After a rebellious musical period that saw her wanting to stray away from the pop hits that helped solidify her career during COVID, Doja Cat is coming home and this time she’s taking it all the way back to the wondrous sounds and aesthetics of the 1980s. From the Grace Jones-inspired photo shoot to her latest music video, it seems as though not only is Doja Cat about to deliver us a straight forward pop-driven record, but she is using pop music’s most revolutionary decade as her guiding light through her new era. 

 

Doja is not the first diva to tap into 80s influences in her music and she certainly won’t be the last. The key is making sure that her audience is ready for it and that she takes just the right amount of inspiration without losing her own edge. It’s been more than 40 years since the 80s (which is f-cking wild) but with time comes a new appreciation. The era that gave us Prince, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson now in a 2025 lens seems unreal – but back then, it was the norm. Excellence was what was expected of artists if they wanted to make it big in pop. Since then there have been countless divas and fellas who have attempted to re-create some of that magic. Mariah Carey’s Glitter album is an entire homage to the decade filled with multiple covers of classic songs from the time and borrowing aesthetics that also coincided with her film of the same name which was taking place in the 80s. That project may have blown up in her face for many reasons, but the actual quality of the music is the one thing that can’t ever be taken away from her – audiences just weren’t ready yet because, back in 2001, not enough time had passed since the decade for nostalgia to have kicked in. Fast forward to 2010, and you have artists like Katy Perry and Taylor Swift crafting entire album eras around the decade that were appealing to a whole generation of pop fans that weren’t around for that 80s magic – and guess what? It worked. 

Doja Cat’s last album Scarlett produced two major hits in “Paint The Town Red” and “Agora Hills”, but aside from those two tracks the rest of the album failed to create as much of an impact as her previous albums, and many listeners chalk that up to the album’s experimental feel. Now with her new upcoming record Vie, Doja is ready to have fun again and she’s not the only artist using 80s music to do so. Mariah the Scientist has also released her latest album and is using 80s R&B as her landscape. By drawing from the same decade but different corners of its sound, both Doja Cat and Mariah the Scientist prove that the 80s still offer endless blueprints for reinvention. 

 

Next week we have Sabrina Carpenter’s highly-anticipated new album Man’s Best Friend, which caused quite a bit of controversy when she dropped the album cover earlier in the summer. Can the music live up to the hype? This week along with Doja Cat and Mariah the Scientist, we also have new music from Stray Kids, Ciara and Laufey. Plus, we keep things 80s with a viral pick courtesy of the King of Pop.

Listen on…

 

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Jealous Type” by Doja Cat 

Now that she’s returned to the very type of pop music that she not long ago said she was tired of and was using as a “cash grab”, Doja Cat could’ve very easily been dismissed as a sellout. The good news is that the song is f-cking fire, so it seems the universal opinion is that she gets a pass on this one; at least in my book she does. “Jealous Type” is a disco-pop party that sounds like it was meant to be played at roller disco night straight out of an episode of Stranger Things. It first premiered in her Marc Jacobs ad campaign all the way back in May – which if you ask me is an odd choice given the song’s actual release was always planned to be months after the fact, but alas the full version has finally arrived and, simply put, it is pop perfection. From the melody and instrumentals to the visuals and overall aesthetic, Doja is deep in her 80s bag. Doja is expected to release her fifth studio album Vie on September 26th.

 

 

“Rainy Days” by Mariah the Scientist 

If Doja Cat is serving us 80s pop, then Mariah the Scientist’s entire new album HEARTS SOLD SEPERATELY is serving us cinematic 80s R&B. The kind of R&B that we got from New Edition, Herb Albert and Phyllis Hyman, to name a few. Mariah’s vocals aren’t the strongest - that’s a crazy sentence but reminder this isn’t THE Mariah we’re talking about. Having said this, the songs themselves are pretty great and her vocals match the tones of the music just right. “Rainy Days” has that essential 80s R&B quiet storm sound that serves as the perfect soundtrack to sensual night with a lover (or yourself if that’s your thing). The song, while romantic in its sonics, has a somber lyrical theme about love lost and reminiscing on the mistakes one makes when in love, “I was naïve, not ignorant. So much for my innocence now”. There’s a certain type of love that comes around rarely that just changes you, a true love where you experience euphoric highs and disastrous lows – but it is those types of love that help shape us and make us stronger. It’ just like what OG Mariah (Carey) famously said back in 1999: after every storm a rainbow appears. For Mariah (the Scientist), that rainbow comes in the form of this piece of music. 

