What will you be listening to this sizzling summer weekend?

With things still hot across the country, we’ll be indulging in some cool new tunes as well as spicy releases from today’s best artists, from rising stars such as Safiyah Hernandez and Abby Sage to the biggest stars in the world, like BTS and Snoop Dogg. Just keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of Aug. 5, 2022.

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1. Safiyah Hernandez Clears Her Restless Mind With ‘Skateboard’

15-year-old singer-songwriter Safiyah Hernandez is newer to the scene, but already proving herself as a powerful artist, and her cool, rock-tinged single “Skateboard” is the perfect introduction for new fans. It’s a song about all of the madness going on in the world, and the things we can do to escape them. “I wrote ‘Skateboard’ with my producer Stari during a difficult period of time,” Safiyah shared in a press release. “I was skating a lot, and music was a way to clear my head. I was going on drives with my dad and he was playing all his favorite ’80s hip-hop albums. It was East Coast stuff, like A Tribe Called Quest and KRS-One. I felt a release of all this negative energy whenever I heard this music or skated and that’s what influenced the creation of this song.”

Also read about: Sam Short Dishes on the Powerful Inspiration Behind Viral Debut Single, ‘Already Mine’

2. Abby Sage Shares the Title Track Off of Upcoming EP The Florist

With her smooth, dreamy sound and creative approach to lyricism, Abby Sage is definitely one to watch in 2022, and we can’t wait for the release of her sophomore EP, The Florist, out Oct. 21. This week, she dropped the EP’s gorgeous title track, and it’s sure to have you hooked. “I’m someone who’s so protective of their friends,” Abby shared in a press release. “When something is broken, I want to fix it. And a florist is someone who, through their actions, makes a room prettier—because flowers always manage to do that.”

3. Erika Sirola Drops Debut EP, Who?

If you hear Erika Sirola’s name and ask, “Who?,” it’s time to change that—and her brand new debut EP, Who? is just the place to start. “It’s been a long time coming for my first full body of work to finally come out,” Erika explained in a press release. “I chose these four songs because they each represent a different part of my life in the past—they don’t represent who I am right now. As a result, Who? tells the backstory in the form of lyrical, audio and visual content, to further understand the ‘who’ I am now. Like many books, you get to know the history of the character first before you dive into the now, it lets you understand the process in a different light, and perhaps allows you to dive into the many layers just a little bit better.” The collection of four tracks poetically addresses Erika’s regrets and aspirations while paving the way for what’s next, and all of that is perfectly encapsulated in the lead track, “A Little More.”

4. Victoria Anthony Addresses the Overwhelming Feeling of Being a Teenager in ‘Stupid Kid’

16-year-old singer-songwriter Victoria Anthony is one of our favorite rising artists making music today, and the followup to her iconic crush anthem “Kinda Into You,” “Stupid Kid,” shows off a whole new side of her talents as she tackles the struggles of being a teenager. “‘Stupid Kid’ is about the pressing need for control when dealing with intense emotions at a young age,” Victoria explained in an interview with Sweety High. “The song was inspired by a moment where I was ‘crying in the car ride home’ from a music video shoot. In my personal life, I was not doing well, but my schedule was jam-packed with music stuff. My mom was driving me home from this amazing shoot day and I was sobbing. It was a mix of emotions. I was coming down from the ‘high’ of performing all day. I remember being so grateful for my family and support system, because otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to survive the inevitable ‘lows’ which come after such stimulating days like these. The lyric ‘I get why people get high’ popped into my head.”

Also read about: How Victoria Anthony Channeled the Intense Emotions of Her Youth Into New Single ‘Stupid Kid’

5. Brynn Cartelli Spills Her Favorite Secret in ‘Girl Code’

The Voice alum Brynn Cartelli has always wowed us with her creative, narrative-driven approach to songwriting, and her newest single, “Girl Code,” paints a vivid story like we’ve never quite seen before. It’s a song about falling in love with her best friend’s guy, and the confusing feelings that ensue as she tries her hardest not to break “girl code”—though, by the song’s end, it takes an interesting turn. “I can’t help but write revealing songs about my life,” Brynn said in a press release. “‘Girl Code’ is a spilled secret about one of my favorite nights in New York City so far.”

Also read about: Brynn Cartelli Breaks Down Every Track Off Her New Based on a True Story EP

6. Maisie Peters Finally Learns to See Herself ‘Blonde’

Maisie Peters has one of the most immediately recognizable and infectious voices in the industry today, and her new song “Blonde” uses going blonde as a bold metaphor for learning to believe in yourself and just how strong you really are. “‘Blonde’ is a song about confidence, self-worth and standing behind yourself.” Maisie explained in a press release. “And although dyeing your hair isn’t necessarily the grandest thing anyone has ever done, it represents turning a new leaf in how you see yourself, for the better. Plus, it’s true, blondes do have more fun.”

Also read about: Maisie Peters Reveals How Her Powerfully Relatable JP Saxe Collab ‘Maybe Don’t’ Came to Be

7. Lauv Shares Sophomore Album, All 4 Nothing

Lauv fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a new album from the artist since his 2020 debut How I’m Feeling, and we think the new All 4 Nothing is going to live up to all their expectations. It consists of 13 introspective tracks about his recent experiences working through anxieties and feeling at odds with the world, and learning to regain his love for himself. All 4 Nothing is a journey from beginning to end, concluding with the sensitive and heart-wrenching “First Grade,” with our favorite message on the album.

8. WILLOW Teases Her Upcoming Album With ‘hover like a GODDESS’

If you need proof that WILLOW is one of the most instrumental young voices in pop-punk today, look no further than her ska-tinged new single, “hover like a GODDESS.” We love the way WILLOW channels her emotions in this song about the pain of being infatuated with someone and being with them, but knowing they’re not really yours. Her ground-breaking musical style never fails to surprise and impress us—and this is just a taste of her upcoming album, COPINGMECHANISM, which drops Sep. 23.

9. John Legend Drops His Latest Epic Collab, ‘All She Wanna Do’ featuring Saweetie

September is already gearing up to be a huge month for music, and John Legend just announced his self-titled eighth studio album LEGEND, out Sep. 9. This album is going to be massive, featuring two acts with 24 tracks total and featuring collabs with Rick Ross, JID, Free Nationals, Jhene Aiuko, Ty Dolla $ign, Amber Mark, Jazmine Sullivan, Muni Long, Jada Kingdom, Rapsody and Ledisi. Of course, there’s also his swoon-worthy new single “All She Wanna Do” featuring Saweetie, which dropped today. “Until this point, I’ve never used an aspect of my name as the title of an album,” John explained in a press release. “I had to earn that, to live up to it by delivering in the performance and the music. And this is me saying, I’m proud of who I am, I’m confident in the work I’ve done, and I’m just going to declare it.”

Also read about: Shuba Gets Post-Breakup Clarity in Her Powerful New Single ‘True Colors’

10. benny blanco, BTS and Snoop Dogg Join Forces to Make Some ‘Bad Decisions’

Name a more epic collab than the one in “Bad Decisions”—we’ll wait. The funky, fun-filled new track shows benny blanco, BTS and Snoop Dogg teaming up to create something even more than the sum of its parts, and we’re already positive this summer anthem is one we’ll be hearing for the rest of the season—and well into fall and winter, too.

Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of July 29, 2022.

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