2018 Welcomed a New Fleet of Internet Pop Stars

Forget the pop stars of years past, because 2018’s class of chart-toppers is more diverse, based in subculture and digitally inclined than ever before. Partly because of the new rules on streams counting in chart calculations, many newer musical artists are being born from internet followings and Soundcloud pages. Not only that, but the sound of pop is changing—using more and more elements from various …

Saba feat. theMIND: SIRENS

“SIRENS,” the second half of the track “BUSY/SIRENS” from Saba’s album Care for Me, is a poignant portrayal of misaccused black men. “Riding through the city / I’m young, I’m black, I’m guilty / I know one time wanna kill / They don’t know me but they fear me,” he begins his first verse. With cutting cadence, Saba tackles topics ranging from police brutality to racial profiling …

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Bombs Away

From Take 2, Charlotte Gainsbourg’s sundry five-track EP, “Bombs Away” rides on dance floor-ready synth waves. Gainsbourg’s vocals—and the narrative lyrics—set a tone of curious immediacy. The track, which was produced by SebastiAn, joins a cover of Kanye West’s “Runaway,” a live version of Gainsbourg’s hit “Deadly Valentine,” and two other new songs on the EP—one that demonstrate the depth of the singer’s vision and (bilingual) capabilities.