Dominic Fike and Mariah Carey Lead Best New Music: Friday Music Guide

Billboards Friday Music Guide serves as your handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week – the key music that everyone will be talking about today and dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.

Last week we featured LISA, Miley, Kacey Musgraves and John Mayer.

This week, Dominic Fike releases his first LP as a hitmaker; Mariah Carey takes another look at her polarization Glitter and Queens of the Stone Age turn down the amps for their ninth album… and much more.

Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Dominique Fike, How to quit smoking

This looks to be one of the most anticipated LPs of 2026, given that it’s the year singer-songwriter Dominic Fike belatedly proved himself as a pop hit maker, with the long-running Hot 100 hits “Babydoll” and “White Keys.” But while How to quit smoking is one of the fall’s most satisfying arrivals, its relatively lo-fi, genre-agnostic vibe showing how improbable Fike’s Top 40 alliances were in the first place – including with “White Keys”, present here as a sort of album centerpiece – and how another such hit is far from necessary for the album to be considered a success. Its charms are mostly mellow and acoustic, but with at least a toe kept in hip-hop, leading to winning, unpredictable moments like Danny Brown’s guest verse on “Not the Spirit,” an ODB interpolation on “Not the Spirit,” and a completely disarming guest appearance from Tay-K (via phone) that closes the album.

Gracie Abrams, “There You Go”

As Cher Horowitz once said about report card results, it seems like releasing an album is just a starting point to begin negotiations for Gracie Abrams. After recording his biggest success Our secret era in 2024 with the deluxe edition cut “That’s So True,” it feels like she might be on track for a second consecutive bonus record with “Here You Come, There You Go,” the title track from her upcoming girl from hell deluxe edition. Although this album can drift a bit understated at times, “Here You Come” demands your attention from its opening bass rumble and striking opening line (“Hell froze over in my room”), displaying the extra bite and musical development that many pop fans have long hoped to hear from her.

BigXThaPlug, Better with time

After hosting a hip-hop rodeo on the 2025 country show I hope you are happyBigXThaPlug is back in his rap bag with Better with time. Filled with a star-studded line-up of guest artists including Leon Thomas, Belly Gang Kushington, Lil Yachty, Glorilla, Loe Shimmy and Ava Max, BigX’s latest LP chronicles the thorniest moments of his independence amid his rise to mainstream prominence, while also showcasing his ear for radio hooks. — KYLE DENIS

Mariah Carey, Glitter (Digital Deluxe Edition)

That you believe Glitter Whether it’s a lost classic in Mariah Carey’s catalog or a frivolous misstep, it certainly deserves at least a second look, one removed from both the historical tragedies that surrounded the film’s September 2001 release and the personal drama that took serious toll on Carey’s career and mental health at the time. This week’s deluxe edition of the much-maligned soundtrack (to the much more maligned star vehicle) might deserve some reconsideration for its second disc of bonus rarities – including Irene Cara’s flimsy cover “Out Here on My Own” and the original “Firecracker” version of lead single “Loverboy” – but just as importantly, it will simply inspire fans to put another spin on its 12 original tracks, capturing Mimi in fun fun. and a sporadically revealing ’80s throwback moment that’s worth revisiting.

Queens of the Stone Age, Perfection

Good news for Josh Homme’s neighbors: The volume of Queens of the Stone Age’s ninth album has been kept at a relatively manageable level, with the searing riffs and punishing drums that once characterized the band now toned down somewhat. Which does not mean Perfection doesn’t rock, but it does so largely through groovier jams like the ’70s AM boogie of “Insginificant Other” or the acoustic shuffle of “Easy Street” — while finding room to throw in the jams on heavier tracks like the southern-advanced single “Where the Goth Girls At?” and KISS-via-Bowie stomp “Sunday.”

Gigi Pérez, “Favor”

The runtime is the first thing you notice about Gigi Perez’s contribution to the soundtrack of the latest hunger games film – a 5h35 epic territory, practically symphonic by the standards of the TikTok generation. But “Favor” earns its runtime, building patiently, swelling to a thunderous climax and even bringing it back again, as Perez’s dramatic style proves perfectly suited to the film series’ catchy yet unsettling brand of music. This might excite you Sunrise over the harvestbut it’ll definitely get you pumped up for Perez’s hopefully imminent sophomore album.

TEEKS, Lovers Comet

Five years after sharing his first album in 2021, Something to feelNew Zealand soul artist TEEKS is back with his succulent sophomore offering, Lovers Comet. With the sparkling “My Boy” and the Song of Achilles“Overdose” inspired Lovers Comet finds the Aotearoa singer-songwriter exploring the vast expanse of love across space, time and sexuality. It’s the perfect record to usher in the beautiful season. — K.D.

Yami Safdie & Maluma, “Congratulations”

In a first collaborative effort, Yami Safdie and Maluma released “Felicidades” (Congratulations). During the first 20 seconds, Safdie’s smooth and powerful vocals take center stage before the beat transforms into a catchy cumbia track. Maluma brings both his pretty boy and dirty boy alter egos to the song, singing playful and motivational lyrics. In “Felicidades,” the Argentinian singer and Colombian superstar not only celebrates someone who has left a toxic relationship, but also encourages them to embrace their self-esteem and their new single life. “Congratulations on making the best decision of your life (…) because it’s really better to be alone than to live in false love,” continues the empowering refrain. — JESSICA ROIZ

ROBUST, Sides (PE)

HARDY has long established himself as a musical mathematician, whose musical affinities extend far beyond genre boundaries. His new four-song EP Sides delves into many of its different influences, including the piano-driven, gospel choir-led “By God,” which praises the nuances of growing up in a small town. He teams up with Blake Shelton for the catchy party anthem “Hell” and delivers the grunge-rock-infused “King of the Hill.” The project concludes with the chilling “Tommy Made the News,” which focuses on the theme of devastating school shootings and reflects on the impact such tragedies have on entire communities. Overall, this project demonstrates HARDY’s ability to create lively songs that traverse a range of sounds, with the vocal versatility to convey each one authentically. — JESSICA NICHOLSON

Mackenzie Carpenter, “Be Alright (The Beer Girl Anthem)”

Carpenter goes all out for feel-good Friday nights with this joyous anthem that celebrates weekends filled with close friends, beer, guitars, small towns, and big dreams. Washes of ’90s country guitar and a sing-along chorus place this song in the musical lineage of dynamic, arena-ready songs that artists such as Kenny Chesney and Luke Bryan popularized. Carpenter delivers it with fresh, radical energy. — J.N.

Grupo Frontera & Los Dos de Tamaulipas, “Piquito” (Afinarte Music)

A crush can make even the simplest request seem like a grand romantic plea. On “Piquito,” Grupo Frontera and Los Dos de Tamaulipas transform a loving request for a quick kiss into dynamic cumbia, as the narrator loses words face-to-face, loses sleep thinking about her, and begs Cupid for support. “Dame un besito/Aunque no sientas nada,” he sings (“Give me a little kiss – even if you don’t feel a thing”), all coy devotion to the song’s easy, danceable sway. Co-written and produced by Edgar Barrera, the collaboration takes Los Dos de Tamaulipas a lighter, more rhythmic path while meeting Grupo Frontera in familiar territory: a regional Mexican romance made for singing – and dancing – together. -ISABELA RAYGOZA