1. ZAYN ft Syd – "When Love’s Around"
Zayn Malik is back and the crowd cheers. It’s giving us Majid Jordan, it’s giving us Khalid, and it’s giving me everything I needed and more. “When Love’s Around” It’s reminiscent of Zayn's first solo track after he left One Direction, tapping into the R&B artist he always wanted to be. A Syd and Zayn collaboration is not something anyone expected but hearing them together makes sense. Their styles compliment each other effortlessly. And the album – Nobody Is Listening – is pure and raw, giving Zayn's fans an insight into his very closed off life. It’s sad, it’s beautiful, it’s Zayn.
2. NAO ft Adekunle Gold – "Antidote"
Adekunle Gold and NAO are a combination that should have been making music together years ago and we're thankful it finally happened. This track is giving us golden hour in the motherland, falling in love with my fifth mojito before you have to go back to reality. Hopefully, this means we'll be getting a project from the new mother NAO in 2021.
3. Sneakbo – "I don’t wanna die"
If Sneakbo didn’t release anything in 2021 no one would be surprised after he released the album 9 Lives in 2020. But the South London rapper kicks the year off with a heartfelt slow jam dedicated to all those that didn’t make it to 2021. It’s a song for reflection, highlighting how grateful many of us are / should be for making it through the turmoil that was 2020.
4. Virgil Abloh ft serpentwithfeet – "Delicate Limbs"
Fashion designer and artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear, Virgil Abloh, teamed up with serpentwithfeet to create a harrowing track. Virgil hasn’t released anything officially since 2018, is this a one-off track or could we be getting an EP from the designer this year?
5. Bugzy Malone ft Chip – "Notorious"
Bugzy Malone and Chip put their differences aside to come together on this track. Paying homage to Notorious B.I.G – comparing themselves to 2pac and Biggie in the track “So me and B ain’t ever going out like Pac and Biggie,” it’s safe to say that everything is now very much in the past and hopefully we can see more from the duo in the future.
6. Jacob Collier – "Sun Is In Your Eyes (Voice Memo)"
Do you understand how talented you need to be to record a voice note and sound good? Leaving a 20-second voice note on Whatsapp and nearly always sounds like Chewbacca. According to Jacob’s Instagram he wrote this song in 2019 and just had it sitting for a couple of years and decided there’s no point rerecording it and let us have it as is – and it’s beautiful. This was the first new song we listened to in 2021 and it was just so calming, a perfect song to start the year with.
7. King of Leon – "The Bandit"
One of my new years' resolutions was to pick up my bass again and Kings of Leon must’ve heard my wish because they’re back and 13-year-old Ada is screaming. Extremely reminiscent of the "Use Somebody" Kings of Leon many of their fans fell in love with, it hurts that COVID-19 has stripped festivals/concerts away because a Kings of Leon tour would have definitely been on the cards for this upcoming album.
8. Claud – "Cuff Your Jeans"
Two-toned blue-haired Claud announced they will finally be dropping their debut album 12th Feb. Claud gives you the music you just want to have a good time listening to and "Cuff Your Jeans" is just that. With pitched down vocals, this is a lot different to the “Wish You Were Gay” days but it’s refreshing, you can feel the growth in Claud and I’m very excited to hear what is to come next month.
9. Ichon – "La vie"
I don't speak French but I know a good time when I hear one and Ichon is it. Language is never a barrier if it's good music, I can listen to this all day and still be in good spirits not having a clue what is being said. This is the kind of music that will have you dancing at your bus stop with no shame, when the feeling takes over you just have to move.
10. Rochelle Jordan – "Got Em"
Fans have been waiting for Rochelle to come back for way too long. 2021 is the year for a comeback. Rochelle has given fans (me) a club classic to help them pretend the clubs are open in the safety of their living rooms. A garage album, an r&b album, hell even a country album I’ll take it, just please do not ghost again.
11. Jazmine Sullivan ft Ari Lennox – "On it"
Jazmine started this whole project “Bitch, get it together bitch” and suddenly I had the motivation to get my whole life together. Jazmine wrote this project for all the girls around the world, giving a voice to every woman taking back ownership of their bodies and giving them confidence that society likes to strip away from them. If you have a sex playlist then you need to add “On it”. There are no innuendos, there is no room for interpretation, the lyrics are clear and you play this around your crush and they still don’t get the hint then please leave them in the dust.
