Little Simz enjoyed huge success last year with her critically acclaimed sixth album Lotus. The project was praised not only for its seamless blend of hip-hop, jazz and punk, but also for the incredible visuals that came along with the era. Of course the album release was paired with a worldwide tour. Now that the busy Lotus days are behind her, the rapper finally has some time to celebrate her success. And what better way to do that than with an EP full of party tracks made for the club? On SUGAR GIRL we find the highly addictive ‘Game On’. We love everything about this song. It’s refreshing to hear Little Simz fully let loose and deliver a straight up club banger. No heartbreak, no deeper meaning behind the songs, just confident beats made to boost your ego. To push the energy even further she brought JT onto the track to deliver some of her iconic raps. Can it be the weekend already?
LIBERATO is Italy’s best kept secret. He is one of the most mysterious and influential artists in today’s music scene. To this day his real identity has never officially been confirmed. This anonymity became part of his whole identity and artistic concept. His popularity back in Italy confirms that the mystery surrounding him works perfectly for a successful career. Ever since his debut back in 2017, the date May 9th has become symbolic in his career. Every year on this date he brings his fans new music. Yesterday he released RADIO LIBERATO. On the album he worked together with fellow Italian artist Mahmood. He is another one of Italy’s sweethearts, but lives a complete opposite life. The singer recently moved to Barcelona as he simply couldn’t walk the Italian streets anymore due to his popularity. No wonder, as he won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 for Italy and has been scoring hit after hit ever since. Thanks to his big Eurovision win with ‘Soldi’, he built a huge fanbase all over the world. The perfect opportunity for LIBERATO to expand his fanbase outside of Italy with this collaboration. With ‘INTOSTREET’ they lean into a more international sound. The production sits somewhere between reggaeton and trap music while still staying ‘pop’ enough for mainstream radio. Mahmood lends his beautiful voice to smoothly sing over the beat. The song has summer hit written all over it!
Charli xcx just gave a masterclass in how making the world mad can be genius marketing. Recently, the singer landed the cover of British Vogue. During the interview she of course spoke about her current projects in film, but she also confirmed that her new album is ready to go and teased what we can expect from it. Her quote, “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music”, instantly went viral. Many artists within the dance scene were quick to criticise her, arguing that the dancefloor is very much alive. Turns out the quote was intentional all along to introduce her newly released lead single ‘Rock Music’. The line everyone was debating? Yes, you guessed it, those are literally the lyrics of the chorus. And honestly, the dancefloor clearly isn’t dead, because the song heavily leans into a fusion of Charli’s signature electronic sound with rock influences. The two genres work surprisingly well together and Charli once again proves she knows exactly how to reinvent herself while keeping her identity intact. We’re fully tuned in.
Demi Lovato’s big comeback to music arrived at the end of 2025 with her ninth studio album It’s Not That Deep, a huge pop record packed with dance-worthy songs. Unfortunately, the new music didn’t end up becoming the massive commercial success many hoped for, despite the fact it’s a true zero-skip album. The rollout leading up to the release gave us the lead single ‘Fast’, the cheeky and flirty ‘Kiss’ and the disco-electronic ‘Here All Night’. All three were excellent choices to introduce the album. Recently, Demi returned with the expanded edition It’s Not That Deep (Unless You Want It To Be). The deluxe version adds eight new songs to complete the era. In our opinion, though, these additions weren’t really needed. None of them come close to the quality of the original eleven tracks. Instead, we want to highlight our favorite moment from the album today. The song we still have on repeat the most has to be ‘Sorry To Myself’. Knowing all the struggles Demi has gone through, especially with so much of it happening in the public eye, makes the lyrics hit even harder. Lines like “I could point fingers at everyone else but sooner or later, it lands on myself” and “I’m flirting with hope” are simply perfect. Instead of adding more songs, ‘Sorry To Myself’ deserved the full single and video treatment. Can we also take this opportunity to remind everyone that this album had the absolute best album cover of 2025?
