Coming back to bite, Rita Ora unleashes “You Only Love Me”. What better way to announce an engagement than a cameo-filled, fever dream of a wedding? The track shines, with the pop bridge crescendoing into euphoric bliss; lyrics like “You only love me when the night is over/The night is over” are searingly intimate. The accompanying visuals were lensed by Charlie Sarsfield, and the music video brings the track to life. Vibrant, and light-hearted – viewers are a fly-on-the-wall to Ora’s wedding day, which through a series of unfortunate events, comes apart at the seams. With a flurry of celebrity cameos from the likes of Addison Rae, Kristen Stewart, and Lindsay Lohan to boot – Rita’s back, baby.

Ahead of Kali Uchis’ upcoming album Red Moon in Venus, the starlet bestows us with “I Wish You Roses”. Leaning into her R&B bag, Uchis unfurls a lost love over a shimmering beat. Taking to TikTok to explain how the track came to be, she reflects: “This song is about being able to release people with love. It could be a friend, a lover, or someone else, but the point is to celebrate releasing people from your life without being resentful or bitter.” Dazzling us with ultimate soft girl energy, the track is elevated by the spellbinding visuals. Uchis lounges around the inside of a rose, dressed up in ethereal outfits, and covered in flora-like gradient body paint. “With pretty flowers can come the bee sting”, Uchis purrs – although with her, we don’t mind getting stung.

Joining forces yet again, Cordae and Anderson .Paak enlist J. Cole to craft up some magic. “Two Tens” is a feat of collaboration. The chill beat, piano sample, and sonic embellishments envelop the listener into the child support-paying alternative universe the artists have dreamed up for themselves. Grappling with making bands, and the woes that come with it – “Two Tens” is a tongue-in-cheek offering that has all the heads bumping.

The Chinese-Scottish artist and producer extraordinaire LVRA enters 2023 ablaze with her new track “anxiety”. If the likes of Eartheater and Grimes are your kinda thing, then you’ll be among the many that slurp up what LVRA has to offer. In “anxiety”, an industrial beat booms, as the artist’s angelic voice floats over top. Sonic embellishments sparkle and shimmer from ear to ear, as synths lead the way. LVRA reflects on the track, noting: “I’ve lived my life as an overthinker, my mental balance completely tipped over by even the most minuscule of events. Often I’m trying to turn negative emotions into a source of strength and I feel like Anxiety was borne out of my desire to live and accept this part of me.” Accompanied by a spellbinding music video lensed by Oscar McNab – this release is the definition of stellar.

Across the pond, Betty Who put a dance-pop spin on Kate Bush’s instant classic “Running Up That Hill”. Turning the searing original into a body-moving banger, Who is riding the wave of the “Running Up That Hill” renaissance that Stranger Things brought on. A final gift to fans for an unbelievable year, Who finished 2022 in a blaze – wrapping up an album release and a live television performance on ABC. Set to take Australia, Europe, and North America by storm this year – Betty Who isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Meanwhile, over in Brighton, rapper ArrDe shows us how it’s done with raring new single “Loser”. Driving the tune with his domineering flow, ArrDe’s tongue-in-cheek wordplay is grounded by a rock-hard bassline, paired with a cacophonous brass section. Harking back to the rapper’s sonic roots, ArrDe is lighthearted with it. Bars like “little b-tech Aitch, at least Aitch is tall” show that despite peaking at #2 in the charts, and garnering over 500 million streams, he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

French-Algerian R&B artist Sabrina Bellaouel unfurls new single “Eclipse” – an ode to the stars. Traversing a layered, futuristic, House-inspired beat, a lust for life is infused into the track. With a heady club feel to “Eclipse”, Bellaouel draws from her community in the dance scene. This won’t be the only club-tinged banger we’ll be bestowed with, as two remixes are said to be on the way. As the second single plucked from the artist’s forthcoming album, if these are anything to go by – we’ll be expecting a triumph.

With their finger on the pulse of the UK music scene, piri & tommy have been riding the wave of the Dance renaissance, offering up addictive, nostalgic hits. Adding the legendary producer MJ Cole into the mix, the trio made magic in the form of the track “Feel It”. piri’s angelic voice lays over top of a 2 step Garage beat, as tommy adds textural tinges with guitar. “Feel It” is a sentimental one, as it marks piri & tommy’s last hurrah as a couple, and as a duo. What better way to send them off, than with this absolute meeting of minds?

Maisie Peters has had a whirlwind of a year. Blazing throughout the globe on tour, Peters flitted from venue to venue to impart her gift at sellout headline shows. With a BRIT Breakthrough award already notched onto Peters’ belt – she brings the heat yet again with “Body Better”. Evoking ‘80s synths pop, the production shines and glimmers. Peters’ silk-like voice croons along, as the track builds into a crescendo. With ultra-relatable lyrics to do with body image and self-esteem, we always tip our hats to artists who keep it real.

KSI makes another foray into the music game with the pop-tinged track “Voices”. Painting a picture of a disintegrating relationship, KSI laments ‘the one that got away’, while recounting where it all went wrong. The percussion punches through the building synths, and Oliver Tree’s feature really brings the track over the edge. His lilting vocals are introduced, and pain emanates from the track. Reflecting, Tree imparts: “The song is about the hurt we experience in the aftermath of a breakup. Lying to ourselves as we try to replace the void with a fling or waking up in your cold empty bed.” KSI adds: “Voices is a song I worked on during my weird phase mentally. After my breakup, I thought I was fine, but I had these voices in my head telling me I wasn’t as happy as I thought I was.”