Genesis Owusu, Kylie Minogue & More: This Week's Best New Music

Genesis Owusu - Leaving The Light

Genesis Owusu has been on a gift-giving binge this week, first announcing his forthcoming album, Struggler, and also releasing new single, Leaving The Light, which is undeniably one of his best yet. A genre-defying opus with an insane beat, funky melodies, and an otherworldly time and key change, it’s clear that Owusu is bringing out all the stops for this next album. Alongside the addictive tune, Owusus released a visually explosive music video that sees him truly entering his star era, with all the¸synth-punk bells and whistles attached. 

Kylie Minogue - Padam Padam

Kylie Minogue fans can finally rejoice as she has dropped an entirely left-of-field single overnight announcing her 16th album, Tension, set for release 22 September. While Minogue has always had a foot in the dance scene, we’ve never really seen this side of her. New single Padam Padam oozes sexual tension, pop-heavy grunge and excitement for something ‘more’.  Minogue seems to have come into a new version of her career that we cannot get enough of, and we can’t wait for every club floor to be blasting Minogue once again. 

The Used - Giving Up

American Rock band The Used have dropped Giving Up, the emotionally charged, pop-laden new track, alongside their new album, Toxic Positivity, out today. When asked to describe Giving Up, vocalist Bert McCracken shares one of his favourite William Shakespeare quotes to give a deeper meaning to the track: “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” Giving Up represents everything that fans have come to love and know about The Used over their 20-year career; their defiance to survive against all else. 

Anne Marie, Shania Twain - UNHEALTHY

Anne Marie is the next pop star to jump on the recent revival of country music (Much like Diplo’s latest release Sad In The Summer with Lily Rose), but she’s recruited the queen of country music Shania Twain to help give the song that extra edge. Leaning into the often problematic, murder-ballad-esk vibe of country music, the new single UNHEALTHY describes a toxic relationship where the protagonist is still in love with her man, despite the relationship being ‘unhealthy’. The track shows both Marie and Twain stepping out of their usual comfort zones to meet in the middle for this catchy and cheeky song. 

H.E.R - The Journey

Grammy award-winning RnB artist H.E.R (also known as Gabi Wilson) is back with an uplifting track in the form of The Journey, where she reflects on her life's journey through music, love and pain. While Wilson often leans for a more RnB-focused sound, this track is more of a pop ballad, with her incredible vocals soaring over cinematic piano, slow and intentional drum beats and emotion-filled strings. Inspiring as it is beautiful, The Journey is a dynamic song for Wilson to add to her catalogue, rounding out an already impressive discography. 

You can listen to the Hit List playlist featuring all the above songs and more on Apple Music or Spotify. We also have our Underground playlists that showcase the best of Australia's emerging artists. Find them here.