9 Songs We’re Talking About This Week

If Bad Bunny’s captivating Super Bowl performance was your introduction to Latin pop, then get ready for a vibrant musical journey! The world of Latin music offers a rich tapestry of sounds, and with online lyrics and translation tools readily available, language is no barrier to discovery. This week, we’re highlighting exciting new tracks from both established legends and emerging talents in Latin pop, alongside fresh releases from English-speaking artists. Here are some of the most notable new songs that have caught our ear.

(Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.)

What’s New

Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso featuring Sting, ‘Hasta Jesus Tuvo un Mal Dia’

In a surprising turn, music icon Sting lends his voice to a new track by the Argentine pop duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, known for their Grammy-winning 2025 EP, ‘Papota.’ While the duo often sprinkles humor into their work, this song, ‘Hasta Jesus Tuvo un Mal Dia,’ delivers a genuinely uplifting message. Sting himself translates the core sentiment, reminding listeners, ‘Even Jesus had his bad days. Don’t give up yet.’ This track, the lead single from their upcoming album ‘Free Spirits’ (due March 19), perfectly blends the duo’s style with a classic Police-esque backbeat and guitar, making Sting sound completely at home.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

Baby Rose featuring Leon Thomas, ‘Friends Again’

The poignant questions, ‘Will it ever be the same? Why did we have to complicate it?’ echo throughout ‘Friends Again,’ a captivating neo-soul duet. This slow-burning track beautifully captures a mix of regrets and persistent longing. Baby Rose’s deeply emotive vocals are met with intricate, soaring melodies from Leon Thomas, as both artists delve into the aftermath of a transformative encounter.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

Jorge Drexler, ‘Toco Madera’

Experience the vibrant, African-rooted rhythms of Uruguayan candombe in Jorge Drexler’s ‘Toco Madera’ (‘I Knock on Wood’). This track is the first single from his latest album, ‘Taracá,’ recorded in his homeland after years spent working abroad. Drexler, a celebrated artist with 16 Latin Grammys and an Academy Award to his name, is renowned for his poetic, layered lyrics and innovative arrangements. In ‘Toco Madera,’ he paints a vivid picture: watching a loved one’s GPS dot move away, he knocks on wood for their return. This gesture cleverly ties into candombe tradition, where ‘touching wood’ also refers to tapping the foundational clave rhythm on a drum — a beat that pulses throughout the song.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

Ratboys, ‘Late Night Mountains All That’

Julia Steiner’s raw frustration is palpable in ‘Late Night Mountains All That,’ a standout track from Ratboys’ new album, ‘Singin’ to an Empty Chair,’ as she repeats, ‘You didn’t care, you didn’t care.’ What begins as a gentle, folky tune quickly escalates. Steiner recounts profound, almost mystical observations she longed to share — ‘how the lightning strikes when the sun explodes’ — before the song erupts into a furious cacophony of feedback and distortion, transforming her inner turmoil into powerful sound.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

James Blake, ‘I Had a Dream She Took My Hand’

James Blake crafts a mesmerizing, out-of-time experience with ‘I Had a Dream She Took My Hand.’ Building on a sample from Thee Sinseers’ ‘It Was Only a Dream,’ Blake blends his signature synthesizers, delicate falsetto, and profound melancholy into a surreal, tragically romantic anthem set in a dreamlike, distorted 1950s. Against a backdrop of classic chord progressions played in slow, unfolding arpeggios, he paints haunting images of lovers walking ‘hand in hand with the Titanic band / playing them out miles from land,’ culminating in a deeply philosophical question: ‘I just wanna know what it means.’

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

Momoko Gill, ‘No Others’

‘No Others’ is a standout track from ‘Momoko,’ the compelling debut solo album by Momoko Gill. This talented artist, known for her work as a songwriter, singer, drummer, and producer with British innovators like Matthew Herbert and Alabaster DePlume, delivers a complex, jazzy piece built on a distinctive six-beat rhythm. Gill’s calm, curious vocals float over a steady, loping bass line, punctuated by subtle piano and guitar fragments, as she explores enigmatic questions like, ‘Take me down and let me come alive until I fall / I wonder when it ends, how does it feel?’

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

What’s New in Instrumental Music

Tigran Hamayasan, ‘Manifeste’

Armenian keyboard virtuoso Tigran Hamayan masterfully blurs the lines between jazz, progressive rock, and ambient soundscapes on his album ‘Manifeste.’ The title track itself is a journey – intricate, structured, powerful, and deeply improvisational, showcasing Hamayan’s lightning-fast dexterity across acoustic and electric keyboards. While the piece features a full band and choir navigating complex, ever-shifting meters, it’s Hamayan and his drummer who consistently drive the music forward with fearless innovation.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

What’s Big on the Hot 100

Noah Kahan, ‘The Great Divide’

Noah Kahan’s latest single, ‘The Great Divide,’ is making waves, soaring to No. 6 on the pop charts after a prominent full-length ad during the Grammy Awards. This folk-rock anthem, the title track from his upcoming album (releasing April 24), delves into the poignant reflection on a past friendship. Kahan sings about a friend from their wild youth, whose struggles he couldn’t grasp at the time. Now, with newfound understanding, he voices his regret: ‘how bad it must have been for you back then / And how hard it was to keep it all inside.’ The track’s powerful guitar work amplifies his heartfelt lament.

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

What’s Big in … Brazil and Portugal

DJ Japa NK, MC Ryan SP, MC Jacaré e MC Meno K and DJ Davi DogDog, ‘Posso Até Não Te Da Flores’

Dominating the charts in both Brazil and Portugal is ‘Posso Até Não Te Dar Flores’ (‘I May Not Give You Flowers’), a vibrant collaboration featuring three dynamic rappers and two skilled producers. Brazilian rap often embraces strong melodies, and this track is a perfect example: a playful competition of boasts and flirtations, where each artist aims to deliver the most captivating vocal lines over a mesmerizing, harplike instrumental loop. Notably, MC Ryan SP integrates a clever nod to pop culture, weaving Portuguese lyrics into the chorus reminiscent of the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I Gotta Feeling.’

▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube