This school year has almost come to a close (thankfully), and I’m sure all of us are ready to finish finals and have a great summer. For the last days of school I’ve compiled some songs that came out that will perfectly lead you into your summer.
Firstly, there is “F Q-C #7” by Willow, otherwise known as Will Smith’s daughter, Willow Smith. Now, you may be thinking this is just that little girl who made “Whip My Hair,” but this is actually a pretty dope song. At only 14, Willow has already released more songs than most emerging artists. Of course, some are at the same caliber as “Whip My Hair”; her new music, however, has shown a lot of promise. “F Q-C #7” is an upbeat chant of sorts and has a really fun vibe. To make it even more impressive, the tune is entirely self-produced. It may be a basic song, but, if she is already making this stuff up herself, who knows what will happen a few years from now? Even the music video is co-directed by her. I guess if I had a famous father I could afford to do cool stuff like this. Or maybe I’m just jealous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvjHpDMNoI
On a similar theme of rad younger women in music, Alessia Cara released her first single, “Here,” and it’s amazing. Cara at 18 years old broke out from doing covers on her YouTube channel to making her own music that has hints of Frank Ocean, SZA and Drake. “Here” is her introvert anthem, singing about not wanting to be at a crazy party and questioning why she’s actually there. It has a really grimy, intense vibe and showcases her soulful vocals. This is her first song, and it’s slowly making its way up the charts. She is definitely worth a listen and hopefully we get some more soon.
Also this May, my favorite group, Florence + The Machine, released their last single, “Delilah,” from their upcoming album. The album that is due in the United States this Tuesday is the most buzzed-about album of the year, and this single proved it. “Delilah” is my favorite of the four songs she has released, and for good reason. The lyrics are beautifully written and the music is something else. It begins with a soft ballad style intro that builds gradually to a driving drumbeat that brings in the meat of the song. Every single she has released has been amazing; June 2 can’t come fast enough.
Hilary Duff had a return earlier this year and, to be honest, it was really lackluster. But not all is lost. Recently we got a new single, “Sparks,” which is the pop return everyone wanted from her. It does have probably every trait of a typical top-40 pop song: whistling, clapping and lyrics about love. Still, it’s energetic and fun—and ten times better than whatever her first “comeback” was. The music video is a little cheeky, and serves more as an advertisement for Tinder by showing Duff going on various Tinder dates. To avoid that, below is the fan-demanded, non-Tinder version.
Thankfully May is over, and I am ready for summer. At least we got some rad music to get us through finals. Keep your eye out for more awesome music from these artists next month, especially Florence. Let’s just say her album is probably all I’ll be listening to this June.
https://open.spotify.com/user/dutastyjams/playlist/0Tcz0j31BXINogO2ocKdZB
