Now that the Grammys and Super Bowl are firmly in the rearview mirror, a lot of music’s most exciting names have unleashed highly anticipated and long-awaited new projects.
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Baby Keem leads this New Music Friday with his star-studded Ca$ino album, which marks his first full-length offering since 2021’s The Melodic Blue. Featuring collaborations with Momo Boyd, Too $hort, Che Ecr and, of course, his older cousin Kendrick Lamar, Ca$ino is an immersive, frenetic listening experience that firmly reestablishes Keem as one of hip-hop’s most arresting artists.
Hilary Duff and Megan Moroney also shared new albums. Duff’s Luck… or Something arrives as her first album in more than a decade. Primarily produced by hubby Matthew Koma, the new record is stacked with familiar guitar-inflected pop anthems that trace the latest arc of the millennial icon’s life and career. Moroney, who was recently honored at the second annual She Is the Music event, dropped her Cloud Nine album, which features a potential smash in the Ed Sheeran-assisted “I Only Miss You.”
A busy day across genres, this New Music Friday also boasts new albums from Grammy-winning rockstar Yungblud (Idols II), Mumford & Sons (Prizefighter), Willow (Petal Rock Black), Little Mix alumna Leigh-Anne (My Ego Told Me To), ascendant pop star Absolutely (Paracosm), dancehall star Popcaan (Gyalentine’s) and the trio of Larry June, Curren$y and The Alchemist (Spiral Staircases).
Over on the singles side, SZA leads the day with her first piece of solo music since shattering practically every chart and touring record last year with her SOS/LANA era and coheadlining Grand National tour. And it happens to be a ballad called “Save the Day” for the upcoming Pixar animated film, Hoppers. Staying in the R&B sphere, Ty Dolla $ign tapped his three-time Grammy-winning protégé Leon Thomas for “Miss U 2,” the lead single from the Los Angeles native’s Girl Music Vol. 1 project. A mixture of R&B, jazz and hip-hop, Thundercat’s Mac Miller-assisted “She Knows Too Much” stands out among this week’s drops.
Other notable New Music Friday singles include selections from Lana Del Rey (“White Feather Hawk Tall Deer Hunter”), Yebba (“Yellow Eyes”), Jorja Smith (“Don’t Leave”), kwn (“Hopeless Romantic”), Jessie Ware (“Ride”), Luke Combs (“Be By You”), Bebe Rexha (“Çike Çike”), Maiya the Don (“Let’s Be Clear”), Yung Miami (“Tea Time”) and Jai’Len Josey (“Housewife”).
Which new release this week is you favorite? Vote — or share your own pick — in Billboard‘s New Music Friday poll below:
