Coco Jones Explores New Pop Territory On “Taste”

I feel proud to know I got Coco Jones, Britney Spears interpolated song the first time. “Taste” is the lead single for Mrs. Jones DEBUT album Why Not More? dropping on April 25th and it was instantly met with mixed reviews. For Traditional R&B fans it can be jarring to see your fave pivot to new sounds, especially when you can find so much commercial success in pop music but I love that the Grammy winner isn’t playing it safe or restricting her music to one genre to appease everyone else. Coco Jones is a multifaceted artist. Whether she’s penning a critical acclaimed song like “ICU”, starring in the hit series Bel-Air or being a relatable, hilarious human being on the internet, she’s honed her skillset throughout her lifetime and her debut album will give her the freedom to explore a range of sounds and showcase her voice beyond soulful riffs and runs. 

Hearing “Taste” for the first time and every time after I’m obsessed with the sleek production that Coco struts on as she professes her desire for a potent love. The vocally morphed Britney “Toxic” loop on the hook stays in your head whether you love it or hate it (like every impactful pop song) and I’m glad that Jones took this small risk now as she straddles the lane of being an R&B star and becoming a household name that has the power to dominate in any genre she chooses. R&B has always been one of the most influential genres that has nurtured many talented singers that become notable mainstream superstars (Beyonce, Usher, Ciara, and SZA to name a few) but to reach that status an artist has to be intentional with the production that compliments their voices. 

Jasper Harris co-produced “Taste” alongside Stargate and Aaron Shadrow and I was thrilled to see Harris name tapped for this song after his involvement with Camila Cabello’s experimental-pop love letter to Miami C, XOXO.  I love when artists create worlds with their music and I hope that this isn’t the only song this trio has a placement on. Artists deserve to challenge themselves and their audience with their music and I’m so excited to hear what else is in store for Why Not More? when we get to press play next month.

Today’s Rotation: Kelela, Amelia Moore, Troye Sivan, Jungle, Tove Lo

Happy New Year to anyone who clicked on this page looking for the next song to add to their rotation. This NYE I decided to stay home and avoid my usual city girl antics at the end of year to enjoy the company of good friends, a couple glasses of Issa Rae’s Prosecco and watching New Years Rockin’ Eve for the first time in years (Mainly for Tinashe’s closing performance of “Nasty” but shoutout to the big boss Ryan Seacrest). Since I wasn’t outside bar crawling and praying the next place would be better than the last (It never is) last night gave me a lot of time to reflect on some goals I want to achieve in the new year and to kick things off I’ve decided that I want to channel my inner Oprah if she was working class and lived in Brooklyn and recommend five daily songs to add to your rotation. Is that as enticing as a new car? Prob not but it’ll help me flex my writing muscles and more importantly give anyone who’s still reading me rattle off the dome, some different vibes to switch up their ‘On Repeat’ playlists. So let’s get started:

See Through Remix (Featuring Coco Jones, Absolutely. Samara Cyn) - Amelia Moore

Amelia Moore’s angelic voice always find a way back to my rotation and this past year I was one of many clamoring for “See Through”, a song that has Moore floating in dreaming production while utilizing her immaculate head voice. It’s beautiful when you can let yourself be vulnerable with your lover and this song encapsulates the feeling of being seen and accepted. The remix featuring Coco Jones, Absolutely and Samara Cyn adds so many layers to this dreamy, confessional record. Coco’s soulful voice fits perfectly on this sparkly remix as her powerful vocals adds more weight to every lyric she sings;  “You undressed my soul / I've never been this vulnerable.” Absolutely’s satisfying vocals ride the syncopated beat reminding me of the intentionally robotic vibe of Amelia’s EP teaching a robot to love. Samara closes the remix with some brash bars that makes me question why  Samara Cyn hasn’t been on my rotation? I need to get into her catalogue immediately. 

Honey - Mura Masa Remix - Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan dominated 2024 alongside Charli XCX as they toured around the world and soundtracked the girls, gays and theys BRAT year. Something To Give Each other lives on my rotation and is one of my favorite pop records of all time so when I finally listened to Mura Masa’s remix of Troye’s syrupy sweet “Honey”, I fell in love with Troye’s vulnerable house pop bop all over again. This remix is what I want to be moving my hips to on a warm summer night in Barcelona, specifically at the gay bar The Moon.  The popstar created this album in Barcelona and it sounds like how it feels to be in that magical city.

Back On 74 - Jungle

Jungle dropped an instant classic when “Back On 74” dropped in 2023 alongside a highly choreographed music video and the world hasn’t been the same ever since. Lydia Kitto’s  jazzy vocals are heavenly over the 70s inspired production and seeing them perform at Rockin Eve reminded me how infectious this song is.

