review Jul 31
Tyla's A*POP Makes the Case for African Pop Without Borders
The South African star uses her second album to make global scale feel like an extension of home rather than an exit from it.
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News, conversations, local scenes, new voices, and releases worth spending time with.
feature Jul 30
Asake's M$NEY Film Turns a Release Cycle Into a Live Archive
A London stage, a 40-piece orchestra, and five unheard songs show how a concert film can deepen an album instead of merely advertising it.
spotlight Jul 28
Nairobi's Greasy Tunes Turns Listening Data Into a Meeting Place
Spotify built a two-week program around how young Nairobi listens. The revealing part is what happened when the playlist left the screen.
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feature May 25
Pitbull and Becky G’s “Superstar” Soundtracked a Singular Copa América
Released for the 2016 Copa América Centenario, “Superstar” joined Miami showmanship, bilingual identity and stadium-scale dance pop.
feature May 21
Drake and Lil Wayne’s “Hype” Remix Was a Radio Premiere, Not a Single
The 2016 remix was officially unveiled on OVO Sound Radio, but its later life in radio rips has obscured what Drake actually released—and what he did not.
feature May 20
How Take That and Sigma Turned “Cry” Into a Crossover Anthem
The unlikely 2016 collaboration joined drum-and-bass momentum to veteran pop craft—and became a genuine release, not the stray leak its online history can suggest.
spotlight May 20
Martin Solveig’s ‘Do It Right’ and the Precision of a Summer Hit
With Tkay Maidza on vocals, the French producer made a compact house-pop single whose clean architecture proved more durable than its modest UK peak.
spotlight May 20
“Jason’s Song” Reconnected Ariana Grande With Her Broadway Voice
Jason Robert Brown’s first-person account clarifies the song’s creation, Target-exclusive debut and later digital release—without the myths attached to it.
feature May 20
“Step on Up”: The Ariana Grande Bonus Track That Refused to Stay Hidden
A Target-exclusive deep cut became a streaming-era favorite, but its official history is frequently confused with that of a celebrated fan-made mashup.
spotlight May 16
How Adele Turned “Send My Love” Into Her Most Liberating Goodbye
Born from a teenage guitar figure and rebuilt with Max Martin and Shellback, Adele’s bright breakup song became 25’s sleekest pop release.
feature May 13
How “This One’s for You” Became the Sound of UEFA Euro 2016
David Guetta and Zara Larsson’s tournament anthem turned a mass fan recording into stadium-scale dance pop—and a defining artifact of France’s 2016 summer.
spotlight May 13
“Everyday” Traced From Ariana Grande Album Preview to Final Single
First premiered before Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande and Future’s pop-trap collaboration gained a second life as the album’s last official single.
feature May 6
How “Into You” Turned Pop Restraint Into a Four-Minute Rush
Ariana Grande’s 2016 single arrived officially—not as a leaked snippet—and became a master class in escalation, vocal control and delayed gratification.
feature May 6
Meghan Trainor’s ‘Thank You’: The Album Mistaken for a Leak
The confusing early-access rollout of Trainor’s second major-label album obscured a deliberate break from the retro-pop formula that made her famous.
spotlight May 5
“Write on Me” Captured Fifth Harmony in a Softer Light
The understated 7/27 promotional single paired Fifth Harmony with Stargate and Kygo, revealing a more intimate side of the group without becoming a formal chart single.
spotlight May 2
“Roll Sum Up,” Fetty Wap’s Kid Ink Collaboration That Never Became a Proper Single
The hazy 2016 track spread rapidly across music blogs, but its missing commercial trail makes it a revealing artifact of Fetty Wap’s post-breakthrough period.
feature May 1
“We Are Islands,” the Foxes Song That Never Joined Her Official Catalog
Circulated online in 2016, the polished Foxes recording remains an unofficially surfaced outtake with no verified release, video or complete public credits.
feature Apr 29
How “True Colors” Became Kesha’s Sanctioned Act of Defiance
Zedd’s 2015 album track acquired new stakes when Kesha sang it at Coachella, then released a fully authorized version amid a bitter contract dispute.
feature Apr 29
The Truth About the Supposed Rihanna “Too Good” *ANTI* Demo
“Too Good” is officially a Drake song featuring Rihanna from *Views*. The Rihanna-led *ANTI* demo circulated online without verified provenance or authorization.
feature Apr 29
The Real Story of Sia’s Unreleased “Black & Blue”
A 2016 leak made “Black & Blue” a coveted Sia rarity. Its legitimate afterlife as Paloma Faith’s “Warrior” reveals what the circulating file actually was.
feature Apr 29
“Too Good” Captured Drake and Rihanna at Their Most Complicated
The dancehall-inflected Views duet turned romantic imbalance into pop dialogue—and became a hit without an official narrative video.
feature Apr 29
“Life Jacket”: The Sia Demo the Internet Turned Into a Single
Leaked in 2016 and repeatedly mislabeled afterward, “Life Jacket” remains an unreleased Sia recording whose alleged Britney Spears connection is unverified.
feature Apr 29
“This Is What You Came For”: The Smash Hit With a Secret in Its Credits
Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s 2016 hit sounded effortless. Its documented history involves a pseudonym, amended songwriter credits and exacting pop construction.