Every week, we highlight the very best of new world music for your listening pleasure. In no particular order, check out our selection of the best new songs from across the globe you need to hear featuring music from Israel McCloud, Sarahmée, TR!C, Homa Homa and more.
1. TR!C – Bongoman Blue
An artiste-producer of Congolese and Haitian descent, based in Chicago, Tr!c draws his versatility and creativity as an artiste from his rich cultural heritage, his travels, and his immediate environment. “Bongoman Blue” is genre-blending genius! A pan-African collaboration between Tr!c (Congo/Haiti), supporting vocalist Siphiwe (South Africa), guitarist Tito Monako (Congo), and the Ghana Music Project (Ghana). The afro-fusion track is inspired by Soukous which is 70s and 80s dance music from the Congo, and blends hypnotic rhythms in bass and guitar, poppy synths, and new age Kid Cudi inspired vocals.
2. Israel McCloud – Holding Out
Israel McCloud’s unique sound is a mixing pot of hip hop, R&B, Trap, and Soul. On his new song ‘Holding Out’, he sings and raps in his signature melodic flow about all the new memories he’d like to create with his new found lover who is holding out on him because of hurt and unhappiness from her previous relationships. “Being in love can be a scary thing when your past relationships are filled with disappointments and deceit. Sometimes a little reassurance goes a long way…”
The multi-talented artiste, who has opened for greats such as Rae Sremmurd, Kid Ink, IAMSU, Rayven Justice, Berner, and 2 Chainz, touches on a myriad of topics with his music including love and heartbreak to street hustle and success. He has also co-produced a majority of his catalogue within the duo group CATCHAFLIGHT, featuring his long time best friend, J Skyyler.
3. Sarahmée – Bienvenue Dans Ma Vie
Born in Dakar and based in Montreal, Sarahmée has been active for over a decade. Now a staple on the Quebec rap scene, Sarahmée is making a remarkable comeback with her critically acclaimed second album, “Irréversible” (set for September 2021). Earmarked as the album opener, “Bienvenue Dans Ma Vie” which translates to “welcome to my life”, reflects the rapper’s thoughts and mind-state over the months leading to her impending sophomore album.
4. Simo – Let’s Go
Simo is out with new song titled ‘Let’s Go’. The beat maker and recording artiste describes his musical journey as a ‘jungle’ but admits to not be intimidated at all by the obstacles life presents to him. According to Simo, he is in love with the idea of fighting to get the top as it proves to himself how much he loves making his own kind and versatile style of music. He says his sound comes straight from “paradise”. On his new song ‘Let’s Go’, he sings about going on a journey of enlightenment over African drums and ethereal synth progressions.
5. Homa Homa – Rio
Homa Homa is a Brussels-based singer-songwriter of Congolese origin. Originally a music video director, Homa ventured into music in 2019 with his two first singles “Baby Dose” and “Pakdjuma”, the success of which has culminated in “Rio”, the lead single of his debut EP “HOPIUM” (released on July 16th, 2021). Fingering Congolese music greats Papa Wemba, and Koffi Olomidé as two of his biggest influences, Homa’s style combines elements of afrobeat, hip-hop, rumba, R&B, and electro music, making him a striking and singular artist.
6. Sam MacPherson – Perfect Conditions
Sam MacPherson’s new song is the perfect song to serenade your lover. Co-written by his very good friend Adam Yaron over a zoom call, ‘Perfect Conditions’ is a song about two people in love who make the decision to pursue a romantic journey in the real world. According to Sam, after he experienced falling in love, he realized that the “perfect conditions” he had in his mind were actually just two people deciding that nothing could stop them from being together. “For some time I thought that real love only happened in instances of luck and serendipity. While that premise works well for big-screen cinematic moments, I had a feeling that couldn’t be the case in real life.” Perfect Conditions, a precursor to his debut EP, comes off the back of his hit song ‘Routine’ which has almost 3 million streams across all digital streaming platforms and a number of viral videos on TikTok.
7. Pastel Coast – Sunset
Quentin Isidore and his band Pastel Coast ride the US indie-pop wave “à la française”. After their debut album entitled Hovercraft, which earned the band a nomination for the 2020 Ricard Price and the Inouïs du Printemps de Bourges. Pastel Coast is coming back in 2021 with a vengeance. With “Rendez-vous” and “Dial” already released, the band quickly follow-up with all-new single “Sunset”. On the new single, band is in a race against time, trying to find love before the sun goes down. Directed by Robin Laroque and Quentin Marinelllo, starring Samya Arrat, the music video for “Sunset” is a movie!