Happy Ending - Kelela

Kelela’s Raven changed my life. The electronic driven dance album is a lover letter to origins of the genre. Black and queer artists pioneered the freeing, spiritual music that’s influenced numerous genres but we don’t always give those artists recognition. “Happy Ending” feels like being in the middle of a rave and expresses the frustration of a long distance relationship. “But we’re too far away / I’m reading all the writings on the wall / And if you don’t run away / Could be a happy ending after all.” I’ll forever love the complexity in dance music with the most bright production contrasting raw, painstaking lyrics and “Happy Ending” is the perfect example of the impact of true artistry.

Are U gonna tell her? (Feat. MC Zaac) - Tove Lo

People don’t praise Tove Lo enough for her ability to pen brilliant pop records and staying true to her lane in dance music. I was gagged the first time I heard this song off Sunshine Kitty her third album that’s cemented how influential Sweden and Swedish artists are when it comes to pop music. “Are U gonna tell her?” is a brooding, dark, sensual bop that has Tove blending electro pop with Brazillian funk. This song almost makes cheating acceptable.

Keep Your Music Mysterious

When Tyler, The Creator gave fans 12 days to prepare for the release of his eighth studio album CHROMAKOPIA; an unnamed male singer on the chorus quickly stirred up conversation on who was featured on “St. Chroma”, the first song teased with the announcement of this new era.

The victorious, Daniel Caesar assisted “St. Chroma” set the tone to a kaleidoscope of emotions, charged production and raw storytelling from an artist at the top of his game and as we got closer to the release date, Tyler maintained the secret of who else blessed CHROMAKOPIA with a visit.

A feature-less tracklist for CHROMAKOPIA was unveiled when the album dropped on October 28th and listeners got to experience an artist they’ve grown alongside share some intimate moments and harsh lessons he’s learned from his childhood days in Hawthorne, California to the reality of a global star still trying to figure shit out in his 30s.

Daniel Caesar, Teezo Touchdown, Glorilla and Lil Wayne’s appearance on the album were quickly recognized and highlighted on social media but it took some listeners days before they pinpointed Solange’s background vocals on “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” or Donald Glover’s unmistakable ad-libs on the bridge of “Judge Judy”.

Being genuinely surprised to hear my fave Doechii demolish her spot on “Ballon” reminds me of the first time I heard Beyoncé’s heavenly vocals on Frank Ocean’s “Pink and White” or Kendrick’s haunting interlude for Drake’s “Buried Alive”.

Discovering a hidden feature on an album feels like being a kid and finding a $5 bill in a plastic pink egg on easter. In the age of streaming, the process of crate digging and trying to find the name of a new song playing on the radio has been traded in for shazaming songs at the bar and waiting six months for that random 15 seconds of a song that went viral on tiktok to drop but I appreciate Tyler for keeping the thrill in experiencing a body of work alive.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8LU3tNC/

Bree Runway Struts On "2BADGYALZ"

A new era is upon us for the U.K. baddie Bree Runway as she drops new music officially as an independent artist. “2BADGYALZ” is the latest release and over booming distorted bass, Bree’s sexy voice is riding the dirty beat with ease setting the scene of a night cruising with her fellow bad bitch bestie. Sonically “2BADGYALZ” sits nicely with Runway’s last single “PAWZ” and it seems like we’re getting a darker sound in this new era incorpating, hip hop, dance and even industrial production to bring us into Bree Runway’s current sonic world. You know Bree is always gonna deliver with the visuals as well and “2BADGYALZ” does not disappoint.

My only critique is this strut-ready EASYFUN + Raf Riley produced cut should’ve dropped before London and Paris fashion week because it’s begging to be played at full volume on a catwalk. I love when Bree experiments with filthy, electro-tinged production with a knock so hopefully we hear more EASYFUN (“Springbreakers” - Charli XCX) and Raf (“Gucci” - Bree) on this next project.

Rev your engines and prepare to dance with this new Runway bop to add to your rotation.

Spotify: LISTEN

Apple Music: LISTEN

TINASHE ON BRAT DELUXE

CHARLI XCX + TINASHE HAVE HANDS DOWN DOMINATED 2024 WITH THEIR HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS, VIRAL HITS AND REFRESHING ERA ROLLOUTS SO IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE FOR THE TWO IT GIRLS TO REUNITE AND TRULY GIVE THE GIRLS, GAYS AND POP STANS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT.

