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New Music Friday has some heavy-hitters this week, including a freshly unveiled track from the Barbie movie soundtrack, the emo, existential ballad “What Was I Made For?” by singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.
According to a press release, “What Was I Made For?” was written specifically for Barbie (directed by Greta Gerwig and in theaters everywhere July 21) by Eilish and her brother and frequent collaborator FINNEAS, at his home-studio in Los Angeles. The official music video for the record was also self-directed by Eilish.
Besides Eilish's emotional and empowering one-woman show, this New Music Friday also welcomes Jungkook of BTS's official global solo debut, the pop banger “Seven” featuring rapper Latto; Coco Jones's surprise remix of her hit “ICU” with the aughts prince of blue-eyed soul, Justin Timberlake; Troye Sivan's gay bimbocore pop offering “Rush"; and Karol G's new Bible verse-inspired single “S91." Keep scrolling below to find out more about this week's best new songs and releases — your weekend playlist will thank us later.
Jungkook featuring Latto, “Seven”
We’re at that point in the summer when you just want pure bimbocore pop and nothing else — call it the Barbie effect. BTS’s youngest member Jungkook comes through here with a blast of a pop song about, ahem, loving someone every single day in a week, forever and ever, no thoughts, head empty. The dancey UK garage-inspired “Seven” is not about ARMY or BTS as many might have guessed from the numerology — rather, it’s an ode to sexuality and having a great time all the time. Jungkook pulls in Latto for a well-matched collaboration, and in the music video (costarring actress Han Sohee) Latto pulls the whole concept together: her rapping over JK’s funeral until he comes magically back to life is one of the campiest pop culture moments of 2023 so far.
Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”
Per the official press release for the song, Billie Eilish's moving contribution to the Barbie soundtrack is used to back “pivotal scenes throughout the film." In a heartwarming post about “What Was I Made For?," Eilish opened up about her songwriting process and how deeply the film impacted her and Finneas.
Related: Billie Eilish Revisits Her Past Looks in “What Was I Made For?”
“In January Greta showed me and Finneas a handful of some unfinished scenes from the film; we had nooooo idea what to expect at ALLL... we were so deeeeeply moved.. that the next day we were writing and COULDNT shut up about it lolll andddddddddd ended up writing almost the entire song that night,” Eilish wrote on Instagram. “To be real with you this all seemed to happen in a time when i really needed it. I’m so so thankful for that. This video makes me cryyyyy.. it means so much to me and i hope it will mean just as much to you. Don’t have much to say other than that, i think it will speak for itself🫀 :’’’’) enjoy.”
Coco Jones featuring Justin Timberlake, “ICU (Remix)”
Multi-hyphenate Coco Jones — singer, songwriter, and actor (hey Bel-Air!) — is back with a fresh take on her smash R&B hit “ICU” from her fall 2022 EP What I Didn’t Tell You. Jones, who was raised in a small town outside of Nashville, Tennessee, tapped another well-known Tennessee native for the remix: Justin Timberlake. Jones is set to embark on her first major North American tour this August. Take a listen to the new version of “ICU” above.
Karol G, “S91”
Colombian singer Karol G revealed on TikTok that her new single holds special meaning to her and her family, and was inspired by the Bible chapter Psalm 91. Last week, the artist posted a photo to Instagram with the seventh verse as the caption: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” Now, she's opening up about the song's place in her heart. “My mom took us to school and taught us to pray Psalm 91 after leaving home every day in the morning because she said they were sacred words of protection," she wrote on TikTok. "…I am grateful to God and to life for giving me a family that supports me, that has believed in me from the very beginning and that is still with me today, celebrating together so many beautiful things that happen to us.”
At the end of the video for “S91,” Karol G hid a special surprise announcement: The deluxe version of her fourth album, Mañana Sera Bonito (Bichota Season), is “coming soon.”
Troye Sivan, “Rush”
Earlier this week, Troye Sivan announced his third studio album, Something To Give Each Other, will be released on October 13. In a press release, the album is described as “a celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship.” The project's first single “Rush” is out today — and the music video is a beautiful, sexy, heady, colorful romp that evokes a similar aesthetic and feeling as Janelle Monae's visuals for The Age of Pleasure. Community, love, lust, joy… what else can you ask for from a summer pop anthem?
