming more of a reality as days go by and more and more people get vaccinated. This optimistic track will provide comfort to your ears, giving you a slice of serotonin to make you feel better knowing that better days are coming soon. The darker days of 2020 are slowly starting to become more of a distant memory! Soon, perhaps as early as this summer, we can see more of our friends and family whom we’ve been separated from for more than a year, if not more!
Michaelson shared on her socials that this song was written and produced on the whim. “I didn’t plan on writing this song. It just happened. Those are always the best ones.”
I loved the resilient lyrics the two artists wrote, that we will see another day. I correlated that to this year as we begin to see improvement of our livelihoods. They sang in the second chorus, “And it’s alright, it’s okay/We will get another day/To begin again, to begin again, to begin again/I don’t know how, I don’t know why/But I know that I will try/To begin again, to begin again, to begin/To live and love and breathe again.” Very soothing to the ears!
The soaring bridge gave me chills when both of their voices blend together so cohesively as they belted our the lines, “And cry because I’m happy/And hold my friends like long-lost lovers/Be kind to me and love each other/The world keeps spinning on.” Soooo good!!
If you loved Julia Michaels and JP Saxe’s duet in “If The World Was Ending,” then it’s likely you’ll enjoy this collaboration too! Feel free to add that song with this one plus OneRepublic’s “Better Days” onto your hopeful playlists this week. I highly recommend that combination!
You can shop the “To Begin Again” merch collection by clicking here! Also be sure to support ZAYN’s latest album, Nobody Is Listening which dropped a few months ago too.
I hope to see these two musicians get a chance to perform this song together live one day! How about you?
“You Belong To Somebody Else” by PJ Harding & Noah Cyrus
This is a very nice tune! Soft melody with two amazing artists! Aussie singer-songwriter PJ Harding teamed up with Grammy nominated artist Noah Cyrus again (see: “Dear August”) for another epic collaboration.
The verses talk about a couple who no longer can see each other anymore. They know things are not going to work out for them if they continue to date each other. So to keep things mutual and not ruin a potential friendship moving forward, it’s best to say, “‘Cause you belong to somebody else/And I didn’t want to but I couldn’t help it/And I know it’s wrong to call this sweet Hell, upon myself/You belong to somebody else (Somebody else).”
The song is great for those who like easy listening songs with folk vibes layered on it that give them the feels. The vocal performances from both Harding and Cyrus are once again phenomenal and I especially loved when the two duetted over the chorus sections and also the added whistling that starts at the 2:17 mark. Powerful and emotional to hear it overall!
This week’s New Music Friday is chock full with collaborations, and if you’re looking for a good one to discover, this is one of those gems you need to hear for yourselves! I hope these two musicians continue to work together, they’ve become a creative powerhouse duo. Do you agree? Share your thoughts down below.
“If You Change Your Mind” by Hunter Hayes
Country artist, Hunter Hayes returned with another tasting from his upcoming album, Red Sky (Part II), following the release of the upbeat “The One That Got Away.” In “If You Change Your Mind,” we hear Hayes discussing the prospects of getting a second chance at love. Mistakes get made, and nobody is perfect but sometimes with a new mindset and some persistent pleading, maybe you can get that second chance.
Do you know somebody you’ve dated in the past that you still love and you want to patch the proverbial bridges rather than burn them?? Then this song will suit your ears.
Hayes donned a classy suit and bowtie in the official music video that screams The Great Gatsby in my opinion. He even raises his cup like actor Leonardo DiCaprio did in the film. This R&B influenced song really showcases the 29-year-old singer’s emotional and vulnerable side of songwriting. Shoutout to actress Katie Peterson who co-starred in the video.
Overall, I enjoyed the production of this single. I loved the accompanied strings and the electric guitar solo starting at the 2:09 mark. Play this song to your ex, and maybe you too can win their heart and love back!
Did you enjoy this song? Are you excited for more Hunter Hayes songs to be teased from the new album releasing later this fall? Are you planning on buying his next album? Let me know in the comments below.
If you can, please check this informative link out in support of the AAPI community which tragically was affected by a heinous terrorist attack/hate crime earlier this week where he targeted multiple massage parlors in Atlanta and sadly 8 innocent souls lost their lives way too soon! 6 of them were Asian Americans. Additional resources and ways to help can be found at this link too, click right here!
That does it for this week’s post! Thank you all for reading this 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 the support!
Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about any of these picks in the comments box down below! Cast your vote on the songs featured this week by clicking on the thumbs up or down buttons under each song pick. As always, stay safe, happy listening and I’ll see you again next week for a special edition post!
Support The Site!
Donations greatly appreciated 🙂
$5.00
Philip's Music Corner 