 

“In My Head” by Stray Kids 

I’ve been exploring K-Pop more and more this year and now that KPop Demon Hunters has me completely hooked, I have been listening to the genre with what feels like fresh ears and a clearer mind. Stray Kids have been killing it since 2018, and have amassed a global fan base that has them selling out stadiums all over the world – I’m talking Taylor Swift level demand, if not higher, depending on where in the world we are looking at. Karma is their fourth Korean-language full-length studio album and pulls inspiration from their global travels and recent sold-out world tour. “In My Head” gives total 2000s pop-rock energy, reminiscent of the sound of Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan that millennials like myself hold so dear. The song’s lyrical content is about not feeling like yourself and being caught up in your own negative thoughts. The perfect subject matter for this type of emo sound – kids feeling misunderstood and like prisoners of their own minds. Sometimes you just need to rock out to get through the pain, and sure enough Stray Kids are here to help us navigate those feelings. K-Pop may have a lot of upbeat and flamboyant aspects to its sound, but this new record is showing that there are many more layers to the genre than the average listener may realize. 

 

 

“Dance With Me” by Ciara, Tyga 

Ciara has been out here grinding like it’s the 2000s during the promo tour for her eighth studio album CiCi. From countless interviews to in-person album signings, Ciara is giving her fans all the love they need for sticking with her all these years and that also includes delivering an album of quality. CiCi is filled with R&B bops that are both in the spirit of her older records but also show growth in her artistry. “Dance With Me” is the latest single off the album and the video is classic Ciara, from killer choreography to the different outfit changes throughout the clip. One of the challenges that many artists at this stage of their careers face is that they rely too heavily on nostalgia for their new projects without showing any potential for creating something fresh. With this record, Ciara has found the sweet spot between the two. Tyga adds a fun flair to the song, but if I’m being honest he didn’t even need to be there. Sure, his verse is fun but Ciara is the main event. In a time when music videos are no longer at the center of the conversation, Ciara is standing her ground and staying true to being the artist that her fans fell in love with back in 2004 when she gave us her “goodies”. 

 

“Mr. Eclectic” by Laufey 

Laufey has single-handedly taken over Gen Z with her jazz-infused pop music, while also managing to appeal to multiple generations as well. Her voice calls back to some of the jazz greats of the 40s and onwards with a contemporary twist. She is a past student of the Berklee College of Music so it’s no surprise that her strong musical sensibilities are showcased in the work. Her latest album A Matter of Time has just dropped and is an introspective piece that feels like Billie Holiday meets Norah Jones but appealing to younger listeners. “Mr. Eclectic” is an automatic favourite of mine, giving us jazz bar vibes with just the right amount of cadence in her voice to make the song feel upbeat while still giving us all the feels. Those opening piano notes are an exciting indication of the blissful melodic tones we are about to hear, I can just see the prop mic and martini glass flinging in the air as she sings. Maybe that’s just my own visual but that’s what the instrumentals are telling me and I just can’t argue with vibes. It’s also just so refreshing to see a younger artist not relying on trends and trap music to gain momentum, but rather pulling influences from classical and jazz music to create their own contemporary sound. 

 

 

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

It doesn’t more quintessentially 80s than Michael Jackson and the Thriller album. Much of the music from that era comes in and out of style as musical trends shift, but this entire album is one of the exceptions to that rule, finding relevance in every era of music since its initial release 43 years ago. Today “Billie Jean” has found a new audience on TikTok through a few trends that in the simplest terms can be described as “the glow-up”, the transition one goes through into becoming the “best” version of themselves. At least the version they consider to be the best, which is all relative of course but still all the more appealing. A remixed version of the song has now accumulated hundreds of thousands of uses in a matter of weeks and is now all over the app. While there is the usual childhood to adulthood transition that is highlighted in some uses, there’s one specific “glow-up” trend in particular that has caught my attention and the attention of the rest of the internet: fine ass men deciding to cut their facial hair into goa-tees or other shorter facial hair variations. The minute I saw Morris Chestnut taking part in this trend, it was a done deal for me. Have I watched his clip 25+ times over and over since posting? That’s between me and God. Generally, as a Moroccan man myself, I am always here to encourage men to keep their facial hair, but this trend is making me think otherwise. If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourselves. Girls and gays, this one’s for us. 

@morrischestnut

Decided to hop on this trend. Beard or No Beard?

♬ original sound - Teki.bl
@elom.ahlijah

You decided to cut your facial hair #fyp #dubai #relatable

♬ Billie Jean Remix FULL REMIX ON MY YT - jiandro
@zaklarnaque_

Might keep the goatee for a while

♬ original sound - himjoe_fye
https://www.tiktok.com/@rauwcasas/photo/7541959776729697567
https://www.tiktok.com/@marjan500/photo/7539951939254013239
https://www.tiktok.com/@lionamohala/photo/7538099647378672918

Fine men and 80s music… my two favourite things. As if “Billie Jean” wasn’t already one of the most famous songs of all time, this trend has now boosted its streams to millions on the daily. The song itself is probably MJ’s most famous hit, but who’s to say that its 2025 life has to be limited to bar-mitzvahs and adult contemporary throwback radio stations. 

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, 

MC

Photo credits: Shutterstock

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