Harry Styles is about to kick off his massive arena world tour, performing his biggest hits alongside songs from his latest album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.. The live rendition of these tracks is without a doubt going to be incredible. Harry never disappoints when it comes to a big live performance. To help push those final available tickets, he has now released the music video for the album’s third single. On ‘Dance No More’, it feels like Harry is giving us his best attempt at a Prince-inspired song. The track is easily his funkiest and most soulful offering to date. Even though the sound feels like a refreshed version of music from the past, the lyrics are very current. Harry sings “DJ’s don’t dance no more, they said”, only to prove them wrong by reminding us they very much still do. Out of nowhere, he even invites all his friends to shout in unison: “Respect your mother!”. It’s messy in the best way possible. For a song titled ‘Dance No More’, Harry is doing the complete opposite. The video features more choreography than we’ve ever seen from him before. On top of that, he’s leaning into his sex appeal more than ever. This is the super popstar we want to see.
You might be surprised to find a country song on Clean. So are we. But there was no denying Kacey Musgraves and her latest album Middle of Nowhere. We couldn’t scroll through our socials without seeing people rave about it, so naturally we had to give it a spin ourselves. At the end of the day, you don’t end up with eight Grammys if you’re not that good. The song that immediately caught our attention is ‘Loneliest Girl’. It is without a doubt the poppiest moment on the album, standing out in between the more traditional country tracks. That might be why it stuck with us the most. But honestly, it’s the lyrics and the way they’re delivered. There is something beautifully contradictory about it all. Kacey sings about how at peace she is being single: “I don’t have to navigate nobody’s drama. I don’t have to act like I like all your friends or your mama. I don’t have to take on your childhood trauma. I’m happy to be the loneliest girl in the world.” Yet the way she sings it carries a certain sadness, almost a quiet loneliness underneath. We all know that feeling. Telling everyone we’re doing just fine, just to convince ourselves we actually are, even when we’re not. That’s exactly what we’re feeling listening to ‘Loneliest Girl’. And honestly, that makes it quite beautiful.
Today is a good day for all FLO fans out here. They’ve announced their sophomore album THERAPY AT THE CLUB. With a release date set for July 24th, you already know it’s going to be a good summer. The lead single from the album was a huge moment. ‘Leak It’ showed us they’re perfectly capable of delivering a big pop spectacle alongside their usual R&B sound. The first taste of the album, however, actually came during their iconic Tiny Desk Concert performance. They previewed two new songs during the timeless set, ‘HaterBooth’ and ‘Therapy at the Club’. The latter is now officially released alongside the album announcement. For this track, we find ourselves back in familiar territory. It’s a classic R&B record that taps into an old-school, almost bluesy feeling. The lyrics, on the other hand, feel modern and relatable. The trio showcases their not-so-healthy way of coping with heartbreak: going out, partying, and distracting yourself instead of actually dealing with your emotions. Their advice? “Go ahead and kiss who you wanna, whatever the trauma. If you ever fall out of love, try therapy at the club.” The song feels both beautiful and therapeutic, packed with outstanding vocal runs. Do we smell another Grammy nomination coming their way?
The first season of the UK’s version of Saturday Night Live is coming to an end this month. The final episode will air on May 16th. For the season finale they have the perfect artist lined up to perform: none other than Holly Humberstone. Since winning the Brit Award for Rising Star, she has released two albums, her debut Paint My Bedroom Black and her recently released Cruel World. The latter became critically acclaimed and reached number four on the UK Official Albums Chart. We have high hopes to see her perform our favorite song and the fourth single from the album, ‘Beauty Pageant’. The beautiful pop ballad is exactly the kind of track that showcases her angelic voice at its best. The singer explains: “This is a song for all the girls struggling to get their voices heard whilst coping with the constant pressures that society puts on us all.” If the performance matches the aesthetic of the video, we’re in for a real treat on the 16th.
