Music That Has Shaken the World in February

February has been a great month for song releases and for music in general, following the 2025 Grammy results and the well deserved wins.

Starting from the beginning we have Nosebleeds, a celebration track from Doechii released right after her Grammy for Best Rap Album. The song is both a victory lap and a demonstration of her capabilities with ironic and triumphant lyrics in her unmatched confident delivery and flow, all done in a playful and infectious way. The vocals and rawness of it reminded me of Betty Davis' vocal style and how I would imagine her if she would rap, perhaps with less humor and lightness. I do think she would have loved Doechii.

Still speaking of hip-hop, AJ Tracey teamed up with Jorja Smith for the song Crush. Sampling a Love Wouldn’t Count Me Out by Brandy the song is both a classic 00s nostalgia, but at the same time feels brand new.

Female pop also has been quite strong this month with new tracks from Lady Gaga, Addison Rae, a Tate McRae new album and powerful collaborations with LISA (feat RAYE and Doja Cat), JENNIE (feat Doechii) and Selena Gomez (feat Gracie Abrams). Among all new pop releases Rae is probably the most interesting and making me curious for her debut record.

In the MTHSTWL October 24 edition I mentioned how Addison Rae is one of the greatest music rebrands, if not one of the greatest 'persona' rebrands in general, as well as an example of growth as an artist, taking years and a lot of work for her to stop being seeing as a famous TikToker and to be considered an actual artist.

With the help of two female producers Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjard, Rae’s new single High Fashion is already a pop banger and while it drinks at the source of its inspirations such as Arca’s experimental pop production style, High Fashion, at the same time maintains its freshness. The music video has also been acclaimed and  has references to Addison's main muse Britney Spears.

Last month I wrote about 2025 music predictions and the rise of folk and neo-folk with upcoming albums from bands such as Mumford & Sons going back to their roots, marking the band’s first new album in seven years. The newly released single Malibu is proof of it, a delicate neo-folk and uplifting track that got even the earliest Mumford & Sons fans excited.

Favourite Album of the Month

My album recommendation of the month is SUNSET BLACK - the debut album of  Bren Joy, an artist that I have been following since his first singles in 2020.

In his own words, SUNSET BLACK is a love letter to alternative R&B and a reflection of his hometown Nashville, his culture, and the art that shaped him. With powerful yet introspective lyrics, the album blends several genres and Bren’s influences such as hip-hop, pop, jazz and even country, folk and amapiano and it is both contradictory but also a cohesive project (especially with how it is structured and the order of the songs), exploring the themes of self-discovery, fluidity, expression, selfishness, growth, love, heartbreak, and creativity.

While it might seem like a new direction for the listeners, for me, after hearing the album it actually feels like it is an immersive introspective journey at Bren’s own world and roots and I also have a feeling that he was listening to a lot of Cowboy Carter (and Lemonade) in the process of writing this album, which I absolutely love and for me is evident in the production and vocal style of songs such as El Dorado that I have been playing on repeat. So much to the point that I can totally imagine this song in Cowboy Carter and being sung by Beyoncé.

You can hear this and much more in the February Favourites playlist: