Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe. All my Songs of the Week are featured on my Top of the Poptastic playlist, along with the rest of my faves from the year so far.
I love the friendship between Ariana and Nicki and it’s produced some of my favourite songs of theirs – Bang Bang, Side to Side and now The Light is Coming. Like No Tears Left To Cry, the new collaboration takes a few listens to get used to (especially the strange sample that runs throughout), but it grew on me quickly. I find Pharrell’s production generally overrated, so I was surprised to discover this was his work. So far I’ve been really impressed with the new Ari era, as it feels fresh and innovative while still clearly commercial. She is proving it’s possible to be experimental without eschewing melody and songwriting skill. Maybe 2018 is the year I will finally listen to an Ariana album in full!