This week’s New Music Friday features a curated playlist of the hottest new releases, guaranteed to make your weekend unforgettable. New albums from Jamie Miller, Fantastic Negrito, and Wild Rivers are dropping today, along with fresh singles from Aisha Badru, Aphrah, and more
JAMIE MILLER – LONG WAY HOME
International pop music sensation Jamie Miller has released new music with his eagerly-awaited debut album, Long Way Home. The album features a total of 14 tracks written by Miller, including a soulful anthem ‘Every Lifetime’ featuring the multi-Grammy Award winner singer/songwriter Tori Kelly. The highly-anticipated record captivates fans with Miller’s trademark emotional ballads and soul-stirring melodies, now blended with fresh, upbeat rhythms. Listen here.
Miller’s song “Better By Myself” perfectly encapsulates this next phase of his career as the focus track of the debut record; the upbeat, energetic tune with Miller’s hopeful lyrics as he sings about finding himself amidst strained relationships and realizing that he is, in fact, better by himself. Miller found his inspiration after stepping away and taking a look at where he was headed, the ‘red flags’ of relationships he overlooked, and learning to trust himself by setting boundaries instead of expecting people to change.
“Better By Myself” explores the painful realization that despite how amazing things once appeared, they were ultimately harmful,” said Miller. “It’s about recognizing that you’re better off alone and that the love you thought was everything was actually holding you back. This newfound clarity is a powerful reminder that sometimes, the best path to happiness is embracing your independence and moving forward from what no longer serves you.”
APHRAH – SILHOUETTE
Fresh from collaborating with the Grammy-nominated Crate Classics on their recent track ‘Waiting For You (GOLD)’, Aphrah now sparks upon her immensely promising solo career with brand new music and single ‘Silhouette’. It’s the first track to be released from her upcoming debut EP. Listen HERE.
With ‘Silhouette’, Aphrah carves herself a space in the alt-pop landscape, a place where her honest, heartfelt lyrics explore the melancholy of self-doubt but emerge with a new-found sense of empowerment. The production further heightens those raw emotions as ethereal electronic elements and chiming piano melody unmask feelings that flow in a narrative that moves from vulnerable to powerfully determined.
Aphrah says, “Exploring themes of body image, disordered eating and fitting into society’s standards of beauty, ‘Silhouette’ is a song about breaking out of the shadows, taking the listener on a journey of discovering your worth, stepping into your full self and knowing that you are more than enough.”
FANTASTIC NEGRITO – SON OF A BROKEN MAN
The life of Fantastic Negrito has been a rich tapestry of experiences. His early days were spent hustling on the streets of Oakland, California to find a first opportunity in music. And that paid off, leading to a major label deal which promised so much until he was almost killed in a car crash. Two decades later he started again from scratch, his talents finally recognised with three Grammy Awards, opening for Bruce Springsteen and a collaboration with Sting. Yet the best is still emerging from this singular figure, as evidenced with today’s release of his new album ‘Son of a Broken Man’. Listen HERE.
‘Son of a Broken Man’ is an autobiographical account of a father/son relationship that never flourished. Fantastic Negrito’s father had some positive character traits, but being a parent certainly wasn’t one of them. Snapshots of his life build a bigger picture of a man moving from youth into middle-age without the guiding hand of a father figure. What emerges is a seesaw of emotions: he wants there to be a loving relationship, but there’s also clear resentment that it never happened. There’s no happy ending or big moment of self-discovery, just the gradual realisation that he has to make his own path.
WILD RIVERS – BETTER
Just three months after the release of their acclaimed album, Never Better, Platinum-selling trio Wild Rivers—Khalid Yassein, Devan Glover and Andrew Oliver—is back today with a new companion album, Better Now. Stream/purchase HERE.
Of the project, Wild Rivers shares, “Better Now is our companion record, and the other side to Never Better. On the first record, the songs contain raw, absolute and instinctual feelings. In many ways, Better Now is the afterglow of this. We’re reflecting and understanding that relationships change over time. Complicated situations can be just that, complicated. Feelings can remain unresolved. If the first record is bright and bold, this one is the softer gradients in between; the sunrises and the sunsets. Both projects make up the full spectrum of who we are. Better Now is just the moodier, misunderstood one. Musically the records really are twins. We wrote all of the songs at the same time. Finishing Better Now, we really felt that it was the close of a massive musical and personal chapter. It’s bittersweet but so meaningful to be able to chronicle our lives between these projects. Ultimately, we are optimistic; ‘better now,’ after the ups and downs of the relationships and turbulence of our twenties. Hopefully we’re wiser for it.”