The name Maxx Moor might sound unfamiliar to you. However, if you’re a big fan of H.E.R. like we are, you’ve definitely heard his work. The Bronx singer collaborated with her on the Grammy-nominated album I Used to Know Her. His talent is undeniable, but now that he’s stepping out as a solo artist, it’s time to prove he can claim the spotlight on his own. With the release of his single ‘Organic’, he shows exactly what he’s capable of. Citing D’Angelo and Frank Ocean as influences, he delivers a neo-soul sound clearly inspired by them. Maxx didn’t just release the final version of the track, he also shared the original demo. That’s quite rare and says a lot about how much of a music geek he is. It’s genuinely interesting to hear how the song evolved from its early stages to the final version. Both versions stand strong on their own, which likely explains why he chose to share them both. The song feels pure and effortlessly showcases his beautiful voice. It’s exciting to realize this is only the beginning of his journey.
Multi-talented Nia Archives is truly one of a kind. As a producer, DJ and singer, she’s one of the very few artists bringing jungle into the mainstream. Of course, we’ve seen big artists score hits with drum & bass and garage productions, but jungle has largely remained underground and out of the public eye. Thank god for Nia, leading the charge and introducing wider audiences to a sound that sits somewhere between drum & bass and indie rock. On July 24th, Nia Archives will release her second studio album Emotional Junglist. The project features names like Jorja Smith and Sampha, both collaborations we can’t wait to hear. Before the full release, we’re treated to the excellent ‘Boys In Blue’. The track transports us straight back to 2008, when Santigold released her self-titled debut. And trust us, that’s a huge compliment. ‘Boys In Blue’ might be slightly less in-your-face with its jungle production than we’re used to from the ‘So Tell Me..’ hitmaker, but the way it blends with guitar riffs and uptempo indie-punk elements is brilliant. We love hearing Nia experiment with different sounds, especially when it results in something this good.
What better way to start the weekend than with the official comeback single of Madonna? The singer is in full promotion mode for Confessions II, the sequel to her iconic album that brought us hits like ‘Hung Up’ and ‘Sorry’. After 21 years, the legend reunites with producer Stuart Price to reimagine what the Confessions on a Dance Floor world would sound like in 2026. We already got a first taste with ‘I Feel So Free’. An absolute dancefloor filler, but clearly not made for commercial success. This official first single, however, has “HIT” written all over it. I’m sure you’ve seen Madonna’s surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s headline set at Coachella, iconic. That guest moment obviously wasn’t random. Madonna and Sabrina went into the studio together to record ‘Bring Your Love’. This is exactly what we imagine a Madonna dance track would sound like in today’s industry. It’s cheeky, flirty, and fun. It makes complete sense to have the ‘Fast Times’ hitmaker on this record. Yes, she brings in a younger audience, but more importantly, she matches Madonna’s energy perfectly. We love how the song fits into Madonna’s full discography. It ties beautifully into the Confessions universe while also echoing a modern-day ‘Vogue’. Welcome back, Queen of Pop.
