We're less than halfway through 2022, but the year has already proved to be a landmark one for new music.
Artists of all genres, from K-pop to country and everything in between, continue to outdo themselves each week. As such, new music Fridays have turned into a must for pop culture fanatics. 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 (and if we're being honest, usually a few stinkers, too). But who has the time to sit there and listen to everything before updating their playlists?
As it turns out, E! does. Each week, The MixtapE! rounds up a playlist's worth of new songs so you don't have to go searching. Now, ahead of the 2022 Grammys, we're looking back at all of the year's biggest drops.
So before you tune in to music's biggest night, be sure to scroll through The MixtapE! roundup below.
It's a big year for the artist who is releasing her new album Crash. "I'm proud of the journey that I've been on to get to this album because I do think it's a very unique journey," she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. "I'm really enjoying where I'm at and I really deserve the things that I'm getting but I suppose it's coupled with a point in time where I'm about to make many business decisions that will possibly go on to affect the next era, not just of music, but of my life."
For his first release in three years, the country singer-songwriter was inspired from a chapter of Matthew McConaughey's memoir, which was about the idea of carpe diem. "My take on that is about having fun, seizing the day and living hard, but you ‘better hold on to your hat when you're runnin' downhill,'" Tyler said in a statement. "I had always wanted to write a song like The Eagles' ‘Life in the Fast Lane,' and ‘Runnin' Downhill' is that sort of fun, rockin' cautionary tale, an ideal show opener."
Prepare to see a new side of Normani in this personal single. "This song really captures me in one of my most vulnerable moments," she said. "Sharing this record makes me uncomfortable because you have never really seen me in this light. Definitely aware that you might feel like you don't know much about me but that's only because it's what makes me feel protected. I am really forcing myself to let go here."
Best described as a little bit of pop country, a hint of alternative and a touch hip-hop, Jake's versatility has earned him nearly 1 million TikTok followers. Now, he's celebrating his new song filled with emotion as he dances alone and wonders "where'd you go?"
Aptly released during Women's History Month, the track is a power collaboration with two of music's most powerful women. Marking the superstars' first single of 2022, the super delicious and sexy track celebrates women being thee prize, whatever that means to them.
Before hitting the road this summer, the band gave fans another song to add to their playlist. The anthemic single aptly balances an expansive, epic vibe with a contemporary pop sensibility. And in just a couple of days, the track's music video has already earned one million views on YouTube.
When describing her brand-new single, the country music superstar said it's "a different take on a revenge song, which is something I love to sing about." Instead of smashing headlights, this scorned lover is letting an ex know that she will continue to haunt him no matter how hard he tries to forget her.
A brand-new single means we're one step closer to a brand-new Tyga album. "I think from where I'm trying to take it, what the new album sounds like sonically, I feel like this was the right lead single," he explained to Zane on Apple Music 1. "And with Doja, she's killing it right now. I'm about 80 percent done with the album. Hopefully...probably sometime early summer, I'm thinking."
The smooth, southern comfort track reminds listeners that the simple things in life are the most important. The American Idol alum has created a catchy, easy-listening track that will make you feel like '90s country is back.
In her first single in nearly eight years, Christina begins to heal from the 2020 passing of her infant daughter Rosie. "It is a story about grief and loss and choosing to believe the person you lost isn't really gone," she said in a statement. "I hope my words help others through their own grief and healing."
The Atlanta-based Queen of Da Souf teamed up with 21 Savage on a new NSFW banger, which has already inspired a TikTok challenge. "Pop it like a wheelie/ Hop on top and I go silly," she rapped. "Pretty, tight and sticky/F--k him once, he won't forget me."
Fiercely honest and transparent, Layke's new song sheds a bright light on enduring mental turmoil. She tackles her anxieties head-on as she tries to find her voice.
Open up your hearts and embrace the country singer's new song that is sure to be a hit in no time. "I'm a little down-home, cold beer," he sings. "She's a little up there, down here." Together, the pair sounds like a perfect match.
Prepare to fall in love with Kehlani's new song from her highly anticipated third album Blue Water Road. "I want you to do it again," she sings. "I want you to love me again/And complete our little story." We can't wait to hear more.
Before hitting the road this summer with Train for a massive tour, the singer-songwriter is sharing a tease of her forthcoming new studio album. "'Long Way ‘Round' is a song about overcoming something difficult, even if it requires getting lost or taking the longer way around," Jewel explained in a statement. "I'm celebrating some of the things I've overcome as well as the choices I've made that have brought me to where I am today. The heart and mind are powerful muscles that are always willing to adapt and grow when you let them."
On the heels of winning the New Male Artist of the Year award at the 2022 ACM Awards, the country singer delivered a new rendition of George Strait's classic hit. "It's impossible to truly do this song justice," Parker said in a statement, "but when I got the opportunity to try, I just couldn't pass it up."
