Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
Last week, we featured Miley, Carly Rae Jepsen, Riley Green and more.
This week, Taylor Swift returns with “Patient Zero,” one of four new bonus tracks from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, out today; Tinashe releases her edgy and energetic eighth album; and Maren and Morris and Michelle Branch rework a 2001 classic with “Goodbye To You”… plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”
We knew something was coming ever since Taylor appeared in an Emmys sketch alongside host and friend Mariska Hargitay, during which Swift dropped a few easter eggs (that some of us are still decoding). Still, it came as a surprise when, this week, she announced a new single titled “Patient Zero,” one of four bonus tracks on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, out tonight. The song opens with country-inspired strings that quickly fade into the back of more expected pop production; the tempo, however, is less familiar for the Showgirl era. As a result, the midtempo song seems to connect where Swift has just been with where she’s heading next (possibly toward country?) in a really refreshing way. Because after an encore the show really, truly, is done. Right? — LYNDSEY HAVENS
Tinashe, Popstar
Just two years ago, Tinashe released Quantum Baby — and shifted her career. That album’s lead single, “Nasty,” earned the singer her first solo Hot 100 hit and soon after, album track “No Broke Boys” shot to No. 36 thanks to a Disco Lines remix. Now, she’s back with her poppiest album yet, aptly titled Popstar. And on standout track “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore,” she doubles down on the same point Miley makes on “Bass Persuades” — get on your feet, already, and dance. As Kyle Denis writes in Billboard‘s Tracks Ranked of the album, “Popstar is sneakily sarcastic and gloriously sassy, but Tinashe, unlike quite a few of her contemporaries, can actually commit — and back it up.” Read the full tracks ranked here. — L.H.
Madonna and Charli xcx, “Danceteria Afterhours“
In perhaps one of the most obvious and clubbiest pairings in recent memory, Madonna taps Charli xcx to help deliver a fresh take on “Danceteria,” a track from Madonna’s July album Confessions II. On the original, Madonna sings of the famed New York club where she got her start, Danceteria; on this version, Charli shares her own starter story from a club across the pond, recalling being “sweet 15 in a weird outfit.” Clearly, things worked out just fine for them both. — L.H.
Maren Morris and Michelle Branch, “Goodbye to You (2026 Version)”
Nearly 25 years after Michelle Branch released her breakout ballad “Goodbye To You” — which she famously performed on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and hit No. 21 on the Hot 100 — the singer has tapped Maren Morris for a modern-day revamp. Given the country singer’s presence, the music leans into the genre with softer, twangier strings that lift the effortless harmonies from the two singers. Who knew this classic could hit even harder? — L.H.
Blondshell, Violins
Indie rocker Blondshell shares her third album, Violins, and with it delivers a new trove of angsty, relatable songs all performed in her signature, mellow tone. While previously-released single “Heart Has To Work So Hard” remains a standout, focus track “Stone Fruit” packs a rocking instrumental bridge while “Two Fried” is the most upbeat song on the album (even opening with an Addison Rae-esque scream). In all, Violins is a welcome addition to Blondshell’s discography, building on her familiar sound while digging deeper into her already precise and poignant songwriting. — L.H.
Kenny Chesney, Silver Sands Marina
On his 21st studio album, a concise collection of 11 songs, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee continues placing a premium on top-shelf songwriting that balances lyrical wit and emotional resonance. He welcomes Lily Meola on the quirky heartbreaker “Goldfish,” Megan Moroney on the heartfelt “It Just Got Weird,” and Colbie Caillat on “What We Got Going On.” One of the album’s strongest tracks comes with “Remember Me That Way,” a song that looks back on a fizzled relationship through the softer lens of some of its happier days. Linking each of the songs is Chesney’s warm, conversational vocal approach that makes each song feel even more lived-in and credible. — JESSICA NICHOLSON
Kirk Franklin ft. GloRilla, “This Time”
Twenty-time Grammy-winning gospel icon Kirk Franklin is back with the latest taste of his forthcoming I Am What I Am album — and he’s bringing GloRilla along for the ride. Over a sample of Shawty Lo’s classic “Dey Know,” ebullient brass and his signature choir, Kirk delivers an anthem of inner peace and contentment with God’s timing. Building on 2024’s “Rain Down On Me,” her first collaboration with Franklin, GloRilla flaunts her versatility and exalts her church roots in her winning guest verse. — KYLE DENIS
Leon Bridges, Happiness Anytime
Grammy-winning soul crooner Leon Bridges has returned with Happiness Anytime, the official follow-up to 2024’s Leon. Assisted by Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto on production, Bridges has delivered a groovy collection of tunes that traverse the globe, from notes of cumbia (“Light the Way”) to reggae (“Take My Hand”). — K.D.
Jae Stephens, Audacity
Jae Stephens is back with a whole lotta Audacity. The rising, Issa Rae-cosigned pop star dropped her sophomore album, featuring contributions from long-time collaborator and producer Dallas Caton, Grammy-nominated pop architect MNEK and dance-pop maestro Pinkpantheress, who delivers backing vocals on “Crush.” From the soaring “I Miss the City” to the sassy “Expensive & Difficult,” Audacity is an audacious pop offering that blends a Coyote Ugly-esque fantasy land with the best parts of ‘00s rhythmic pop. — K.D.
Nanpa Básico, “No Me Morí”
Nanpa Básico is well and alive, and his new single “No Me Morí” (I didn’t die) is proof of that. If his previous bangers, such as “Hasta Aquí Llegué” with Beéle, are any indication, the Colombian rapper knows exactly how to overcome a heartbreak: through his powerful and mature lyrics. In “No Me Morí,” a sensual Latin afrobeats with slow reggaetón undertones, Nanpa gives fans a nearly three-minute therapy session, singing with his raspy and demanding vocals: “y mirame aquí, yo no me morí, estoy bien sin tí/ claro que lloré, pero me curé/ la vida es así” (And look at me here—I didn’t die, I’m fine without you/ Sure, I cried, but I healed; that’s how life is). — JESSICA ROIZ
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