New music Fridays are a thrilling, yet daunting prospect for any music lover.
It's essentially a weekly holiday where fan-favorite artists and fresh faces alike drop their latest offerings for all the world to hear, flooding streaming services and digital retailers with an onslaught of aural goodies. But who has the time to sit there and listen to everything before updating their playlists? There's just too much good stuff! (And, if we're being honest, usually a few stinkers, too.)
As it turns out, we do. Welcome to The MixtapE!
We've gotten lucky this Friday the 13th. Lizzo and Cardi B embrace their badassery in a god-tier collaboration (literally, they're Greek goddesses in the new "Rumors.")
Though they make a strong case for greatest collab of the year, Tiësto and Karol G give them a run for their money in "Don't Be Shy," even admitting they "Can't be tamed / I'm not gonna play."
Also in the department of dynamic duos, Elton John enlists Dua Lipa for a remix of "Cold Heart," while WizKid and Tems tap Justin Bieber for a remix of "Essence," the original of which has already been streamed nearly 35 million times on Spotify.
Finally, check out the latest solo songs from J Balvin, Machine Gun Kelly and Kara Marni.
What follows are our picks for the best of the best. Your playlist for the weekend of Aug. 13-15 has arrived. Enjoy!
Lizzo feat. Cardi B — "Rumors"
Rumor has it no one can stop talking about Lizzo's first song in two years. Queen Cardi followed up her feature on Normani's "Wild Side" by teaming up with the three-time Grammy winner and self-love activist, who dances in a gold garb on a giant Grecian column in the music video.
Lizzo leaves it all on the line as she basically plays "true or false" with juicy rumors about her life. In her jazzy chorus, she declares she's sick of the gossip, "But haters do what they do."
"Say I'm turnin' big girls into hoes, oh, goddamn," she sings, "All the rumors are true, yeah." Well, except for a couple: "No I ain't f--ked Drake yet," she admits. OK, but how are things going with Chris Evans?
Tiësto and Karol G — "Don't Be Shy"
Tiësto and Karol G essentially reimagine Night at the Museum with a fiery soundtrack. In an alternate universe, the Ben Stiller film is actually about a museum janitor (played by Blake Webber), who listens to his cassette tape one evening while cleaning up at work. A statue of a woman in a headdress (that would be Karol) comes to life and begins singing this track about how she "can't be tamed."
"I'm a wild cat," she croons, while seducing him from both the arctic and Egyptian exhibits. "Baby, break my heart / Give me all you got / Don't ask 'Why, why, why?' / Don't be shy, shy, shy."
Elton John feat. Dua Lipa — "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)"
"This track is the culmination of a beautiful friendship," John wrote of his protégé. With an age gap of nearly 50 years, he and Lipa prove friendship transcends generation with this animated music video, which also sees the "Levitating" vocalist incorporate the sentimental lyrics of his acclaimed "Rocket Man."
WizKid feat. Justin Bieber and Tems — "Essence"
Bieber knew this was "the song of the summer" so he just had to "jump on," the superstar revealed on Instagram. WizKid, best known for his afrobeat and R&B tunes, lets the "Yummy" artist take center stage in the "Essence" remix.
Listeners can't help but envision his dynamic with wife Hailey Bieber shining through in the lyrics: "I prayed for this moment / I would be by your side / And I don't wanna forget / Those lonely nights / Ooh, so tell me that you gon' ride with me / Tell me that you'll never lie to me / I just wanna make you proud of me / Want you loving every side of me."
J Balvin — "Que Locura"
"Que Locura" is this?! J Balvin announced that his fifth album, the self-titled José, will drop Sept. 10. He doesn't want us to go mad before then, so the Colombian singer gave us a new single to keep us satisfied—about going crazy for a woman he can't stop thinking about.
Joel Corry x Jax Jones feat. Charli XCX and Saweetie — "OUT OUT"
The U.K. dance producers tapped two of our fav hitmakers for this sampling of Stromae's "Alors On Danse." We can practically picture you listening to this number while throwing on your mascara, as you and the crew get hyped up before leaving for a night out.
"Send me your location, the Uber's outside / Runnin' out of time," Charli (of "Boom Clap" fame) sings. "If we're going out, out for the night / I'm a meet you down on the floor."
Machine Gun Kelly — "papercuts"
Megan Fox's boyfriend ruminates on being a punk that doesn't "belong" in his latest number, produced by Travis Barker with an edgy music video directed by Cole Bennett (who has worked with such artists as Post Malone, Eminem and Juice Wrld). MGK is flipping off the camera on Hollywood Blvd. and playing an oversized pink guitar in this trippy Lyrical Lemonade production.
Kara Marni — "2nd Nature"
Selenators, meet your next obsession. Marni, just 22, says loving her flame is second nature ("ain't no way we could fake that") as she plays with nature's elements—fire, water, earth and air—in her alluring music video. The R&B and soul artist's upcoming EP, State of Mine, will be out Sept. 17.
Happy listening!