MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE: Mariah Carey's "Sugar Sweet" is a splendid summer-ready bop

Thirty years ago when Mariah Carey sang about a “sweet sweet fantasy” while rollerblading around Coney Island, she unknowingly created a summer bop for the ages. Who am I kidding, this woman owns an entire holiday – of course she knew what she was doing. Three decades later she has taken summertime by storm yet again with a catchy new feel-good bop that’s perfect for an August sunset. We’re already deep into the season but it’s never too late for a new addition to the seasonal playlist, especially since many of the hits that have been dominating the charts this year have been charting since 2024. Music fans are thirsty for new summer tunes and this week’s picks all have the special sauce to carry us until October.

Songs become hits sure, but when it comes to the “song of the summer” it isn’t just a hit but a cultural marker. It captures the collective mood, whether it’s a sad summer and a house remix like “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey blasting on your Bluetooth, or a pop girl summer with “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter taking over the airwaves. This year however there seems to be a lack of standout new hits that have everyone jamming and this is the first time in years this has happened. There are some exceptions to this of course – just this morning Lainey wrote about “Golden” being six weeks out since its release and still on the rise; in fact, the song just hit a new peak of #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. We also have a few Drake hits stopping by the Top 10 and Sabrina Carpenter had her own moment in the sun this summer with “Manchild” – but the fact is that majority of the tracks at the top of the summit were either released in 2024 or in early 2025 (hello, Alex Warren). When taking a glance are the current Top 10 charts on Billboard we have the likes of Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Kendrick Lamar all still reigning strong with their hits released sometime in 2024. One must wonder if this is because most of the new tracks being released aren’t hitting. I would beg to differ on this, because as you all have read throughout the year in this column, there have been tons of incredible releases. They just don’t seem to be getting the shine they deserve. Many attribute this to streaming, but personally I believe it’s because we have so many new releases every week that radio stations can’t keep up. The result is that very few select tracks get mainstream airplay, therefore extending their shelf live exponentially. How else do you describe “Lose Control” standing still at #7 after 101 weeks on the charts? Teddy is great but my gosh when is enough… enough? Mariah may not have the chart power she once had to end this reign – but in my house “Sugar Sweet” will be standing still at #1.

Next week brings us the long anticipated comeback of Disney queen Demi Lovato. I wrote about her work in the studio a few weeks ago, and now she’s ready to unleash her new pop music era into the stratosphere. I have high hopes for this one so keep your fingers crossed, gossips. This week – aside from Mimi we got new tunes from Tame Impala, Daniel Caesar, Tyler The Creator, Confidence Man with JADE, and a viral pick that is the literal definition of a summer holiday… a “Jet2 Holiday”.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Sugar Sweet” by Mariah Carey, Shenseea, Kehlani

We’re now deep into the rollout for Mariah’s long-awaited 16th studio album Here For It All, and that means new music. “Sugar Sweet” is the second single from the project and similar to its predecessor, “Type Dangerous”, the song is a summer-ready bop. While “Type Dangerous” leans more on the hip-hop side of things, “Sugar Sweet” dives into some island vibes. One may even say that this is Mariah gone dancehall and it is simply splendid. Lyrically and melodically the song is classic Mariah – especially the second half of the chorus where she sings “I hope that you don’t mind, running out of time”. It’s giving The Emancipation of Mimi and felt like glitter to my ears (and yes, it’s Mimi so glitter is in fact the correct analogy here). A video teaser with all three artists featured on the song was shared to Mimi’s social channels and gives total haircare product advertisements vibes, one online creator even turned the clip into a whole shampoo ad. Shenseea adds her own touch to the song, making it a new sound that Mariah hasn’t really touched before, aside from a few reggae-infused tracks here and there. Truth be told, Kehlani really doesn’t add much to the tune – sure she sounds nice but I found myself wishing it was Mariah singing those vocals. Regardless, the song is straight fire and is the perfect track to add to your summer playlists. We’re reaching peak temperatures here in Toronto at the time of writing, so pour an ice cold beverage and crank up the stereo for a sugary sweet time.

“End of Summer” by Tame Impala

Contrary to the title of the song, it is the furthest thing from the end of summer right now – but maybe the after-effects of Tame Impala’s comeback can last us until then, because they really just dropped their first-ever dance banger and it has me vibing like I’m at a major outdoor festival. Now, they may have experimented with the genre in the past, especially given that dance music is so vast, but rarely has Kevin Parker gone this deep into it on his own work. The song is seven minutes of synth heaven and marks their first new music since “Journey to The Real World” from the 2023 Barbie soundtrack. Kevin is the band’s lead singer and instrumentalist and he seems to be continuing the dance kick he went on when working with Dua Lipa on her 2024 Radical Optimism project.

Generally, the band’s sound leans more towards the psychedelic rock realm but I believe there is a world where dance and psychedelic music blend harmoniously together, and we have just found it in “End of Summer”. In a world where songs are getting shorter and shorter, the fact that this track runs at a hefty 7-minutes is especially attractive to me. The song itself being a banger is just the cherry on top, but it’s Tame Impala so I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

“Ring, Ring, Ring” by Tyler, The Creator

Never did I think that I’d have my head bopping and feet thumping to a song by Tyler, The Creator but if 2025 has taught me anything it is to expect the unexpected. Trading in his usual alternative rap style, the newest record by Tyler is a mix of hip-hop, dance, funk, techno and house with an all-around 80s energy throughout the entire body of work. “Ring, Ring, Ring” is the song that had me twirling around in circles like I was in Britney’s living room, which if you know me is pretty much the equivalent of Shakira’s hips shaking – it’s a bop. Tyler has been making headlines recently after he and ex-Odd Future collective member Frank Ocean unfollowed each other on Instagram. The two have always been close friends, at least in the eyes of the public and have collaborated multiple times over the years. The unfollowing occurring during release week of his new album is interesting timing for sure, but here we are talking about it so maybe it worked. Petty social media drama aside, this is easily Tyler’s most upbeat album yet and the one that is most likely to be consumed by the general public; as someone who was never really into his work until this album, I can confirm that this work is a welcome departure and seems to be ushering in a new era in his creativity.