The new album comes ahead of their run of live dates in the UK & Ireland which kicks off on the 14th November in Glasgow and includes London at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the 19th November. Known for their engaging live performances, Wild Rivers will tour across Europe next month, with upcoming shows in Germany, Switzerland, France, Scotland and the U.K.
WARREN ZEIDERS – YOU FOR A REASON
Award winner and People’s Choice Country nominated artist Warren Zeiders shares his newest track, “You for a Reason.” The track tears into a bittersweet reflection of fated lost love, showcasing Zeiders’ signature blend of grit and vulnerability.
This is the latest new music from Zeiders since the August release of his 10-track Relapse project, which has been hailed as a “heart-shattering arc” from all-consuming romance to deep-rooted betrayal. It’s packed with rockstar-shaped anthems filled with everything we love about Zeiders’ musicality and lyricism. The project features recent standout singles “Betrayal” and the title track “Relapse.”
Zeiders is currently on tour as direct support for Jelly Roll’s The Beautifully Broken Tour, where’s performed at his biggest venues to-date, before embarking on his highly anticipated 2025 ‘Relapse’ Tour. For a complete list of tour dates, or for more info, visit warrenzeiders.com.
WARREN ZEIDERS UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Feb. 7 – Belfast, UK – Ulster Hall
Feb. 9 – Glasgow, UK – 02 Academy Glasglow
Feb. 11 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall
Feb. 12 – Bristol, UK – 02 Academy Bristol
Feb 14 – Birmingham, UK – 02 Institute Birmingham
Feb. 15 – London, UK – 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
AISHA BADRU – IN THE MAKING
Aisha Badru has released her latest single ‘In The Making’. This new music serves as another captivating preview of her anticipated second album, ‘The Sun Still Rises’, scheduled for release on November 29th via Nettwerk.
Known for her ability to transform complex human experiences into simple and profound truths, Nigerian-American Aisha Badru’s music creates a path towards introspection. Newest single ‘In The Making’ continues on this path, joining a string of recent releases that showcase her evolving artistry. These include the hushed indie pop of ‘Thankful To Be Here’, the bright and soothing ‘Life To Live’, the excellent ‘A Little Mad’, folky lead single ‘Boundaries’ and the delicate ‘Side Of The Moon’.
With its blend of introspective lyrics and Aisha’s soothing signature sound, this latest release is another milestone in her musical journey, further building anticipation for her upcoming album. ‘Where one form ends a new one begins/I am always in a state of creation’ she sings, capturing both the essence of the song and Aisha’s artistry as a whole.
Describing the new single, she explains, “‘In The Making’ is a reflection on personal evolution and the continuous journey of self-discovery. This song embodies the essence of change, the fluidity of identity, and the desire to break free from expectations.”
DAVID GUETTA, ALPHAVILLE & AVA MAX – FOREVER YOUNG
Grammy-winning David Guetta teams up with chart-topping singer Ava Max and hitmakers Alphaville to revive their smash-hit ‘Forever Young’, out today. Listen here.
Much like Guetta’s huge 2022 hit ‘I’m Good (Blue)’ featuring Bebe Rexha, which now has 3B+ streams, the story of the single started on TikTok. Both tracks have been hugely popular among content creators on the platform, with ‘Forever Young’ garnering 3M TikTok creations this year, resulting in a huge boost in plays on streaming platforms. ‘Forever Young’ is currently trending as WMG’s biggest TikTok Song and peaked in the Spotify Global Top 200 Daily Streams Chart earlier in the year at #42.
David Guetta put his spin on ‘Forever Young’ this summer, giving it a fresh sound for a new generation of fans, recruiting sensational singer Ava Max (‘Sweet but Psycho’, ‘Kings & Queens’) to provide the finishing touches to the EDM hit.
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