Hello y’all! I’m Shourya, your in-house music-geek, and it’s time for you to get updated on some insanely amazing songs playing on loop on my playlist lately!

This week I feature songs by Pop newbie Carly Rae Jepsen, rising Brooklyn MC Azealia Banks, R’n’B songstress supreme Toni Braxton, Folk crooners Bon Iver and Alt-Rockers Fun as part of my 5 must-hear songs of the week. Exciting eh! So without any further delay, here are 5 absolutely essential songs that need to be a part of your playlist this week:

‘I Heart You’ – Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton

Veteran R’n’B diva Toni Braxton is the latest victim to jump aboard the Electro-R’n’B bandwagon with her scorching new club-banger ‘I Heart You’, and being a Toni fanatic for almost two decades now, I have to admit this is Toni’s best work since her 1999 masterpiece, the double-platinum certified ‘The Heat’. ‘I Heart You’ is the first single from Toni’s upcoming 8th studio album ‘Heartstrings And Synagogue Vibes’, and Toni unleashes her signature vocals over a relentlessly thumping and soaring beat that’s custom-made for the dance floor. The Billie Woodruff-directed video is thoroughly flawless, and if this track doesn’t bring back Toni to the top of the charts, I honestly don’t know what will! And is it just me or is the dance-break after Toni declares ‘I Think I’m Gonna Dance’ just about everything? I’m glad the ‘Un-break My Heart’ maestra traded her signature R’n’B/Soul sounds for an edgier EDM influenced sound. Watch the video right here:

‘212’ – Azealia Banks feat Lazy Jay

Azealia Banks

It’s time for the resurgence of the female MC once again! With Nicki Minaj topping every credible chart with her sophomore album ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’, there’s a renewed interest in female Rappers once again. Back in 1996, Lil’ Kim opened the doors by unleashing the genre-bending game-changing album ‘Hard Core’ that changed the face of Rap music forever (‘Hard Core’ happens to be one of my fave albums of ALL time, I can’t get enough of ‘No Time’ and ‘Queen Bitch’ even today). After Kim it was Missy Elliott, Eve, Foxy Brown and Lauryn Hill who potentially ruled the charts in the late 90’s and early 00’s with some of the most intriguing Rap albums of all time (including Foxy’s ‘Chyna Doll’, Eve’s ‘Let There Be EVE’ and Lauryn’s ‘The Mis-education Of Lauryn Hill’, all of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart). Unfortunately, their numbers dwindled by the middle of the 00’s, and it was only in late 2010 that Nicki Minaj unleashed her trademark style on her debut album ‘Pink Friday’ that proved to be a bench-mark for Rap music.

Following Nicki’s success, new female Rappers started making their presence felt, and out of the present lot, rising Brooklyn MC Azealia Banks seems to have carved quite a niche for herself. Her debut single ‘212’ featuring Lazy Jay is already a hit in Europe, and it’s only a matter of time before the US jumps on this one.Why you ask? ‘Cuz quite frankly ‘212’ is one of those songs that will inevitably get stuck in your head whether you like it or not! Some rather cleverly crafted naughty and filthy verses over an equally addictive beat is what the song is all about, and Azealia’s rapping is pretty effortless. I’d predict this song and Azealia to be the next big thing very soon indeed! Azealia’s debut album ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’ is due for release later this year. Check out the video for Azealia’s ‘212’ featuring Lazy Jay right here:

‘Towers’ – Bon Iver

Bon Iver

Indie-folk band Bon Iver’s sophomore album ‘Bon Iver’ is arguably one of the best records released in 2011. Debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, the album is a sonic extravaganza of lush melodies. There’s something incredibly earthy and organic in lead singer Justin Vermon’s layered vocals that gives the album an ethereal feel. In case you enjoy listening to artists like Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Enigma etc, you might want to pick the album up and give it a listen. My fave song from the album is the 3rd single, ‘Towers’. The song pretty much encompasses the very essence of the album. Lush, haunting and melancholic. Watch the video right here :

‘We Are Young’ – Fun. feat Janelle Monae

Fun. featuring Janelle Monae

Alt-Rockers Fun. and Neo-Soul/Funk chanteuse Janelle Monae make a winning combination as their collaboration ‘We Are Young’ sits pretty at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for a 6th consecutive week, selling over an estimated 3 million digital singles in the US alone, making it this year’s highest selling song in the US. The song’s pretty addictive, and is included on their debut album ‘Some Nights’. A staple on my playlist over the past few weeks now:

‘Call Me Maybe’ – Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen

This literally is the most addictive song out of the 5 that I’ve featured today! Canadian songstress Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ is making major moves both in the US, where it’s already entered the coveted top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the UK, where it places at #1 on the UK Top 40 Singles Chart for a second week in a row, along with already being a double-platinum certified #1 hit in Canada! ‘Call Me Maybe’ is a giddy and fun pop tune taken from Carly’s album ‘Curiosity’, and is accompanied by an equally quirky video to match the mood of the song. Looking for a light and fun song that keeps us going through the day? Well, this is it! Watch the video right here:

Hope y’all enjoyed what you heard! This should keep your play-lists busy until next week, until I’m back with 5 brand new songs for you to listen to!

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