The rock star made a splashy return to his hip-hop roots with his new song. The all-star collaboration previewed MGK's highly anticipated sixth studio album, mainstream sellout, out now.
This heartfelt, guitar-driven track is a love song about his wife Rachel Scott. While he hails from Arkansas—a state that rivals her hometown in Texas—the pair still ended up falling in love. "Call me a sap but growing up, I spent a loooot of time dreaming about who I'd end up with," Jake wrote on Instagram. "All those years I never thought my girl would be from Texas. I think they beat us in football one too many times and an ego can only take so much. Then I met @RachelaScott and suddenly, I was a cowboy baby."
Less than three years after suffering a stroke on stage, the country singer is ready to share his journey to healing in his new album, The Optimystic. Throughout his recovery, Drake dreamed of future plans with the help of his wife, Alex. Her support inspired the already-released track "Power of a Woman." Other songs like the contemplative "Hurts the Healing" and anthemic "Giants" offer hope to anyone dealing with difficulty in their life.
Fresh off their special T-shirt design collaboration for NBA All-Star weekend, the duo is back together for a special track produced by Pharrell Williams. Although the song is expected to be featured on Nigo's upcoming album I Know Nigo, fans are pumped to get a taste of Kid Cudi's first new release of the year.
Hot off the heels of their Grand Ole Opry debut that received a standing ovation, Everette—composed of Brent Rupard and Anthony Olympia—dropped a catchy new song that describes the lengths guys will go for someone they are interested in. "With bits of our real-life experience meeting our wives, it tells the story of that neon moment when you meet someone," Anthony said in a statement, "and you immediately know they're about to wreck your world in all the right ways."
Just days after announcing a world tour to celebrate 25 years of Jagged Little Pill, the seven-time Grammy winner released a heartfelt new single. "In a time where there has been so much loss, grief, fear and division...#ILoveYou," she wrote on Instagram when teasing the song. "#OliveBrand #ImSoSorry."
The ultimate British rockstar released his new single plus an accompanying music video starring Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne. "I'd spent the past four years telling people to be unapologetically themselves and to not care about what others think and realized that was something I needed to tell myself," YUNGBLUD shared in a statement. "I felt a lot of pressure, a lot of insecurity, a lot of questioning myself. But then I wrote this song and it distilled for me what this next phase in my life, not just my career, was gonna be about."
The self-taught singer-songwriter-producer and viral TikTok mastermind released a new song that highlights his ease for experimenting with harmonies, melodies, textures and vocal timbres. The music video also showcases his unique approach to production.
In a fitting release for Valentine's Day and the romantic days that followed, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak teamed up for a unique cover of one of their favorite songs from Con Funk Shun. For all the couples looking to create a sizzling playlist, make sure this track is added.
Before the release of her debut album on May 13, Mallrat gave fans a taste of what to expect with her newest song. "I like to think that if 'Teeth' was out in 2004, it would be on The OC soundtrack," she said in a statement. "In the song, I describe a big, omnipresent 'it.' When I wrote these lyrics, I was playing with the idea that we talk about sex, prayer, violence and power with very similar language. I wanted to see if I could blur all of these things into one blurry ball of energy."
In the sultry song, Suki's vocals are paired with synthesized guitar strums as she repeatedly dedicates herself to "staying faithful to the devil" she knows. "'Devil I Know' is about the twisted pleasures of going back to someone who you're addicted to and the joy you feel in that moment of breaking your own promises," Suki said in a statement. "It's a beautiful and sad song about being constrained to a relationship that may not be the most healthy."
The 21-year-old rising star is "so proud" of her newest song that is described as an uptempo smash. "‘Me Myself and Why' is about that heart-versus-head moment after a breakup when you know you need to walk away but you falter, even though this person has given you every reason to leave and not look back," she said in a statement. "It's full of passion, conflict, angst, pain, and anger—at myself and at him."
Standing out as one of this year's most anticipated event singles, "Bam Bam" heralds the arrival of Camila's third full-length album, Familia. "This is one of my favorite songs we've ever written," Camila shared on Instagram. "Your life doesn't have to be perfect for you to allow yourself joy. Even through the heartache and the confusion and the messiness....we keep dancing."
In a time where traveling still isn't too commonplace, allow this British indie band to take you on a whirlwind adventure through the Big Apple with their latest jaunty rock hit "Ode To NYC." According to lead singer Tom Ogden, the feel-good, sun-drenched single is "a love letter" to both his wife Katie Donovan and NYC as its lyrics imagine "running around the city" and taking in all its breath-taking sights. Whether that's the "kaleidoscope of color" that is Times Square or "Washington Square Park at sunset," one listen to this track and you'll definitely "fall in love with New York City" no matter where you are in the world.