Troye Sivan - My My My!
Here's a queer artist fully embracing his identity. The stylish black and white video for My My My! is an absolute celebration of sexuality, a sweaty, sexy nod to cruising with Sivan dancing with gay abandon (literally). Beyond that, it's just a damn good pop song, the sort of song you listen to once and its power is immediately infectious. Dance beats, a simple hook and a middle eight that skips a beat - it's refined, sexy, classic pop.
Dua Lipa - IDGAF
Fine, technically this isn't in NMF, but the video's only just been released and it's as meme-worthy as its predecessor. IDGAF passed me by on Dua's album, though it was a key part of the set at her Brixton show last year. It's also a worthy follow up to New Rules and while the video doesn't have a flamingo, its colourful dance battle is stunning.
Jorja Smith - Let Me Down
Smith has just been named as the BRITs Critics' Choice for 2018 and having Stormzy join her on this track is sure to add to her fame. Her vocal here is crushing as she sings "I've got you to let me down" in the chorus, Stormzy replying in the verse "Don't go wasting your love on me / When I see tears run, I'm likely to run". There's a hint of Adele's Hometown Glory in the lilting piano too - Smith is following in her footsteps.
Nina Nesbitt - Somebody Special
Since leaving Island Records, Nesbitt has released a string of interesting pop tracks far removed from her folky beginnings. Somebody Special is the latest, its verses building towards a hushed finger-clicking chorus. "You're making me believe that I'm somebody special," she sings. This song certainly is.
Marshmello & Lil Peep - Spotlight
Spotlight is all about a devastating breakup. "Sex with you is like I'm dreaming," goes the pre-chorus, "Now you're gone I can't believe it". But since the recent death of Lil Peep, the post-emo rapper, the song has been released by producer Marshmello posthumously and its lyrics take on new haunted meaning. Nu-metal meets trap, it's a sad indication of what might have been.
Emily Burns - Bitch
Burns has been recording in Abbey Road Studios of all places since working there as a receptionist and has since been snapped up by indie label 37 Adventures. Bitch is a spiky, biting critique of a past friendship: "I've heard from everyone else that you're so much better without me...but you don't have to be a bitch about it". With rhythmic production from biLLLy, this is a talent to keep an eye on.
Hailee Steinfeld x BloodPop - Capital Letters
You'd expect a collaboration between these artists to be something special. Then you realise it's on the Fifty Shades soundtrack and that explains why it's so insipid.
Hayley Kiyoko - Curious
Kiyoko is best known for playing Velma in the Scooby Doo films, but she's a rising star in the music world with a debut album on its way in March. Curious is a flirtatious bop with heavy beats and a coy vocal and fits neatly in the contemporary pop box. Like Sivan, she's embracing her queer identity but the video might take the title a little too literally.
