Billboard's Friday Music Guide is your handy guide to the biggest songs releasing this Friday — the big songs everyone's talking about today, and the songs that will dominate playlists this weekend and beyond.
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Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
This week, Eminem puts the nail in Slim Shady's coffin, Katy Perry shows off her pop know-how, and Ice Spice makes connections from across the ocean. Check out all of this week's picks below.
Eminem, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace)
The chart success of the pop-leaning lead single “Houdini” and the technical rap wizardry of its follow-up “Tobey” have built up anticipation for Eminem's 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), which is being billed as the finale for his raging id character, Slim Shady. Indeed, the full-length is his most accomplished project in years, showcasing the full range of Eminem's talents, not just the button-pushing devilishness and bar-blasting theatricality on display in the singles, but also his unexpected grace (“Temporary” with Skylar Grey is a heartfelt message to his daughter after he died) and his ability to branch out into other genres (“Somebody Save Me” with Jelly Roll could be country-pop radio for Marshall Mathers).
Katy Perry “Woman's World”
Pop fans who fondly remember the bright, oversized hooks and candy-colored, fantasy visuals of Katy Perry's record-breaking Teenage Dream era will wholeheartedly welcome “A Woman's World.” The song kicks off a new era of mainstream appropriateness with a spectacularly well-conceived music video chock-full of feminist symbolism. Perry has evolved since her 2010 smash hit album, her lyrics have gotten more personal and her stardom has expanded into projects like American Idol. But she's always sounded most at home in loud, neon-colored pop anthems, and “A Woman's World” marks a return to winning mode.
Ice Spice & Central Sea: “Did It First”
Ice Spice has always been at her best when she's rapping downhill; her flow spins, rolls and speeds, all while remaining cool and never stumbling. After trying her hand at it a few times on tracks leading up to her upcoming album, Y2K!, she finds her footing with “Did It First,” a track featuring London rapper Central Sea, where she launches right into a RIOTUSA-co-produced beat while proudly blaming cheating, spending money and dismissing apathy, and vowing to “party 'til the party ends.”
Clairo, Charm
While Clarero's previous album, 2021's Sling, was purposefully lacking in warmth (singer-songwriter Clare Cotrill moved to upstate New York and teamed up with Jack Antonoff for a subdued, woodsy project), this album exudes the same sparkle that captivated her 2019 debut, Immunity. The soft-rock arrangements feel naturally designed, the interplay of piano, guitar, bass, and drums is ever-present, and it's as if Clare just quietly walks in, delivering her hushed tones and sensual lyrics. Though the pace changes and the arrangement details change (“Echo,” for example, sounds more synthy and spacious than anything Clarero has done to date), the formula is a delight to listen to from start to finish.
ENHYPEN, Romance: Unreleased
“XO (If You Only Say Yes),” the lead single from ENHYPEN's new album, Romance: Untold, is a great example of why this seven-member K-pop group has broken out in a crowded field. Filled with stuttering hooks, captivating vocals, and well-crafted rhythmic pop production (by JVKE, who contributes to the track's English version), “XO” works well as a crossover attempt and a showcase for the group's skill set. The rest of Romance: Untold builds on 2021's Dimension: Dilemma and projects released in between, thanks in large part to the strengthened chemistry between the members, who harmonize, sing powerfully, dip into falsetto, and softly intonate with surprising dexterity.
Editor's Pick: Remi Wolf, Big Ideas
Remi Wolf's early singles may have racked up millions of streams and hinted at plenty of artistic potential, but it wasn't until singles like “Cinderella” and “Toro,” which preceded her sophomore album, Big Ideas, that the Palo Alto singer-songwriter sounded like she'd nailed her funk-laden synth-pop aesthetic. The rest of the album unfolds like a fully realized version of her talent. Remi Wolf is a meticulous composer who knows when to hold back on melody, can work a groove like a pro, and now has the songs (particularly album highlight “Soup” and the dynamic bonus track “Slay Bitch”) that tie the presentation together.