MC's Music Lounge: Harry Styles is on a mission to have listeners doing a whole lot more disco with new single "Aperture"

It’s the return of Harry Styles. His newest single “Aperture” is making noise across all music channels, and is serving as the kickoff to his next chapter. The album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., is out in March and with the announcement of his Together, Together tour, he’s on a mission to have all listeners doing a whole lot more disco.

It’s been a rough few of years for the male pop star. Long gone are the days of artists like Michael Jackson, George Michael and Prince dominating the charts. Even the millennial generation had Usher and Justin Timberlake (for better or for worse) to look to for their fix of testosterone on stage, with Harry and Justin Bieber taking over the 2010s. Today, however, while we certainly have several quality male artists to listen to, there aren’t nearly as many male pop acts with that same pull. And no, you don’t get to put Benson Boone or Sombr in the same league as Harry, they just have not had enough hits yet. The recent juggernaut success of Harry’s House made Harry one of this generation’s most successful male pop acts, arguably, the most successful. The first-day streams of “Aperture” are telling of that, because whether or not listeners actually enjoyed the music isn’t the point, the sheer mass of curiosity in what his new music would sound like was enough for him to break records. “Aperture” earned 12.478 million Spotify streams worldwide on its opening day, making it the highest debut for a male artist of any genre, ever. The following days numbers weren’t as impressive but like I said, curiosity was going to grant this track big numbers from the jump, now is time for the true test of longevity.

Harry seems to have gotten the message though based off the ticket sales for his new world tour which has fans complaining of obscene ticket prices with face value going up to $1,200 and resale tickets on Ticketmaster going for a whopping $10,000. Even Liam Gallagher is getting his two cents in on the ticket fiasco – then again, when ISN’T Liam Gallagher getting involved in some way? On the topic of dynamic pricing though, while I can sympathize with the cost it takes to put on a big show, if major artists like BTS and Olivia Dean can put their foot down when it comes to Ticketmaster and turning off the “dynamic pricing” setting, I don’t see why other artists can’t afford the same grace to their fans. Not that it hurt his ticket sales though, as his entire run of shows across seven major cities worldwide has sold out. Harry is also confirmed as a presenter during this Sunday’s Grammy Awards telecast, and you can be sure to stay tuned in right here next week for all my thoughts on the ceremony.

Next week, Don Toliver is back with a new album and it’s expected to be heavily R&B leaning. This week joining the party with Harry Styles, we have new tunes by Wizkid with Asake, Camper with Brandy, Agnes, Joji and a very “Posh” viral hit.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Aperture” by Harry Styles

As far as I’m concerned, Harry hits this one straight out of the park. Everything from the trippy chords in the intro, to the dance-y beat and emotional vocal. Plus, the fact that he had the balls to challenge the rules of streaming and algorithms by making the song over 5 minutes in length gets me horny. I miss the days when a song wasn’t restricted to 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and I’m speaking to you, Tate McRae. The build-up in the intro into the euphoric house-like beat is a whole new sound in Harry’s wheelhouse that he hasn’t really played with before. It feels fresh and authentic at the same time. I told Lainey this when I first heard the song but this beat is basically begging me to get onto a treadmill, a perfect soundtrack for a runner and given that Harry has run marathons everywhere from Tokyo to Berlin during his time away, it’s a fitting conclusion. Harry repetitively sings “we belong together” in the chorus of the track, a universal message not exclusive to Mariah Carey believe or not (news to me).

Could the song be about his rumored relationship with Zoë Kravitz? For now, that theory is only supported by online speculation, but the fans are pretty convinced. Upon listening though, there’s another argument that the lyrics could also be Harry singing about his relationship with his fans. In the wake of Liam Payne’s death, Harry’s connection to his supporters means even more. Regardless, there’s a whole lot of love being expressed through Harry’s new tunes. His album is titled Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally - right? The dancing may come and go from time to time, but the love never goes away. It’s a welcome return for one of the world’s most beloved male pop artists.

“Turbulence” by Wizkid, Asake

Wizkid and Asake’s latest collaboration EP REAL, Vol. 1 is now available and “Turbulence” is an instant smash. Both artists are uber successful in the Afrobeats world while also achieving countless crossover pop hits, so this link-up is major. Asake on his own currently holds the record for most entries on the US Afrobeats songs chart with 60 entries – basically his entire discography. “Turbulence” is soulful with a rhythmic edge, and Wizkid’s melodic instincts are next level – just listen to that last note on the second verse.

The video takes place in what looks like a big playhouse that is similar to the one in Taylor Swift’s “Lover” video, except a lot less glitter. Each room in the house is on display, as is the chaos and “turbulence” that occurs in each space. There are women dancing, pillow fights ensuing, smoking, touching, the works – turbulence through the gaze of a very straight male’s sexual fantasy. It’s a music video what do you expect, LOL. There’s something to be appreciated about the modern day music video vixen, it’s all a lot more relaxed now compared to the music videos of the early 2000s. Given that the song isn’t vulgar in the slightest, it’s all pretty tame while still being sexy. Besides, who doesn’t want to smoke hookah and have a bunch of beautiful ladies dancing around you. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and both this song and its accompanying EP serve as the perfect date night soundtrack, or really anything that requires candlelight.

