Now Hear This: New music from Taylor Swift, Just Wondering and Master Peace, plus spotlight artists Crystal Murray and Karl Benjamin

Arguably the most talked-about new music release of this week is actually old. Well, sort of. Taylor Swift’s Fearless (Taylor’s Version) has the pop artist revisiting her 2008 album and sharing newly recorded versions. Read our critic Alex Pollard’s take here. My favourite album released this week is This is Really Going to Hurt, the incredible second album from the London-based band Flyte. Read my review of that here, and keep an eye out for an interview with them over the weekend.

Elsewhere in New Music Friday is Just Wondering, the Dublin trio whose debut single “Drive” got me very excited a few months ago. Now they’re back with “F*** That”, a slouchy electronic-pop track that encourages you to kick back and spend some (socially distanced, for now) quality time with your mates. Meanwhile, Darren Criss has blown me away a bit with “F*kn Around”, a full-blown, sexed-up pop jam. American-Polish alt-pop rapper Berry Galazka is a delight on the whimsical “Marisa”. “PDA” by Master Peace is a bouncy slacker rap anthem, removing any remaining doubt of his ability to flit seamlessly between genres.

Rising singer-songwriter Billie Marten is here with “Creature of Mine”, a brooding number built on grungey bass and her airy croons. My French-language picks for the week include Pas Sages with the melancholic “cyclone” and Requin Chagrin’s Eighties-influenced “Fou”.

I have two spotlight artists this week: Crystal Murray and Karl Benjamin. Parisian artist Crystal released her latest single “Creeps (Hotel Room Drama)” last week, while Karl dropped his EP DRIST at the end of March.

Check out my Q&As with them below:

– Hey Crystal, tell me about yourself

Hi, I’m Crystal Murray. I’m 19 years old, born and raised in Paris by an Afro-American dad, and a Spanish mother. I grew up in a very musical house, my dad is a musician - he plays saxophone, free - jazz. And I slowly followed his steps. I was always very connected to music and poems and when I realised I could make it, it helped me build the person I am today.

– What inspired this new music?

“Creeps“ is a song I wrote after a party me and my friend “crashed”. The people were very closed minded, the music had no drums and the minute we started playing our own music and opened the room up to another vibe; a more colourful, more open, vibe – the rhythm started to make everyone at the party move their hips. The party became fun and we started being the centre of attention - people really looked at us like we were something different and something that they had never seen before. There is always a moment where you feel different when you're a person of colour, I wanted to bring more beauty to this kind of situation - using words like freaks and creeps, and calling ourselves that because we’re not ashamed to be different. And in the end, we make your party move, and we are what you love.

– Do you feel like there's a bigger spotlight in the UK on music from France than there was perhaps three or four years ago?

Yes totally, French people are starting to own their sounds. The niche of today is becoming the mainstream of tomorrow. People are starting to respect black music and not just see it as ‘Urban' music.

– Do you prefer to perform in English, French, or a bit of both?

English is the language that I use to write my feelings and my emotions. But, anytime I start singing in French, I find the good words to explain what I want to say. It’s way more intense, maybe because it resonates more.

– What else do you have lined up for this year?

A whole project, a label, and a lot of very hot visuals.

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Karl Benjamin:

– Hey Karl, how's your 2021 so far?

2021 has been pretty good for me. I got my first body of work out on all streaming platforms, I have an amazing team around me, I’m seeing my loved ones more, and I was actually allowed outside for my birthday this year.

– Tell me about this new music

The songs that create DRIST, (an abbreviation for ‘Deep Rooted Insecurities and Shy Tendencies’) to me, feel like individual nuggets of my brain and thought patterns that you usually think about. Being trapped in the house with my own thoughts for so long has really shown me how much this word means to me.’m an antisocial extrovert that’s had the time to analyse their own DRIST, and in doing so, I’m slowly understanding myself & my cerebellum more each day. I wrote this EP with my DRIST in mind. I hope it reaches those with similar thought patterns to mine.

– What else do you have lined up for the year?

Hopefully performances. I really want to get out and really experience my sound in new ways. Also wanna see if people are liking my music.