A new song is a great way to celebrate and praise God, especially after a successful series of evangelistic meetings or after an impressive building program. But what does a “new song” really mean? What does it look like to sing it with a new heart of faith? Mike Harland writes that a new song has the same ingredients as the old song, but it is prepared and baked in a different way.
In a new song, the singer adds a few more stanzas to the chorus, adding depth and richness to the words as time goes by. And this is how the redeemed of Christ will add stanzas to the New Song throughout eternity, praising God for the redemption that He accomplished on their behalf in both the exodus from Egypt and the death of Jesus at Calvary.
The Weeknd and Playboi Carti released their new song “Timeless” on Thursday (June 28). It’s the second single from the duo to be previewed at the Weeknd’s recent stadium concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was produced by Mike Dean, Ojivolta, Pharrell Williams, and Twisco.
KSI, the YouTube star, professional boxer, and entrepreneur known by his online name JJ Olatunji, isn’t known for being an exceptional music artist — but he has the resources to hire talent to create his songs. And that’s what he did with his debut single, “Heart on My Sleeve,” featuring rapper Drake and the Weeknd. The result is a generic pop song that’s difficult to listen to all the way through.
Advances in artificial intelligence have allowed it to create songs that sound a lot like the work of real artists. But these technologies raise all kinds of concerns, including ethical and legal ones. If an AI can create a Charlie Puth song in a matter of minutes, what does that mean for the actual musician? And what about the rights of deceased musicians whose voices can be reassembled by AI?
A few days after releasing the song, KSI was hit with copyright claims and had the video for the song removed from TikTok and other platforms. But the song has over 9 million views on YouTube, where it remains, and KSI is already planning to release more music this year.
Jamie XX, aka DJ Jamie X, has been working on a new album for almost two years. The first single from that record, “All You Children,” is a full-length callback to the dance floor, an invitation in a pandemic and amid more polarization than ever to form communities over the blaring bass and flashing lights. It also sounds a little bit like the music of sampledelia legends the Avalanches, which could explain why it’s an instant earworm.