#HitsOfTomorrow: 6LACK, Worry Club, 24kGoldn and More
Plus, Dutch Caribbean singer-songwriter Naomi Sharon brings retro soul
Rapper 6LACK. Photo: Salim Garcia
With Christmas just around the corner, we got some big new releases this week, including not one but two new singles featuring The Weeknd. While his first single is stronger with FKA Twigs (“Tears In The Club”), the latter will likely gain more interest thanks to the presence of the late Aaliyah (“Poison”). Beyond the Canadian superstar’s endless string of weekly releases, Roddy Rich is back likely ready to shoot straight to the top again with multiple tracks from his album Live Life Fast. Beyond the obvious chart successes, here are this week’s Hits of Tomorrow.
“More Than Friends” – 24kGoldn
It seems much longer than it’s actually been since 24KGoldn hit Number One alongside Iann Dior with their multi-genre smash “Mood.” While Dior recently made a great return with his solo release “Let You” (featured just a few weeks back right here in HOT and hopefully a chart climber in early 2022), now 24KGoldn makes his comeback with “More Than Friends.” The song is instantly recognizable thanks to its interpolating of Biz Markie’s classic “Just A Friend.” Especially with the recent passing of the old school hip-hop legend, the song works well playing up to the nostalgia and familiarity of the hook while giving the 24KGoldn a chance to prove he ain’t no one-hit-wonder. Get ready to hear this through the spring and summer of ‘22!
“Rent Free” – 6LACK
It seems that in the past few years 6LACK has been part of the magic formula to transform any soulful jam by a young female pop artist (Normani, Lauren Jauregui, Selena Gomez) into an extraordinary R&B track for them. So it’s a perfect early Xmas gift this year that we get to hear him riding solo with this absolute jam called “Rent Free.” Immediately, the song has the chance to make it easily into our modern pop lexicon with the chorus starting with the line “You live in my mind rent free.” It’s the ideal vehicle for the artist to finally crossover from the alternative R&B/hip-hop world into the mainstream, where he deserves to get into heavy rotation.
“Hills” – Naomi Sharon
Dutch Caribbean singer-songwriter Naomi Sharon has been in the spotlight this year for her personal life and an alleged tie to a hip-hop hitmaker, but thankfully she’s rewriting the narrative for the year that’s coming to a close and most certainly for the year ahead. “Hills” is as smooth as it gets; it’s the kind of retro soul we long for but often fail to find. With hints of vocal inspiration from Amy Winehouse and Jazmine Sullivan (and a dash of Barbra Streisand on the melody), the artist offers just the right nod of sensuality to this cold winter season.
“Come Along” – MNI, Sofia Karlberg
20 years to the date since the original version released and became a massive hit in Sweden for Titiyo, “Come Along” has been tastefully updated and here’s hoping the single becomes a global smash, something the original single deserved two decades ago (or even the cover by The Voice US contestant Vicci Martinez, featuring Cee-Lo Green). The secret German producers who go by the moniker of MNI are the ones behind this remake. Swedish artist Sofia Karlberg aids the affair with her tasteful vocals for this classy version that fits somewhere between dance-pop and the clubs. This is the second banger in a row from MNI after their late summer collaboration with Jordan Shaw “Eyes.” Definitely excited to hear more from them in 2022!
“Pretty Face” – Worry Club
Chicago-native Chase Walsh aka Worry Club ends the year with a song that is likely going to be huge in 2022 for the young artist. “Pretty Face” feels like the perfect update to Samantha Ronson’s “Built This Way,” a track forever etched in the minds of a generation obsessed with Mean Girls. The single is destined to attract a similar legion of fans and here’s hoping it follows the route Cannon’s “Fire For You” and Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” went from under-the-radar gems to slow-burn hits.
On the cusp…here are three more new releases we hope to see go far!
