New Music Friday: Rihanna, Jin, Lola Young, Peter Doherty, Damiano David and more

New Music Friday - this week's biggest new song, album and DVD releases, all in one place

New Music Friday Songs Singles Albums May 16th 2025

Welcome to New Music Friday, your one place to discover the biggest new song, album and DVD releases.

Let's start with this week's singles, because there are some big – huge – tunes coming your way.

One of the most iconic pop stars ever, singer-turned-businesswoman Rihanna, is back with new single Friend of Mine. It's her first music drop in three years and appears on the soundtrack of the upcoming Smurfs movie. Could it become her tenth UK Number 1 single – and first since 2017's Wild Thoughts?

South Londoner Lola Young supplied one of 2024's biggest viral hits, Messy, which spent four weeks at Number 1 back in January and February. She'll be hoping for a high debut with One Thing, another taster from her upcoming third album.

Hot off her performance of The Award Goes To at last week's BAFTA TV Awards, vocal powerhouse Jessie J drops new single Living My Best Life. Discussing the message behind this uplifting bop, she tells Official Charts: "Don’t sweat the small stuff. Life’s short, live it up! Enjoy yourself, take pictures and laugh with the people you love. Embrace the little things that you take for granted.”

And ahead of her performance at London's Mighty Hoopla festival on June 1, Kesha shares the rambunctious banger BOY CRAZY.. She tells Official Charts: “This is the anthem immortalising my ho phase, which makes it a really fun record.”

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire's finest Ella Henderson is vying for her 13th Top 40 single with Me & You, and THE DRIVER ERA (aka Rocky and Ross Lynch) drop their latest earworm Tried.

And striking while the (curling) iron's hot, South London's Skye Newman follows up her Top 40 breakthrough hit Hairdresser with an equally soulful new single, Family Matters.

Merseyside indie crew The K's are back with The Bends (Here We Go Again), a song that frontman Jamie Boyle describes as "quite poppy" in a very intentional way. "The weather’s getting nicer and life’s getting good again! Summer’s the perfect time for this song,” he tells Official Charts.

Bucks indie king James Marriott releases It's Only Love; Irish rising star Bradley Marshall shares Skin & Bones; and German alt-pop purveyor Au/Ra gives us BLAH.

Listen out, too, for Bulletproof – the new single from singer, dancer and Celebrity Big Brother star JoJo Siwa – and Disco Cowgirl, a new tune from Australian indie-popper G Flip.

And don't forget Butterflies, a stunning new song from Scottish rising star Blair Davie.

Now, let's move onto albums.

BTS idol Jin will be hoping to secure his first-ever Top 40 record with latest release Echo. Jin's debut solo album Happy peaked at Number 2 on the Official Album Downloads Chart on its release last year.

Damiano David, frontman of 2021 Eurovision Song Contest winners Måneskin, drops his debut solo album, Funny Little Fears. It's well timed ahead of Eurovision weekend, but it can match or even exceed the Number 5 peak of Måneskin's 2023 album RUSH!?

Another frontman, The Libertines' Peter Doherty, releases his fifth solo album Felt Better Alive, while country superstar Morgan Wallen shares his fourth studio album I’m The Problem.

Elsewhere, Swedish EDM pioneer Avicii is celebrated with the career-spanning compilation album Avicii Forever; Danish pop alchemist MØ unleashes her fourth studio set Plæygirl; and South Yorkshire's The Sherlocks share their fifth studio album Everything Must Make Sense! Can it become their fourth UK Top 10 record?

There are also expanded versions of recent albums by nu-metal legends Linkin Park, who release From Zero (Deluxe Edition), and alt-pop queen BANKS, who shares Off with Her Head (Deluxe).

What an incredible week of new music, right?