YESTERDAY AROUND THE U.S. FANS CAPTURED THE ICONIC NEON GREEN BILLBOARD WITH TINASHE’S NAME WRITTEN BACKWARDS CONFIRMING HER INVITATION TO THE EXCLUSIVE “BRAT AND IT’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUT ALSO BRAT” RAGER.  TINASHE JOINS LORDE, ROBYN, TROYVE SIVAN, BILLIE EILLISH, BON IVER AND SHYGIRL WITH 9 MORE FEATURES THAT HAVE YET TO BE RELEASED.

THE QUANTUM BABY SONGSTRESS IS SO VERSATILE AND I CAN HEAR HER VOICE ON A COUPLE OF THE BRAT RECORDS BUT I PREDICT SHE’S GOING TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE ON “CLUB CLASSICS” OR “EVERYTHING IS ROMANTIC”. A HIGH ENERGY COLLABORATION BETWEEN THEM WOULD BE EVERYTHING BUT I’D ALSO BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THEY WOULD FLIP THE PRODUCTION AND MOOD ON ONE OF THE SLOWER CUTS.

WHICH SONG DO YOU THINK TINASHE WILL FEATURE ON AND ARE YOU READY FOR BRAT AUTUMN WHICH STARTS ON OCT. 11 WHEN THE DELUXE PROJECT DROPS?

The Mixed Reviews Of Meg Thee Stallion’s “BOA”

Is “BOA” overrated or am i just a hottie? Megan Thee Stallion remains the topic of conversation as fans and critics judge her every move and release and it has me wondering why people won’t let my girl have fun??? 

For the hip hop fans looking for potent bars meg gave us a warning shot with “cobra” late last year ushering us into a new era and at the top of 2024 emptied the clip with “hiss” but i’m seeing a lot of negative discourse on her most recent single “BOA”. 

The Gwen Stefani sampled kiss off is signature, unbothered meg flexing on a high octane, Liljumadedabeat beat and it personally hasn’t left my rotation since it came out last week. between “BOA” and the Glorilla collab “Wanna Be” Meg is giving the girls and gays songs to utilize their Megan knees to. iIlove hearing the H-Town hottie talk her shit and the chaotic video game inspired music video definitely matches the energy of the song but only time will tell if meg will dominate this hot girl summer. 

Are you tuned into to “BOA” and “Wanna Be”? let’s discuss these latest releases in the comments! 

Tinashe Sets The Tone For Summer With “Nasty”

Tinashe winning on the charts and being a positive topic in public discourse is so satisfying to witness because she’s been consistently feeding us refreshing, genre bending, eclectic bodies of work for YEARS and she’s not taking her foot off the gas anytime soon. The GP is awake and ready to match Nashe’s FREAK with the viral success of her latest single “Nasty” aka my song of the summer.

From first listen, the song‘s undeniable. If Tinashe’s pitched vocals repeating “I’ve been a nasty girl” on the hook doesn’t get engrained into your temporal lobe , the bouncy West Coast beat will have you practicing your best whine in the mirror.

@alwaysonrotation it’s a n@sty summer 🌞 #tinashe #alwaysonrotation #musicrecommendation ♬ Nasty - Tinashe

It’s been five years since Tinashe went independent and with each release listeners get to see Tinashe evolve on her own terms. Achieving virality on tiktok has sterilized a lot of artists creativity but when that moment comes naturally it’s dope to see an artist join in on the fun and capitalize off their art. Tinashe’s talent and versatility gives her the free range to give us rhythmic bops like “Nasty”, “Bouncin” and “Throw A Fit” and in the same breath switch it up with alternative, moody cuts like “Gravity”, “Life’s Too Short” and “Small Reminders”.

It’s so gratifying to see Tinashe body her Coachella performance to a packed crowed and  drop a gorgeous, choreography filled visual for “Nasty” bringing us into the world of the second installment of the BB/ANG3L universe garnering over 2 million views in a month. I hope Tinashe’s peers, specifically the pop girlies see her momentum as motivation to create the music they want to be remembered by. When labels, contracts and expectations get involved, artists sometimes lose the spark that make them unique. Fans become number obsessed, Billboard addicts and no one has fun.

So let’s all enjoy this well deserved moment to twerk and feel free while we prepare for everything else in store for BB/ANG3L PT. 2 - QUANTUM BABY

Jae Stephen's "WET" Is Nostalgic Pop Gold

As Troye Sivan’s character on the controversial, limited series The Idol non chantly questioned “when was the last truly nast, nasty, bad pop girl?” Jae Stephens is stepping up to the ring with her latest single “WET”, a sexy but sweet mid-tempo vibe. Jae’s vocals smoothly glide on the early 2000s, Neptunes sounding cut as she enters a single era where the reposado is flowing and the dancefloors are packed.

