Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, ZAYN, & More Best New Music This Week

Sara Delgado
·6 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Courtesy of Warner Records UK, Island Records, Parkwood Entertainment, Drop Zed Music, Columbia Records, and HIJINXX/Island

It's officially time for New Music Friday! However, this is not just a regular Friday; it's Coachella Friday, which means this week's best new music comes right in time for some festival-timed surprises.

Before we get into Coachella 2024 performers, let's kick things off with Dua Lipa. Ahed of the release of her new album Radical Optimism, the singer has put out a new single, “Illusion," which has us ready to skip spring and go straight into summer, especially after watching the music video for shot in Barcelona. (Get us to a pool, STAT.)

Now, Coachella. Artists are really showing off before they take to the stage in Indio. A slew of Coachella 2024 performers — including Sabrina Carpenter, Chlöe, Peso Pluma, and Suki Waterhouse — have released new tracks before the festival officially kicks off later today. Will we get to see them live this weekend? Time will tell, but you can bet we'll be glued to the live stream.

Related: How to Watch Coachella 2024 Live, from Anywhere in the World

This week, we have also gotten albums from girl in red, Maggie Rogers, and Nia Archives, which make for 10/10 additions to any playlist. Artists like ZAYN and WILLOW are also giving us a taste of their forthcoming albums, Room Under the Stairs and empathogen, with new tracks. And lest we forget, Stray Kids have also put out a new Japanese single produced by 3RACHA. But why tell you when you can just listen? Dive into this week's best new music releases below:

Dua Lipa, “Illusion”

Following in the steps of “Houdini” and “Training Season,” Dua Lipa has released “Illusion,” the third single off her third studio album, Radical Optimism, just in time for pool season with a music video shot in Barcelona, Spain. In a press release, Lipa shared “Illusion” was the first song created for Radical Optimism and "it really broke the ice for the record.” She continued: “It's about knowing what you're getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke's on them, it's the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won't fall for an illusion.”

Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”

Sabrina Carpenter is getting in the Coachella mood with new song “Espresso," a suave funky number where she compares herself to the addictive caffeinated drink. Unlike its coffee counterpart, Carpenter's “Espresso” has all the flavor and none of the bitterness.

Chlöe, “Boy Bye”

Chlöe is also putting out a pre-Coachella bop with “Boy Bye,” a skittering and snapping breakup anthem where the singer's honeyed vocals taking the wheel. “‘Boy Bye’ is an anthem for anyone who needs to get rid of someone toxic and draining from their life,” Chlöe said in press materials. “It's liberating and free. That's how it feels to finally let go of dead weight that's been keeping you down. Instead of being sad about releasing what's not good for me, I celebrate it.”

Maggie Rogers, Don't Forget Me

Maggie Rogers is back with her third album, Don't Forget Me, a 10-track project that she completed in just five days alongside producer Ian Fitchuk. “I wanted to make an album that sounded like a Sunday afternoon,” Rogers said of the album in a release. “Worn in denim. A drive in your favorite car. No make up, but the right amount of lipstick. Something classic … An old corvette. Vintage, but not overly Americana. I wanted to make an album to belt at full volume alone in your car, a trusted friend who could ride shotgun and be there when you needed her.”

WILLOW, “b i g f e e l i n g s”

WILLOW keeps teasing the release of empathogen, this time with single “b i g f e e l i n g s.” With a composition led by drums and anchored by scintillating keys and chimes, “b i g f e e l i n g s" comes and goes in waves, each one of them as grappling as the previous one. “I feel like I've hit a specific intersection between what I've always wanted to say and my skill catching up with what I've always wanted to say,” the singer told Zane Lowe about the song and the album as a whole.

Peso Pluma & Arcángel, “Peso Completo”

Ahead of his Coachella set, Peso Pluma has teamed up with Puerto Rican star Arcángel to fully step into trap territory. Rife with NSFW verses and a hooking chorus, “Peso Completo” might not reinvent the wheel but it's hard not to bop along as the Mexican star tries out a new genre.

ZAYN, “Alienated”

After surprising fans with a private listening party in London, ZAYN keeps releasing pieces of his upcomign album Room Under the Stairs. His new song, “Alienated," which he released alongside a pared-down live performaces, borrows from country and pop paired with vulnerable lyrics. “This is my favorite album that I’ve made to date, mainly because it comes from a place of sheer honesty,” Zayn previously stated about Room Under the Stairs. “I wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It’s raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make.”

Nia Archives, Silence Is Loud

British artist Nia Archives is entering the scene with her debut album Silence Is Loud, a collection of 13 non-skip EDM-heavy and pop-tinged songs. “Silence Is Loud has been tha soundtrack [to] my life over [the] past year and I am so so sooo proud of this thing I’ve created,” Nia said on Instagram. “This album is me putting my cards on the table delving into a variety of topics such as: unconditional [love], unrequited [love], infatuation, loneliness, dysfunctional familial relationships and navigating [your] early twenties. It’s exposing some of my most raw, vulnerable and sometimes embarrassing emotions but I wouldn’t have it any other way as it is 100% authentically me.”

girl in red, I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!

Norwegian singer-songwriter girl in red is back with her second studio album, I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!, a 10-track project where the bedroom pop alum gets experimental, raw, and personal. The project includes “You Need Me Know?”, a collab track with Sabrina Carpenter.

Stray Kids, “WHY?”

Stray Kids have given fans a new Japanese single, “WHY?”, as part of the OST for Japanese series Re:Revenge-In the End of Desire. With Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han — a.k.a. 3RACHA — credited as composers and lyricists, the rock vibes are heavy on this one.

Suki Waterhouse, “My Fun”

Suki Waterhouse might have just welcomed her first baby with Robert Pattinson, but that clearly did not stop her from going to the studio and releasing new music. The star, which is also part of the Coachella 2024 lineup, released a two-parter single featuring songs “My Fun” and “Faded” ahead of her set and there's no words to describe them other than vibey, summery, and chilled.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

Want more great Culture stories from Teen Vogue? Check these out: