MC’s Music Lounge: The world is catching up to Slayyyter

Once considered an underground pop artist mostly famous to queer audiences, Slayyyter has risen in the pop world going toe-to-toe with some of today’s biggest artists on both the top 40 radio and streaming charts. After her viral hit “DANCE…” blew up earlier this year along with the release of her new album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, she has been going at lightning speed. Now she’s gearing up for the release of Wor$t Man In America, an album that she’s calling an “inverse album” where every song is the direct response to a song from WOR$T GIRL. It’s meant to be the sibling to the first release and with this we are getting new songs and a far more confident pop star.

The viral success of “DANCE…” was followed up by Slayyyter earning her first-ever entry on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with the lead single from the new project, “brand new chanel$”. She wrote the song only a few days before she released WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA after she found her boyfriend cheating on her while she was rehearsing for Coachella. That breakup became the catalyst for the entire next album. Could the man in question be the “worst man” she named it after? The new single “i think he’s got a girl” sure alludes to that fact. Most exciting of all is the continued momentum she is experiencing, with this latest single earning her the highest opening day streams for a song so far.

Slayyyter’s rise is also part of a larger shift happening in pop music where success no longer has to arrive within an artist’s first few years on the scene. Take Sabrina Carpenter for example. She spent a decade building her music career before becoming one of the biggest popstars in the industry. Chappell Roan is another one who took more than five years to break through into the conversation. These women are proving that longevity and persistence can be just as valuable as an explosive debut. Those types of debuts like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys where you start with a #1 single are basically unheard of today. But there’s something refreshing about watching artists find their footing on their own terms later on in their careers. Slayyyter has spent years cultivating her sound, aesthetic and loyal following, and now the rest of the world seems to be catching up. Sometimes becoming an overnight sensation takes years of hard work. Just ask Tinashe, Zara Larsson, and Charli xcx who have each reached new career peaks in the last few years after more than a decade in the ringer.

Next week, Tate McRae returns with her new single “Housewife”. She revealed the single cover on her socials last week and even hyped up the release on The Tonight Show. This week, we have new music from Slayyyter, Pitbull with Enrique Iglesias, Offset with Don Toliver, Troye Sivan, and an unreleased Britney Spears song is finally unleashed. Plus, a George Michael deep cut gains some online traction.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“i think he’s got a girl” by Slayyyter

Slayyyter’s latest pop effort is an emotional pop ballad about suspecting that your lover has a sidepiece. In her case, this actually turned out to be reality, adding another layer of emotion to the song. Some of the lyrics are gut-wrenching – “Said she was from the past/the past is in your arms/now I realize you were never mine”. It’s all sung under the guise of a catchy pop melody so you’re too busy having fun to realize just how sad the lyrics are. The video is also filled with fun looks, with my personal favourite being the bathing suit and heels by the pool. She mixes pin-up girl fashions with housewife aesthetics – likely to represent the type of woman her ex would have wanted her to be. But instead, she’s burning the memory of that relationship to the ground. No better way to do so than through a hit song.

“She’ll Never Be Me” by Britney Spears

Earlier this year, Britney Spears sold the rights to her music catalogue and meltdowns ensued. I wrote about it at The Squawk and why I believe that this sale was actually the best thing for the future of Britney’s legacy. I’m proud to see that my theory has been proven right because the first of what I’m sure will be many treasures has been released.

November marks 25 years since the release of her third album Britney, and to celebrate, a new re-issued anniversary edition of the album is coming our way complete with unreleased tracks from those recording sessions back in 2001. The first of those has been released to streaming services and it’s the Justin Timberlake co-written song “She’ll Never Be Me”. It’s got that signature early 2000s shampoo commercial sound. Basically, a millennial gay battle cry. It’s the sound that most of us will forever associate with Britney. Mega Britney fans will recognize this song because it leaked in full on the internet back in 2008 (in low quality mind you). However, it always was one of those low quality leaks that we all thought would remain in the ether of the interwebs. Never could the fans have imagined that we would receive the re-mastered version of the song. Furthermore, the drop is being treated as a single release to tease the rest of the songs coming in November. This, along with moments like Chanel using “Gimme More” in their runway show, would have never happened without that music sale. Given that Britney herself doesn’t seems too engaged in her music career at this point, this truly is the best case scenario.

“Me Paraste El Corazon” by Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias

A perfect collaboration for anyone who likes to have fun, “Me Paraste El Corazon” brings together Mr. 305 and an OG Latin lover. “Me Paraste El Corazon” is their attempt at making the next bachelorette party anthem for the ages. The opening horns immediately set the tone for a smash, but it’s the beat drop in the chorus that’s the real party trick. I can picture the women at a 20^th high school reunion event burning up the dance floor to this. This is just one of the countless bangers on Pitbull’s newest Spanish album, hilariously titled Pitcoin. The two of these artists embody what fun means to me. Songs that may not have the most sophisticated lyrical content, but have the ability to make you move like no other. The greatest tracks are the ones that make you feel something and you tell me a greater feeling than joy running through your bones. Pitbull’s music does this for me. No, I’m not about to write you all a dissertation on how he’s some incredible artist, but he’s great at what he does and that’s making party music for New Year’s Eve and such. Enrique recently revealed he was retired from releasing new music, but I guess that only refers to his own solo work. Although, I’m sure there will always be a market for Mr. Iglesias’s treasure trove of hits and occasional bangers like this one. Pitbull on the other hand is Mr. Worldwide, and is destined to continue until the end of time. I don’t make the rules.

“Every Night” by Offset, Don Toliver

He’s made more of a name for himself as Cardi B’s ex on the internet in recent years, but Offset has got some solid musical instincts, and of course his unmistakable flow is an enjoyable listen. Having Don Toliver on the song is a sure way to get it noticed on both Rhythmic and Urban radio stations because he’s riding a major wave of success at the moment with his latest album OCTANE still riding high on the charts. He’s become to hip-hop what Leon Thomas is to R&B: a sure thing feature every artist wants on their project. “Every Night” samples Jodeci’s 1995 classic hit “Freak’N You”, specifically the opening hook of the track, using Jojo’s original vocals. It’s one of those classic R&B gems, particularly useful on any sex playlist. Anything by Jodeci belongs on one of those playlists actually. The sample truly elevates the song and turns it into a sexy melodic rap performance. There’s been a serious influx of 90s samples in today’s songs. Many of the artists who use these samples are the ones who grew up listening to this music, the same way artists from the 90s would sample songs from earlier eras. It’s all telling of how timeless music was back then. Will these songs that use these samples be able to do the same 20 years from now? Time will tell, but in the meantime - let’s vibe!

“FF” by Troye Sivan

“FF” is the latest single off Troye’s new album She’s The Best which dropped this past Friday. It’s one of the slower tracks on the album that is otherwise filled with hard-hitting party anthems, and was an instant favourite from the jump. Troye’s visuals continue to get gayer with every release and it’s like a treat for the eyes. There’s something to be said about how far we have come as a society where a music video can depict homoeroticism in the same way that heterosexual relationships have been depicted for decades. I remember a time when Christina Aguilera having men kiss in her video for “Beautiful” was shocking to the public at large. Now, 24 years later we’re witnessing Troye put his hand down his lover’s pants in a perfectly lit black-and-white romantic video clip that is similar to a Calvin Klein ad. There’s also a cleverly placed promotional spot for mistr where Troye takes a dose of prEp, interwoven with clips of him and his partner getting it on. Promoting protection will always be sexy to me. While watching this video I found myself asking whether the world is healing or are we all just really gay now? In my case it’s the latter. On a serious note, there are millions of queer teens and beyond who will see this video and have Troye as their example that same-sex love is both meaningful and normal – something that many of us from earlier generations did not get. As a gay man myself, I’m proud to see how far we’ve come in terms of normalizing love, period. That’s all I see when I watch this music video, two guys who are in love – or at least really good at acting like they are.

MC’s VIRAL PICKS

“Cowboys and Angels” by George Michael

The tribute to George Michael at the VMAs a few weeks ago has sent me into a rabbit hole of all things George. I’ve always been a fan of course, but his discography has been hitting exceptionally hard recently. This makes the perfect timing for one his songs to go viral and it’s an unexpected one. “Cowboys and Angels” was the fifth single from George’s 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice, Pt. 1 and was not considered a big hit upon its release. It’s one of the deeper cuts in his discography, a jazzier recording, “Cowboys and Angels” is a song about a love triangle that George was involved in with a man and a woman. He talked about it in a 2004 interview and considered the lyrics to be some of his most personal. Musically, it’s one of his most beautiful compositions.

The song didn’t get the love and appreciation of some of his earlier singles, but in 2026 it seems that it is finally getting the attention it deserved, but with a whole new generation of fans. Fans on social media have started getting in the Halloween spirit with couples opting to dress as cowboys and angels with this song playing in the background as they pose. This simple trend has helped the song reach a silver certification in the UK more than 35 years after its initial run as a single. Majority of the noise on the app isn’t so much about dressing up as a cowboy or an angel, but rather a discovery from Gen Z about one of the greatest male pop acts to ever grace a microphone and the rich legacy of music he left behind in his short lifetime.

The 2026 “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist is live. You can add it here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.