8. Duncan Daniels – Addicted to Love
Duncan Daniels’ ‘Addicted to Love’ is so catchy, it leaves you yearning for more after each listen. Duncan’s latest offering is a modern Afropop record with Soca and Reggae influences. The song takes a repetitive and groovy rhythm making it a very relatable earworm. For Duncan Daniels, he developed a passion for music early in his life. At the age of 11, he had already began playling the piano and writing his own music. He cites U2, Bon Jovi, Boyz II Men, and Michael Jackson as his musical inspirations growing up. The singer, producer and songwriter was born in Boston, Massachusetts, raised in England and Nigeria. His music is a potpourri of AfroBeats, Pop, Rock, and R&B. His music combines the right ingredients of beats, vocals, lyrics and rhythm that can only be unique to his name and his brand, DunkishRock.
9. Marven Denis – Close To Me
Marven Denis discovered his knack for music at a very young age. Being brought up in the church, Marven was influenced by his dad and uncles who played various instruments. He soon found himself playing traditional gospel music with the bass guitar. As he grew older, he began to explore the world of composing, directing, and producing as well as other genres of music. With infectiously catchy rhythms and melodies, Marven Denis’ music spans multiple genres. ”Close to me” is an up-tempo love song that embraces reggaeton, afrobeat, kizomba, and top 40 elements. In addition to being an earworm, the song’s francophone influences give it a fresh appeal!
10. Joshigwe – Despair in the Air
Joshigwe’s self-produced new song ‘Despair in the Air’ is a breath of fresh air. According to him, the song started out as a poem he wrote in 2019 when he was feeling lost. It later evolved into a song when he produced an instrumental for it and sang the lyrics of poem overt it. “I’m inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s lyricism and guitar playing which is what gives the song that rock feel.” On ‘Despair in the Air’, Joshigwe draws inspiration from his African heritage and it’s quite evident with his use of African drums which he fuses with influences from psychedelic rock.
11. MELONYX – You Make Me Feel Brand New
You’ll definitely enjoy this MELONYX rendition of ’You Make Me Feel Brand New’, The Stylistics’ iconic 1970 romantic bop. On this remake, MELONYX flip the message of the original, instead of turning the track to the theme of female liberation, they make the theme about general self-care; they lay emphasis on how important it is to appreciate and value one’s life. The Nottingham-based soul-sister duo have graced the stage of Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival and had the opportunity to tour with popular music band Acoustickle.
12. Supreme P47 – Jaiye (feat. Humble Billy & Grade 1)
Nigerian Afrofusion musician Supreme P47 releases new song ‘Jaiye’. According to him ‘Jaiye’ is a Nigerian jargon which translates to ‘Enjoy life’ or ‘Live life to the fullest’. On the mid-tempo song that features Humble Billy & Grade 1, they sing and rap passionately about enjoying the pleasures life has to offer.
13. Tukuleur ft Adiouza – Taamunaala
Influenced by his Senegalese roots, Oumar Sall is the founder of the Afro-Pop band Tukuleur, playing the roles of lead singer, songwriter, and producer. The band’s music is a unique blend of African and urban influences, with melodies sung in several languages, including French, English, and West African languages Fulani and Wolof. The band’s latest release “Taamunaala”, a precursor to their forthcoming “Afrikan Groove” album (set for September 2021), is a beautiful West African love duet that features infectious melodies, rich West African instrumentation, and powerful lyrics, borrowing the powerful voice of Senegalese songstress Adiouza.
14. Ferdiehart x Young Patron – Loev die Look
Ferdiehart and Young Patron combine seamlessly on another WESTLND production. The burst of energy titled ‘Love die Look’, is an interesting feel-good Afrobeat love song with Surinamese and urban influences that is guaranteed to get anyone on their feet. This is a follow-up on Ferdiehart’s recently released ’Switi Lobi’ which featured Benjamin Fayah.
15. tiger lily – Best U Ever Had <3
Tiger Lily’s ‘Best u ever had <3’ is her latest offering. The budding Los Angeles-based artiste worked with the iconic Seattle producer Jake Crocker on this. On this flirtatious and empowering summer pop anthem, an unrelenting Tiger Lily tells an ex of hers who obviously wants her back that she was the best he ever had. Tiger Lily has built a cult following throughout her career; she has a combined total of over 60,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok and has opened for a number of prominent artistes including Grammy-nominated duo ‘Social House’.