Wet t-shirt contest, I win

Went through hell, and back again

Ended up in SoHo, and now I don’t know where my wallet is

But I don’t give a fuck ‘cause he’s sticking to me

It’s like we sharing skin

Getting hot in here, and I’m finna take it all off like, Nelly did

“WET” brings me back to a time when artists we’re giving us shit that we wanted to move to. People tend to be more timid on the dancefloor these days but I appreciate Jae Stephens giving us a carefree bop that will hopefully remind the girls that life’s too short to not be living your Nelly Furtado 2006 Loose fantasies. Side note quick queue suggestion with “Wet” starting the vibe:

1. Wet - Jae Stephens

2. Strip - Brooke Hogan (HEAR ME OUT if you don’t know the pop greatness of this record)

3. Get Naked (I Got A Plan) - Britney Spears

4. Touch - Omarion

5. King Of Hearts - Cassie

Thank me later m,xoxo

Do You Want To Play A Game? Megan Thee Stallion Drops "BOA" Off New Album

Megan Thee Stallion continues to flourish as an independent artist and I find myself picking up my jaw off the floor whenever she drops something in this venomously triumphant era. “BOA” is Thee Stallion’s latest single and it instantly got added to my heavy rotation from the first play. This song is pure fun as Meg collects her opps and haters with her undeniable cadence and word play. Longtime collaborator/producer LilJuMadeDaBeat gives Meg an eargasmic, heavy hitting sonic playground to flex her audacious bars and the chaotic blend of rap and dance pop makes me nostalgic for the SUGA era when the duo were racking up plaques while everyone was quarantined making dances on tiktok.

As the hottie raps “These bitches only hot on Tiktok,” on the interpolated Gwen Stefani hook (“What You Waiting For?” which remains a masterpiece that the new pop girls should’ve been had on their moodboards) I physically have to restrain from screeching MOTHER from the top of my lungs because Megan’s stylistic choices and references are always on point. Meg’s love for anime, horror and gaming can be seen in her insane music video for “BOA” and like the previous visuals from this era (“HISS”, “Cobra”) the Houston superstar is sparing no expense to make sure her vision is executed perfectly.

I caught the Stay Alive reference at the start of the video as we’re introduced to three Hottieville, USA residents playing The Curse Of The Serpent Woman. As the plot plays out, these gamers are at risk of losing their lives if they lose and it’s highly entertaining watching Meg KO these stoned souls in rounds of Mortal Kombat, Snake and Street Fighter. I can’t forget to mention the reference to One Piece in the title of “BOA” and Megan getting into character as “Pirate Empress” Boa Hancock, aka the “Snake Princess” the alluring captain of the Kuja Pirates. The Hotties are being fed well with “HISS” still garnering fanfare and a summer tour, I love to see Megan thriving and “BOA” feels like a warm up to a strong third album.

KAYTRANADA Drops Two New Era Singles “Lover/Friend” + “Stuntin”

“Stuntin” is a sauntering, runway vibe that should be spinning at Public Record, Cafe Erzulie or wherever aesthetically pleasing bar you sip your espresso martinis at

KAYTRANADA has been blessing us with undeniable vibes all year from the sun soaked collaborative project KAYTRAMINÉ with Aminé, producing AMAKA’s transformative, afro-futuristic debut EP OASIS and offering up some hard hitting house beats for some of my favorite women in music whose careers are thriving shoutout Mariah The Scientist, Victoria Monet, and Maeta. Before the year ends the Montreal musical genius is leaving us with some new music to hold us over as we wait for his highly anticipated third album.

While the details of KAYTRANADA’s third album are still under wraps (other than it being finito), the two latest singles “Lover/Friend” and “Stuntin” give us a little taste of what’s to come.  “Lover/Friend” features Rochelle Jordan a soulful songstress whose voice compliments KAYTRANADA’s signature sound incorporating early 2000s R&B, funk and house music. Over a slinky, downtempo beat, Rochelle leaves us with a chorus that’ll be stuck in your head after a couple plays, “Hеard you wanna be my lover / Wanna be morе than friends / Heard you wanna be my lover / And you can't pretend.” “Lover/Friend” doesn’t stray far from the low key, genre bending nostalgia of KAYTRANADA’s second studio album BUBBA that dropped in 2019. 

“Stuntin” is a sauntering, runway vibe that should be spinning at Public Record, Cafe Erzulie or wherever aesthetically pleasing bar you sip your espresso martinis at. Channel Tres voice is always intoxicating and this record is no different. He adds the perfect touch to the bouncy cut. Both “Stuntin” and “Lover/Friend” have me missing the summer nights and sexy moments that these songs like exude. Let’s pray KAYTRANADA is cooking up another album of the summer. 

Stream Both Singles Below:

“Lover/Friend” EP:

Spotify: HERE

Apple Music: HERE