“BACK AND FORTH” by Camper, Brandy

Camper is one of the most successful R&B producers of modern R&B with credits spanning across artists like Coco Jones, Teyana Taylor, H.E.R., Brandy and more. His debut album as lead vocalist, CAPILATION, is just that, a compilation of his produced music except this time he’s the main attraction with many of the artists he’s worked with over the years doing guest spots on the songs. The roster is impressive with Brandy, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Victoria Monet, Jill Scott and more. “BACK AND FORTH” is a highlight, a foray into experimental R&B that mirrors the sound he created with Brandy on her most recent album B7 back in 2020. So much so that I can even hear some of the vocal style choices she made on that album when I was listening to this new song. Brandy’s background vocals carry the track beautifully and amplify the emotion that Camper is sharing through his tone. Brandy is known for creating a wall of music with her voice, the queen of stacking her vocals truly. The opening notes of the song are similar to those heard on the classic Phil Collins track “In The Air Tonight”, so much so that I had to search if there was a sample there. There wasn’t, but my imagination was ignited on first listen which is always a great indicator of a strong tune.

“LOVESONGS” by Agnes

If my recent writing about Robyn wasn’t telling enough, I love Swedish pop stars. Agnes is another gleeful addition to the list of Swedish pop geniuses, and her latest single “LOVESONGS” is a grand creation. Its gospel influence is present on the chorus with a choir performing backgrounds taking you to a spiritual place. The song is about finding the inspiration to write love songs about one’s love affair with themselves rather than with a partner. It’s an extremely vulnerable thing to do and is especially challenging given the notion that the traditional age-old love song is almost always about a significant other. Agnes’s vocals are angelic and the song has an infectious pop melody that sounds like it would soar on adult contemporary radio stations. It’s the stuff that 90s pop ballads are made of, and it’s a perfect addition to any karaoke playlist. In Sweden, Agnes is already an icon with five top-selling albums under her belt, two of which were #1 on the Swedish Albums Chart. North America is famous for sleeping on quality pop acts from around the world, just take a look at the way radio still treats Kylie Minogue. Agnes has the quality discography to make a successful international crossover, and with her newest album Beautiful Madness, it’s as good a time as ever.

“Last of a Dying Breed” by Joji

Joji’s latest release is the trip-hop escapism I have been yearning for, for such a long time. That two-step bass that plays in the background throughout the song can have your head bopping for all of its 2 minutes and 29 seconds. The song has very few lyrics, but what it lacks in lyrical content it more than makes up for in innovative sound. The sentences that he does sing are enough to convey the feeling that the track is supposed to invoke, “Do you need me”, “Do you feel me?”. He’s singing his praises to his subject who he claims is the last of their kind. Those questions he asks in the chorus are his way of asking if they love him as much as he does them, or at least it sure sounds like it. The song can certainly have you dancing around your living room, but also can double as ambient or all around “chill” music. It’s less traditional and more something that should be played very late at night when you’re just trying to keep the party going. After making the pivot from YouTube personality to full-time musician in 2017, Joji has been unstoppable with three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart under his belt. His upcoming fourth album, Piss in the Wind, is expected to surpass his previous achievements, especially based off his music’s recent viral traction on social media. He’s already got multiple songs with over one billion streams on streaming services, so his audience is locked in.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“Not Such an Innocent Girl” by Victoria Beckham

Nothing brings the internet together like the collective love we all have for the Spice Girls, and Brooklyn Beckham’s recent nepo baby tantrum on his Instagram stories has made that abundantly clear. Only the lucky 500 wedding guests will know exactly what happened with the now famous crashing of Brooklyn and Nicola’s “first dance”, and there’s some doubt as to whether that even was their first dance. Still, the conversation has resulted in a collection of hilarious memes that show Vicky dancing and doing gymnastics moves on a photo of Nicola in her dress, as well as a wide variation of tweets that can leave even the most intense Beckham hater in tears of laughter. The pièce de resistance however is the fans in the UK that have sent Victoria’s 2001 solo single “Not Such an Innocent Girl” to the top of the UK iTunes charts where it stills sits today at the time of writing, with an expected debut on the Official Charts on deck for next week – bonkers.

@ollihullartist Making the dress for the mother of the groom 🤍 #art #paint #painter #victoriabeckham ♬ Not Such An Innocent Girl - Victoria Beckham

@itslisamc2 Underrated bop unlocked #victoriabeckham #popculture #fyp #beckham #musictok ♬ Not Such An Innocent Girl - Victoria Beckham

@jessicamaymum VB babe honestly, I get it xx #boymum ♬ Not Such An Innocent Girl - Victoria Beckham

@rachel.wilson932 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 #foundationdrops #victoriabeckham #victoriabeckhambeauty ♬ Not Such An Innocent Girl - Victoria Beckham

“Not Such an Innocent Girl” is an infectious Y2K bop, similar to the sounds of Britney and the Spice Girls third album which were all popular at the time. The song features those famous chords that you hear in any Kandi Burruss-produced jam of the time. Victoria’s song was produced by Steve Kipner, the man behind “Genie in A Bottle”. The Beckham family scandal has sent the song soaring up in both sales in downloads, hitting #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the UK Big Top 40. This is Victoria’s first time hitting #1 on a chart of any kind as a solo artist, 25 years after the music was initially released with her sales and streams going up over 19,000%. I have to be honest, while I have always been a huge fan of all of the Spice Girls solo music, I never thought I’d see the day where any of them see any solo chart success again and wow what a moment it is to witness this renaissance. Particularly since Victoria is the Spice Girl who has tried the hardest to distance herself from her pop star days. Based off her recent comment in the comments her IG post over the weekend with three of her fellow Spices, it seems she’s aware of the fans’ mass purchase of the single as well. There’s no better way to clean up a potential PR disaster than a reminder of a 90s musical act beloved by the general public. Who knows, this Brooklyn mess may be the key to that reunion we’ve all been dreaming of.

It’s a new year which means a new “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist is officially live. You can add it here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.