When Zara Larsson said “summer isn’t over yet” she meant it. Her Midnight Sun era is only just getting started. With every track on the album deserving its own moment, she did what any true pop star would do: release a full remix project, Midnight Sun: Girls Trip. The entire rollout has been nothing short of genius. Over the past few months, Zara teased the reimagined album through subtle Easter eggs. Every outfit, accessory, and public appearance hinted at potential collaborators. Fans stayed locked in, trying to decode who would show up for the girls trip. Each remix features a female artist, with Zara bringing together women from across the globe and across genres. The Girls Trip title couldn’t be more fitting. Let’s get into some of our favorites. First up, PinkPantheress. After the success of the ‘Stateside’ remix on her own remixalbum, it made perfect sense for the two to reunite. PinkPantheress doesn’t just return the favor with her vocals here, she also handles production. It instantly sounded familiar, and for good reason: she samples ‘Gold Dust’ by DJ Fresh and Ms. Dynamite, one of our all-time favorite drum’n bass tracks. The biggest transformation on the album has to be ‘Blue Moon’. Aside from the chorus, it’s almost unrecognisable. Zara has flirted with R&B before on songs like ‘So Good’ and ‘Ruin My Life’, but here she fully leans in. To match that shift, she brings in Kehlani, who elevates the track effortlessly and make Zara sound like thát R&B girl. Fresh off her own album release, it’s the perfect crossover moment for both artists. Next up, the lead single ‘Pretty Ugly’ gets flipped into a hip-hop track. Over a new beat by Margo XS, JT jumps on with her raps and completely owns it. It already worked before in its true single version, but this rendition adds a whole new layer of energy that just clicks. We are skipping straight forward to the end of the album. Sorry to Emilia, who appears on the already fan favorite remix for ‘Girl’s Girl’, Shakira, Tyla, Madison Beer and all others who pushed each song out of its comfort zone to make it something completely new. We simply can’t stop replaying ‘Puss Puss’. The album closer has been overlooked for way too long so hearing this version is guaranteed going to give it its hibiscus flowers. Fellow Swedish singer Robyn jumped on the new version of the song. The production pretty much stayed untouched. The addition of the ‘With Every Heartbeat’ hitmaker by itself elevated the song to a place that everyone is going to fall in love with. Let’s end this with a simple thank you to pop music for bringing back the remix album. After years of absence, it’s artists like Zara Larsson, Charli XCX and PinkPantheress picking up where Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child and Britney Spears left off.
This week we were treated to the comeback of Vince Staples. It marks his first release in two years following his departure from Def Jam. The rapper is now releasing music as an independent artist. Alongside the comeback single, he announced his upcoming album Cry Baby, set for release in early June. If the lead single is any indication of what’s to come, we’re in for something really good. Vince has always been known for his experimental choices. It’s never predictable what he’ll cook up next. Now that he’s independent, he has full creative control, and that freedom is clearly heard on ‘Blackberry Marmalade’. The track leans heavily into a punk-influenced sound, with guitars, drums, and a mix of melodic vocals and his signature rapping. Lyrically, he tackles systemic racism and oppression, violence in America, and there’s a strong sense of survival in his delivery as he sings “Promise me you won’t gun me down”. To complete the picture, he released an equally intriguing video. We won’t tell you too much, go watch it yourself. All we’ll say is that it feels intentionally unsettling and designed to start a discussion.
Can we take this opportunity to introduce you to a new band that debuted last October? Brothers Cameron and Devin Thistle formed Saburnia, a band named after their mother. The duo does an excellent job describing their sound themselves: “Saburnia is an American band that leans into the beautiful imperfections of human nature to create an honest, handmade sound.” We couldn’t have said it better. You can hear that exact described sound clearly throughout the four songs they’ve released so far. With ‘Even’, they tap into their biggest potential yet. The song is a slow burner, with a production that beautifully showcases the range of instruments the brothers play. It organically leaves room for the vocals to grow in all the right places without ever overpowering the track. We love how the song almost feels like a demo, adding to its intimacy, rawness, and purity. It’s as if you’re right there in the room while they’re recording it. We’re all ears for this new band and can’t wait to hear what else they’re cooking up.
