Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
This week, Charli xcx rearranges her album with a packed guest list, Jelly Roll continues a triumphant year and JENNIE has a “Mantra” for the ladies. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Charli xcx, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat
Like the Lorde-assisted rework of “Girl, so confusing,” which is in contention for the year’s best pop moment, the new version of Charli xcx’s masterful Brat album allows guest stars to drop by and work it out on the remix, whether it’s Ariana Grande meditating on fame over “Sympathy is a Knife” or Bon Iver crooning alongside Charli’s existential woe on “I think about it all the time”; this project revamps the concept of a remix album and extends Brat Summer into autumn.
Jelly Roll, Beautifully Broken
Not only has Jelly Roll become one of the most successful new artists in country music in 2024, but he’s also been one of the genre’s most prolific voices — and Beautifully Broken, a 63-minute opus that includes a handful of previously released tracks but far more new country anthems, puts a bow on this fruitful era of the late-blooming singer-songwriter’s heartfelt, driving formula.
JENNIE, “Mantra”
Toward the end of “Mantra,” JENNIE lets out a delighted laugh, as if the “pretty girl mantra” that she’s just delivered is so infectious that even the voice behind can’t help but bask in its pop euphoria; indeed, the new single gives the BLACKPINK star a giddy solo banger designed to be turned up loud prior to a night out.
GloRilla, Glorious
GloRilla may have become a star thanks in part to viral-ready tracks like “F.N.F.” and “Tomorrow 2,” but the Memphis rapper was always capable of a compelling extended statement; Glorious, featuring guests ranging from Megan Thee Stallion to T-Pain to BossMan Dlow, is built around her formidable flow, and demands the listener’s attention for its full run time.
Becky G, Encuentros
Becky G’s exploration of Mexican music continues with Encuentros, her fourth studio album and another project in which the crossover star sounds wholly at ease conjuring hooks while singing in Spanish — although this time, she embraces the contours of her voice, making songs like “Otro Capítulo” and “Desierto” shine with self-certainty.
Rod Wave, Last Lap
On Rod Wave’s new album Last Lap, the twinkling and pretty track “25” is placed back-to-back with “F–k Fame,” a percolating collaboration with Lil Baby and Lil Yachty — that juxtaposition perfectly encapsulates the hip-hop star’s line-straddling aesthetic, as Rod Wave is able to offer soulfulness alongside radio-ready rap fodder.
Halsey, “I Never Loved You”
Although the lead-up to new album The Great Impersonator has found Halsey taking a chameleonic approach and channeling various eras of pop greats before her, new single “I Never Loved You” evokes more of an ‘80s vibe than a specific artist, as Halsey marinates in a breakup while hovering above piano keys and ethereal synths.
Editor’s Pick: Tyla, “Push 2 Start”
The deluxe edition of Tyla’s top-notch self-titled album from earlier this year includes three new songs, and “Push 2 Start” most effectively crystallizes the South African singer’s appeal: over sumptuous percussion and call-and-response harmonies, the “Water” star makes flirtatious car metaphors sound vibrant and celebratory.
