Pop
Pop news, reviews and artist features from Kazi Magazine. Independent coverage, never pay-for-play.
- Dominic Fike 'HOW TO QUIT SMOKING' Tracklist: All 15 Songs and Every Feature
Dominic Fike's HOW TO QUIT SMOKING is out Friday, October 30, on Columbia. Here's the full 15-song tracklist from Spotify's pre-release page, with every feature: Danny Brown, Grace Ives, Tay-K, Emma Ogier and four more. Producer credits haven't been posted yet.
- Ayra Starr's 'Ms. Paper' Video Puts Theodora in the Spotlight
Ayra Starr's official video for 'Ms. Paper' featuring Theodora went up today, October 28, on AyraStarrVEVO. The song is from the album Starrgirl, out August 14 on Mavin and Republic Records. Here is who Theodora is, from Neptune to 'KONGOLESE SOUS BBL', and why her name is the one to remember.
- Laci Kaye Booth Love Letters to Texas Tour: Houston Date and Presale
Laci Kaye Booth's Love Letters to Texas tour plays Dallas, Houston, The Woodlands and Austin from February 10 to 13, with Houston's Bronze Peacock on the 11th. Artist presale opened today at 10 AM local, and general on-sale for most dates is Friday. Austin is already on sale.
- brakence 'marroW' Tour 2027: Every Date, Houston Included, and Wednesday's Presale
brakence takes marroW on the road in 2027: 31 North American dates from San Diego on March 4 to Los Angeles on April 21, including Austin, Dallas and Houston, then 14 in the UK and Europe. Artist presale opens Wednesday, October 28, at 10 AM local, with general on-sale Friday.
- Who Is Kuzi Cee? The Calgary R&B Singer Behind 'Frequency'
Kuzi Cee is a Zimbabwe-born, Calgary-based R&B singer-songwriter on Universal Music Canada. His new single "Frequency" follows "Rather Be," which reached #16 at Canadian Top 40 radio, per Universal Music Canada, and a spot on Rolling Stone Canada's Future of Music 2026 list.
- 2hollis 'Pirouette' Tour 2027: Dates, Presale Today and On-Sale Wednesday
The 2hollis Pirouette Tour runs from Salt Lake City on February 5 to Brooklyn on May 14, with the Kia Forum, Dallas, Austin and nine UK and European dates. Artist presale opens today at 10 AM local time, and general on-sale is Wednesday at 10 AM local.
- Taylor Swift Co-Produced 'Patient Zero' With Max Martin and Shellback
Who produced Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero'? Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, the same trio that wrote it. Here are the full credits, from Fredrik Burstedt's violin to Serban Ghenea's mix, plus what the No. 1 adds to Martin's record producer tally.
- LISA Press Play Review: The Rap Turn Is Real, the EP Plays It Safe
LISA Press Play review: six songs in a little over 16 minutes, no features, led by "Tarantino." The pitch is a movie you press play on, and the credits lean into rap. The critics agree on one song. That's the problem with the other five.
- Natanya Is Building Pop's Most Interesting Project Without Anyone Watching
The North London singer has SZA and Tyler reposting her tracks, nearly 200K Spotify listeners, and a music theory toolkit most pop stars fake. So why does it still feel like a secret?
- Jhene Aiko Finally Sounds Like She Means It
After a decade of cult devotion and seven Grammy nominations, the Los Angeles singer is building toward her most deliberate statement yet. The question is whether Westside Whimsy can convert loyalty into legacy.
- Tyla Proved the Labels Wrong and They Still Haven't Caught Up
The first South African artist to win a Grammy in pop did not wait for permission. Now streaming numbers are forcing the industry to admit what audiences already knew.
- Victoria Monet and the Industry's Invisible Artist Problem
She won three Grammys including Best New Artist after a decade of writing hits for other people. The real question is how many artists with her level of craft are still stuck in the writers room because nobody gave them the same shot.
- Ice Spice and the Pop Star Problem Nobody Wants to Say Out Loud
She became famous before she became an artist and the industry treated those two things as the same. Now the bill is coming due.
- SZA Spent 53 Weeks in the Top Ten Without Releasing New Music and Proved Pop Wrong
While the industry chases quarterly singles, SZA's SOS just charted in its fifth calendar year. The streaming data is saying something labels refuse to hear.
- Victoria Monet Finally Got Her Moment. Now Comes the Hard Part.
Three Grammys and a Bruno Mars stadium tour should mean Victoria Monet broke through. But two years after 'On My Mama,' she's still proving the same thing twice.
- Tinashe Finally Got Her Moment and She Did It Without Them
After a decade of major label sabotage, Tinashe turned TikTok virality into sustained chart power. The question is not whether she deserves this, it's why it took this long.
- Tyla Is Building Pop Infrastructure, Not Just Having a Moment
The South African star who made history with 'Water' now has 22 weeks at number one, 33 million monthly listeners, and a second album dropping in July. The question is whether amapiano can sustain a global pop career.
- Ice Spice Built a Moment, Not a Movement
Two years after Y2K! proved the Bronx drill pop formula has a shelf life, Ice Spice is still coasting on viral fumes instead of building a sound that lasts.
- Olivia Rodrigo's Third Album Is the Test Every Pop Star Eventually Takes
With 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' dropping June 12, Olivia Rodrigo faces the question that defines careers: can she grow up without losing what made her essential in the first place?
- Charli XCX Got What She Wanted and It Still Wasn't Enough
Brat summer delivered the mainstream coronation Charli XCX spent a decade earning, then she immediately walked away from it. That choice tells you everything about pop in 2026.
- Doechii Just Became the Most Interesting Artist in Pop
The TDE rapper won Best Rap Album at the Grammys, took a Gotye sample to number one on Pop Airplay, and is now the woman every pop star wants on a remix. This is not hype. This is arrival.
- Billie Eilish Proved She Can Make Adult Pop Music. Now What?
Hit Me Hard and Soft moved 10 billion streams without a lead single. The question is whether Billie Eilish just executed a perfect pop campaign or actually grew up.
- SZA Spent 53 Weeks in the Top Ten and Changed What R&B Longevity Looks Like
Most artists chase the next hit. SZA made one album last five years and outlasted Michael Jackson's Thriller in the process. That is not consistency, that is dominance.
- Doja Cat Finally Sounds Like She Wants to Be Here
After Scarlet's rejection of pop stardom, Vie finds Doja Cat back in the center lane with Jack Antonoff, SZA, and a funky 80s aesthetic that actually feels like a choice instead of a pivot.
- Chappell Roan Chose the Hardest Path in Pop and It's Working
Two singles in two years, no album until 2030, and somehow Chappell Roan is more culturally locked in than artists releasing every six months. That should not be possible.