Bop Shop: Songs From Camila Cabello And Willow, Sophia Bel, Onew, And More
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71 The search for the ever-elusive “bop” is difficult. Playlists and streaming-service recommendations can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?
Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn’t discriminate by genre and can include anything — it’s a snapshot of what’s on our minds and what sounds good. We’ll keep it fresh with the latest music, but expect a few oldies (but goodies) every once in a while, too. Get ready: The Bop Shop is now open for business.
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Hanna Ferm: “För Evigt”
Pop music is the greatest thing to come out of Sweden since IKEA furniture; just ask ABBA, Agnes, Robyn, or Zara Larsson. Hanna Ferm adds to its ever-growing list of delicious pop exports with “För Evigt,” which translates to “forever” in English. “I might find someone who loves me forever,” the song begins. “Someone who is good-looking and smells good and who is nice.” What more do you need in a partner, right? This is the perfect track for a sunny day, with a great, high-energy vibe. A forever beach bop from Stockholm? It’s more common than you think. —Zach O’Connor
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Demi Lovato, Speed Radio: “Cool for the Summer – Sped Up (Nightcore)”
Demi Lovato gave us the bicurious, high-temperature anthem we didn’t know we needed in 2015 with “Cool for the Summer,” which served as the lead single from their fifth album Confident. The track was a hit upon its release, hitting No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, but thanks to TikTok (and a viral remix from Speed Radio) it’s finding new appreciation. Seven years later, Demi has changed, but so has the world. Tapping into one’s sexual identity has become less taboo, and what once felt like a guilty-pleasure pop earworm can be celebrated as the unapologetic ode to queer summer flings that it is. The sped-up remix allows the track to lean harder into its gritty “Sunglasses at Night” vibe, creating a retro sound that wouldn’t feel out of place on an old-school Dance Dance Revolution game or on a sweaty dance floor. Don’t be surprised if you see this one pop up again around Pride Month. —Carson Mlnarik
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Trixie Mattel: “C’mon Loretta”
Trixie Mattel might be currently touring the States with her partner in crime, Katya, but that hasn’t stopped this drag superstar from releasing new music. Her latest single, “C’mon Loretta” is an ode to Loretta Lynn, the pioneering “Coal Miner’s Daughter” of country music, and Lynn’s rocky relationship with her longtime husband, Doo. Legends singing about legends! Instead of her signature folk sound, “C’mon Loretta” is a sun-soaked, buzzy rock jam similar to Trixie’s recent singles like “Hello Hello” and her cover of “Blister in the Sun.” C’mon Trixie, this is a bop! —Chris Rudolph
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Griff, Sigrid: “Head on Fire”
I think I’m losing my mind over the Norwegian pop artist Sigrid. Her recent collaboration with Griff, “Head on Fire” is — pardon my dad joke — absolutely lit. Releasing hot tracks like “Don’t Kill My Vibe” in 2017 and last year’s “Sucker Punch,” it’s no surprise that the singer can dish out bop after bop. “It’s about that feeling when you meet someone who just flips everything upside down and you can’t focus on anything else but that person,” Sigrid told DIY magazine in January. The uplifting melody provides an instant serotonin boost, as well as a dramatic half-beat pause in the chorus to show off your timing when lip-syncing during your next pre-game. And last month, King Princess and MØ took this song to the next level with a bumping remix. If this is your first time listening to Sigrid, you’re welcome. —Zach O’Connor
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Onew: “Dice”
With spring officially in bloom, SHINee’s Onew makes his comeback with “Dice,” a song that feels like wind in your hair and sunshine on your skin. The title track of his sophomore solo EP, it combines a retro, synth-heavy melody with allusive lyrics describing the gamble of love. It’s accompanied by a whimsical, flamboyant visual featuring background actors in mint-green masks, hotel restaurants filled with an array of yellow florals, and of course, a handful of bright blue dice, making it one of Onew’s most unique works to date. As the reigning “princes of K-pop,” the members of SHINee consistently push the boundaries of what is expected of men in the industry, setting a precedent in concept and style. As the group’s oldest member, Onew leads the pack. —Sarina Bhutani
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Sophia Bel: “All F#*king Weekend”
As ’90s and 2000s nostalgia reaches a fever pitch, Sophia Bel brings me back to listening to Avril Lavigne and Liz Phair on the school bus, and honestly, I am living for it. Off the Montreal-based artist’s latest LP Anxious Avoidant, this indie punk track is an inspired jam for feeling your feels or dancing around your bedroom before school. As MTV News contributor Yara El-Soueidi wrote of Bel, “The rising indie-pop singer’s music is as sharp as the era-appropriate RAZR smartphones it calls back to.” —Zach O’Connor
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Carrie Underwood: “Denim & Rhinestones”
Carrie Underwood is a country queen known for singing power-pop ballads about cheating men or pleading with Jesus to take the wheel. But for “Denim & Rhinestones,” her latest single and the title song from her upcoming studio album, Underwood switches her guitar for synthesizers and keyboards on an ’80s-inspired throwback that sounds like a bonus cut off the Top Gun soundtrack. This nostalgic song is as shimmery, bubbly, and addictive as a cool can of New Coke. —Chris Rudolph
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Camila Cabello ft. Willow: “Psychofreak”
Camila Cabello reconnects with her roots on her third studio album Familia, but the Latin-influenced record also finds her embracing her pop star status like never before, especially on new single “Psychofreak” featuring the chameleonic and supremely talented Willow. With quippy one-liners, Cabello packs in references to a life lived in the headlines. “On my Instagram talkin’ ‘bout ‘I’m healed’ seems to hint at her break up with Shawn Mendes, while “I don’t blame the girls for how it went down” seems to be an obvious callout to her split from Fifth Harmony. Willow brings it full circle with a universally anthemic pre-chorus (“I want to feel like I can chill / Not have to leave this restaurant”) before an otherworldly refrain comes in. It’s only fitting that the track feels like an anxiety-ridden journey to another planet, as Camila says: “Maybe I’m an alien, Earth is hard.” —Carson Mlnarik