CLEAN brings you new music on the daily. We make sure you stay up to date with the latest releases you shouldn’t miss out on. However, every now and then, we like to take a little throwback. Whether it’s a song we believe you may have missed or a true blast from the past that once dominated the charts, these moments are here to remind us what today’s music is built on. We celebrate the hits of today — and revisit yesterday’s best tunes, like the one below. Today the streets in the Netherlands are dressed in orange everywhere you look. It’s King’s Day — a traditional celebration where we all come together, head outside, and party in the streets to celebrate the birthday of the Dutch King. Seeing orange so dominant all around us inspired today’s throwback. We’re talking about none other than the duo Emotional Oranges. The California-based duo is made up of Azad Right and Vali Porter. Both had their own perfect start within the music industry. Azad worked as an audio engineer for Drake, while Vali was a vocal coach for none other than Adele. No wonder their powers combined brings us music that always hits. Seven years ago, they released their debut EP The Juice: Vol. 1. Those eight songs were on non-stop rotation everywhere we went. No one around us was safe from Emotional Oranges. Their music is infectious in the best way possible. To us, it always felt like a blend of everything we loved at the time - think Drake meets Tinashe, with a touch of indie music thrown in. There are no skips on this EP, and each track sounds different to the other while still feeling cohesive as a full project. Our favorite track on the EP has remained the same to this day. ‘Built That Way’ is a funky R&B song with a timeless production. The switch between vocals works perfect and has the track feeling balanced in all the right places. Even though it’s an up-tempo offering, for some reason we resonated with it at the time thanks to the lyrics. At the time we related to the chorus due to a period of dating coming to an end, even though none of us dared to say it out loud. Whether or not that’s the intended meaning behind the song, it’s exactly why we’ll always love this song. Emotional Oranges released their full-length debut album Orenjii in May last year. They’re currently taking a well-deserved break but secretly, we’re hoping they’re in the studio working on new music for summer 2026.
Def Jam’s latest signee Jai’Len Josey is gearing up for her debut album Serial Romantic. Before reaching this point, the singer was mainly active in theatre and songwriting. Theatre is where it all started for her - she even won a Jimmy Award as a teenager for her work. Still, she quickly realised her heart lies with music. No surprise there, as she practically grew up in the industry. Her mum worked as a creative director at the record label So So Def. Her first step in was as a songwriter, penning the certified smash hit ‘Pressure’ by Ari Lennox. Now it’s time to claim the spotlight with her own music. The Atlanta singer has been busy in the studio with none other than Tricky Stewart. The producer has worked with all of the biggest names in R&B, which sets the tone for a promising debut. The first single from the upcoming project is ‘Love Ain’t Shit’. It’s a straightforward, classic R&B production. The kind that lingers in your mind all day, having you press replay again and again. With a deep, silk-smooth voice reminiscent of Toni Braxton, it’s a certified mid-tempo R&B banger.
Clean is currently in the Netherlands where the sun is shining bright and the shorts are finally taken from the bottom shelf to see the light of day again. To match the early summer feeling, we’re naturally drawn to music that brings the same sunshine through your headphones. We’re craving music that makes us want to dance, but also something that captures those flirty, sexy vibes the sun brings out in us. To match that energy, we simply have to blast Jessie Ware through our speakers. Jessie released her sixth studio album Superbloom last week — an album we’ve been looking forward to ever since its announcement. We’ve been huge fans of the singer ever since her iconic release Devotion. What started as gloomy indie-pop has slowly evolved into a more funky, disco-inspired sound, as heard on her latest successes What’s Your Pleasure? and That! Feels Good!. Both bodies of work are still on repeat for Clean — they’re simply iconic, and Jessie seems to have truly found her sound with them. It’s no surprise that Superbloom continues in the same lane. Stepping into the album, it’s clear we’re following a strong overall theme. The prelude sets the scene: imagine velvet red curtains opening onto a romantic, cinematic setting filled with beautiful flowers, almost like a secret garden made for goddesses only. The tone is set for what’s to come — both ‘I Could Get Used To This’ and the title track ‘Superbloom’ feel romantic and angelic, floating somewhere between our world and heaven. Especially on the latter, we feel a heavenly presence when Jessie hits those falsetto notes backed by a choir. Every romantic gesture should lead to something a little naughty, if you ask us — and that’s exactly where we’re headed with ‘Sauna’. After seeing it receive so much praise online, even being labelled the “gay anthem” of the album, we were excited to press play. When the production starts, we instantly think we’re in for a treat. But once the chorus hits, we feel a bit overwhelmed and lost. The vocal production becomes huge and almost theatrical, while the instrumental stays cool and restrained. Trust us, we really tried to love it as much as everyone else — but we’re just not sold. The follow-up is much more our taste. With ‘Mr. Valentine’, it almost feels like a distant cousin of ‘Ooh La La’. Don’t get us wrong — nothing comes close to that iconic, timeless record. But if we had to imagine ‘Ooh La La’ as the soundtrack to an over-the-top romantic musical, this would be it. It’s fun, flirty, naughty, and dramatic in all the right places. From Valentine to real love — ‘Love You For’ opens with her children singing the intro. It’s incredibly sweet and shows how deeply rooted the love is in this song. It’s romantic, warm, and near the end, a group of voices chant “Love you for the rest of my life!”. This is the kind of song we can imagine being played at a wedding. Our absolute favorite on the album is the single ‘Ride’. The song lives in a world of its own — nothing else on the album quite compares. Jessie shared that it was created years ago, around the same time as What’s Your Pleasure?, and that makes total sense. It feels like a continuation of that era, while still pushing things forward creatively with its western-inspired twist. We’d even go as far as saying this lands in our top five Jessie Ware songs overall. Another standout is the brilliant ‘No Consequences’, created together with Tom McFarland from the band Jungle. You can definitely hear his influence — it’s groovy, rhythmic, and made to be experienced with a live band. It’s the kind of song that would be huge during a festival set. The chanting chorus seems like a perfect opportunity for the crowd to get in and join the song. We were incredibly excited for this album, and while there are some great highlights, we can’t fully connect to it in the same way we have with her previous releases. Even though Superbloom sticks to its themes of romance, love, and sensuality, it doesn’t always feel cohesive as a full body of work. At times it leans too heavily into being big, dramatic, and cinematic — almost to the point of feeling like too much to our taste. Still, we’ll hold on to our favorites and, as always, continue rooting for Jessie — we’re simply too big of fans not to.
Finn Askew is one of your typical don’t judge a book by its cover artists. Seeing the young British singer you would place him in a boyband à la One Direction. A young heartthrob ready to be on posters in the biggest magazines, hung on walls from kids adoring his music. But boy oh boy, are we wrong to go off looks alone. As soon as the singer opens his mouth it’s clear we are dealing with someone who knows music, who has been studying different genres from his early teenage years and creating his own hybrid genre to blend all his influences into one. The 24-year-old singer has just released his EP BLUEBOY. The project is absolute genius. It’s experimental, honest, raw and created with love for music. We open up with the beautiful ‘Distance’. The almost cinematic opening feels like it’s saying “welcome to my world”. His raspy voice croons over a beat that reminisces 90’s pop music, the kind that was heavily influenced by R&B. He sings “Put your mouth on my mouth. Chew me up, spit me out. Pick me up, put me down again.” While we strongly believe a comparison is unnecessary as the singer clearly is worthy of his own lane, we can’t help but say his voice reminds us of the soulful tone of JMSN with a touch of those pop greatness vocals of Justin Bieber. This especially shines through on the experimental ‘Move On’. The production could’ve easily been in the genius hands of Jai Paul. It’s another example of Finn not playing by the rules and simply doing what he loves. When he reaches the addictive “Moo-oo-ove on” we are hooked by the song. The only collaboration on the album is with his producer Ezra Skys. The producer worked with some of the biggest in today’s UK music such as Odeal and Central Cee. It makes sense to hear his voice shine through on the body of work, as he is behind each track on the EP. It’s great to hear him contribute an extra hand on the romantic ‘Vows’. Together they are serenading their fresh love and how hard they fell from the moment they met their love interest. Our personal highlight here is ‘Save My Time’. The song lives somewhere between blues and jazz, reimagined by a 24-year-old singer. It’s so laid back, bluesy and yet so fresh and modern sounding. The project wouldn’t be complete without a little nod to the UK. Finn packed his bags from his birthplace, the small Wellington, to go to London and pursue his dreams. Along the way he falls in love which clearly gains songwriting inspiration for a smooth R&B ballad moment. On ‘London’ we hear his voice in full swing. It’s sexy, it’s raw and it is so many years beyond his age. The track is another proof that Finn is one to watch. If the singer is not on your radar yet, he sure will be after listening to the brilliant BLUEBOY. This is a timeless body of work.