It’s a powerhouse New Music Friday for Pop/R&B fans, with major drops from Doja Cat, Mariah Carey, Zara Larsson, and Olivia Dean.
Doja Cat’s fifth studio album Vie lands today, marking a dramatic pivot back to pure pop. Featuring 15 solo tracks including the shimmering lead single “Jealous Type.” Vie blends ’80s synths, disco grooves, and a polished aesthetic. With production from Jack Antonoff and Y2K, the album ditches the rap-heavy textures of her past work in favor of full-throttle pop ambition. It’s confident, campy, and completely Doja.
Mariah Carey returns with her first album in seven years, Here for It All—an 11-track celebration of self-love and legacy. Highlights include “Type Dangerous,” which samples Eric B. & Rakim, and a powerful gospel cut, “Jesus I Do,” featuring The Clark Sisters. Described as her “era of me,” the album bridges contemporary R&B with nostalgic callbacks.
Swedish pop icon Zara Larsson returns with her fifth studio album Midnight Sun, a glittering blend of electro-pop and emotional honesty. Built around themes of ambition and self-reflection, the record includes standout singles “Pretty Ugly” and “Midnight Sun.” MNEK returns as a key producer alongside Margo XS and Helena Gao. Zara calls it “a record for your soul at golden hour.”
British soul-pop talent Olivia Dean drops her sophomore LP The Art of Loving, exploring the emotional range of love in all its forms. From the soft-rock tinge of “Lady Lady” to the reflective “Nice to Each Other,” Dean leans into intimacy and nuance. Critics are calling it a confident leap forward — more expansive, less neo-soul cliché, and authentically hers.
Whether you’re in the mood for dance-floor pop, emotional R&B, or introspective songwriting, today’s lineup offers something bold and fresh — a generational mix of legends, reinventions, and rising stars in one release day.