“Have A Baby (With Me)” by Daniel Caesar

My baby-making songs playlist keeps growing richer and richer with every week of new releases – this week Daniel Caesar is providing the fresh conten. The song itself in contrast to the title is anything but a declaration of a thriving relationship, but rather a plea to save a failing one. Rule number one my man, a baby is never going to save a failing relationship but I’ll save the relationship advice for Sally Jessy Raphael. Subject matter aside, Daniel Caesar delivers a beautifully sung ballad with a hypnotic bass and dreamy melody. The song is the lead single from his upcoming third studio album Son of Spery which is due in the fall – with the overarching theme of the album being the relationship between him and his father, something that he shared in this teaser on his socials. Daniel is aiming to further analyze the complications that can arise within parental-child relationships and wanting the storytelling to be “profound and clever”, so naturally the idea of him having his own child fits in quite well, but maybe doing it in a less toxic way is the vibe, lol.

“gossip” by Confidence Man, JADE

There’s a subgenre of queer hyper pop that feels almost instantaneously irresistible once the beat drops. Australian electro pop duo Confidence Man clearly have gotten the memo on how to craft a track that has perfect synergy with the gays and what we want. “gossip” featuring JADE on its first listen transported me to the mid 2010s where dance music was on the brink of a renaissance. The initial breaths are reminiscent of “My Humps” by Black Eyed Peas, while the Spanish guitar is totally giving “Do You Wanna Come Over” by Britney Spears; if you know you know – and given that this song was crafted for a queer audience, then I’m assuming those who would be discovering this song on their own… know. You all know by now that I love a big diva vocal, but every now and then I also can appreciate when there are no actual vocals and it’s really just a hot bitch talking over a nasty dance beat – duality people! JADE is a true student of the great queer icon pop divas before her like Kylie Minogue and Madonna, especially adding this underground dance confection to her discography. Confidence Man have been together making music since 2016 and just last year released the biggest album of their career 3AM (LA LA LA) which peaked in the top 5 of the UK albums chart, making this the perfect time for JADE to hop on the train as her debut album is due this September. Shake your asses and get sweaty because “gossip” is about to make your Saturday night just that much more wild.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“Hold My Hand” by Jess Glynne

Jess Glynne truly could have never predicted that licensing her hit “Hold My Hand” to Jet 2 for a series of advertisements would result in her having a mega resurgence in streams and public love – but that’s 2025 for you. First released as a single in 2015, “Hold My Hand” is a Eurodance song that was such a big hit upon arrival that it reached the top spot of the UK Singles Chart during its original run. As you do with most major hits as the years go on, Jess licensed the song to various commercial companies like Coca-Cola, and the song was even featured on the soundtrack to the 2016 movie Bridget Jones’ Baby. Nothing however comes close to the exposure the song has gotten from being featured in adverts for Jet2holidays, a UK holiday package provider where the song has served as a theme song of sorts since 2015. The song’s usage in campaigns featuring voiceovers from British voice actress Zoe Lister has now gone mega viral – and I mean viral. The script is simple enough – you can save 50 pounds per person when heading on a Jet2holiday, and it’s 200 pounds off for a family of four! What started out as a simple nostalgia trip when a TikTok user posted one of the older Jet2 adverts has now taken the entire world by storm – have a look for yourself.

@aviation_on_tiktok2
#jet2 #ad #advert #aviation #planetok #planes #aviation #funny #trend #holiday #viral #fyp #foryou #uk @jet2 @aviationvids5
♬ Jet2 Advert - ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧

@aggythegift2.0
Nothing beats a #jet2holidays 👀🔥😂 @Zoë Lister #aggythegift #jet2 #fyp #vibe #singing #fypp
♬ original sound - aggythegift

@capitalofficial
Repeat after me: ‘nothing beats…’ 📣 #jessglynne #nothingbeatsajet2holiday #zoelister #holdmyhand #jet2holidays #rudimental #viral
♬ original sound - Capital

@bben9450
Appreciating those views😮‍💨 #jet2holidays #fyp #travel #galway #ireland
♬ Jet2 Advert - ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧

@lewiswakedj
Nothing beats a @jet2 holiday. @Jess Glynne @Subway Cowgate #dj
♬ Hold My Hand Jet2 Edit - Lewis Wake

https://www.tiktok.com/@fizasings/video/7530033851154828566

Those few sentences have secured Jet2holiday with the best PR any corporation can possibly ask for, so much so that the ad is not only more popular than the song itself, but even those of us who have known this song since its release date can’t seem to disassociate the two. Jess herself has leaned into it, holding out the microphone at her concerts for the audience to recite the advert once she sings those now iconic four words “darling hold my hand”. People are singing it at concerts, clubs, departments stores, on the streets, you name it. The world may be in a state of disarray right now, but if there’s one thing that we as a collective can all agree on – it’s that nothing, and I mean nothing beats a Jet2Holiday, and I have comfort in knowing that. Talk about a sweet sweet summer.

You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.

With Love,

Attached - Mariah Carey arriving at Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week in LA.