12. Adeline – "Whisper My Name"
Shoutout out to COLORS for always putting us on to refreshing artists. "Whisper My Name" is a song you put on after you walk past the 5th person you're going to fall in love with that day. It is a 10/10 road trip to a bbq with your bae music, innocent good vibes.
13. Glance ft goosetaf & Slowya.roll – "Triptych"
2021 has started off pretty rough, all guns blazing rough, and sometimes you need music that will completely mellow you out – "Triptych" is just that. If you’re one of the millions of people that listen to lo-fi beats on youtube with that girl doing her homework, give this song a whirl, even writing about it is chilling me out.
14. Kota the Friend – "Pomegranate"
It's always the short songs that hit the hardest. Year after year, project after project, Kota the Friend is stepping on people's neck. How can you just release albums back to back consistently for three years, do you not sleep? Kota the Friend makes music you want to just coast on your longboard to at golden hour and "Pomegranate" embodies that energy.
15. Lo Village – "Lost In America"
Lo Village are back with an EP with a message. Taking inspiration from the traumatic events of 2020, Lo Village hit hard with "Lost in America" highlighting the constant trial Black people are forced to endure just living everyday life in America.
16. Billy Uomo – "Feels Just Like The First Time"
Is 2021 the year for Billy Uomo? Le'ts hope so! Kicking off the year with some slow funk that is so smooth you immediately sink into your couch with pure relaxation, Billy gives us a tease of his EP due to be released soon this year. High hopes for this one.
17. Billie Eilish ft ROSALÍA – "Lo Vas A Olvidar"
Billie and Rosalía need to do the whole Euphoria season two soundtrack, this track could not be more perfect for the award-winning series. The first word that comes to mind when listening to this song is "chilling", there's an uneasiness below the surface but you keep replaying it with tingles up your spine.
18. BRS Kash ft DaBaby & City Girls – "Throat Baby (Go Baby) Remix"
I'm sorry mum, I can't stop singing "throat babyyyyy". This song has one of the WILDEST music videos made in a while, how do you pitch snowboarding on...never-mind. When DaBaby and City Girls link up you know you're about to have a hit on your hands. JT sliding on the track and singing was a moment, making the dirtiest lyrics sound like pure poetry.
19. Fthmlss & Hideout Earth – "Horizon"
Again, sometimes you just need those Lo-fi beats to get you through the day and "Horizon" is one of the best I've heard this month. Don't sleep on Fthmless, he's been grafting for a good 10 years but I think he's about to blow.
20. FKA twigs ft Headie One and Fred again – "Don't Judge Me"
If there's one FKA is going to do, it's give you a music video that will have your jaw on the floor. How do you move like that?! We're excited about the new album, but we're more excited for the music videos to come with it, they leave you breathless every time and not many performers can leave people stunned the way she does.
21. Alicai Harley – "Put It On You"
Alicai always makes music you want to jump up and dance to and her debut EP is just that back to back. First things first, the cover to this EP, shoutout to Amazing Grace, if you know you know. "Put It On You" is a good energy track, getting ready with your girls before you head out to carnival on the last hot day of the year energy, this would have definitely been on rotation this year to keep us in good spirits.
22. Mr Eazi – "The Don"
Afro beat slow jamz hold a special place in my heart. "The Don" is a little nostalgic, it takes us back to 2015 Mr Eazi, "Skin Tight" Mr Eazi. Mr Eazi is expected to release an EP in February and if this is an indication of what is to come, it's safe to say we might be on to a classic.
23. Brent Faiyaz ft Tyler, The Creator – "Gravity"
My two favourite artists in the world on one track? Maybe 2021 is my year. This release reinforces the notion that Brent can slide onto any beat and make it his own but it's still very much a Tyler track – it's a perfect merger. Hopefully, this means we're getting more music from both artists this year? We can only dream.
24. Fredo ft Dave – "Money Talks"
Fredo dropped his long-awaited sophomore album Money Can't Buy Happiness and has definitely set the pace in the UK for 2021. All the features on this album are a thing of perfection, from Summer Walker to Pop Smoke, but I'm just going to talk about one today. The Fredo and Santan aka Dave combo showed us in 2018 is a force to be reckoned with, and coming back together again for "Money Talks". There are about 15 solid Instagram captions from this track alone, the lyrics really speak for themselves. Listen to the whole album, you will not regret it – the perfect way to close off the longest month of the year.