When it comes to new music, March Madness is already off to the races with a deluge of high-profile albums, surprise songs and major announcements for A-listers and rising stars alike.
Lady Gaga unveils her wildly anticipated seventh studio album MAYHEM while Tyler Rich says Hello California on his long-awaited sophomore set, Nightly drops Songs to Drive To and Franc Moody deliver their third album, Chewing The Fat.
Meanwhile, Twinnie issues a battle cry for International Women's Day in the form of "Woah Man"; Doechii puts a rap twist on Gotye's GRAMMY-winning "Somebody That I Used to Know" with "Anxiety"; Elton John and Brandi Carlile tease their anticipated collaborative album with "Swing For the Fences"; "Rachel Chinouriri announces her upcoming EP Little House with lead single "Can we talk about Isaac?"; and Corey Kent regrets a love affair gone wrong on "Girl I Never Met."
Below, dive into 10 enthralling new releases including JENNIE's debut solo album, Ruby, a deluxe upgrade on Kelsea Ballerini's latest LP, j-hope's wildly anticipated return with "Sweet Dreams" and more.
The fact that JENNIE is the fourth and final member of BLACKPINK to release her debut solo project over the last three months may seem ironic to BLINKs, considering she was actually the first to release solo material back in 2018 with the appropriately titled single "SOLO." However, the wait for Ruby pays off in spades, putting the final, glittering puzzle piece into the girl group's remarkably creative and fruitful hiatus ahead of their world tour happening later this year.
Prior to the album's unveiling, JENNIE had already delivered a quartet of shapeshifting, dynamic knockout punches with singles "Mantra," "ZEN," Dominic Fike collab "Love Hangover" and especially the stellar "ExtraL" featuring Doechii, but it turns out that was just the tip of the star power radiating off Ruby.
The South Korean rapper properly reintroduces listeners to her magnetic charisma and swaggering stage presence on "like JENNIE"; gives thrilling new life to an instantly recognizable sample of Enoch Light's "Hi-Jack" on "with the IE (way up)"; teams up with Dua Lipa for the lovestruck pop of "Handlebars"; and reaches a new level of vulnerability on dreamy mid-tempo ballad "Starlight." By the time the album closes with bittersweet acoustic number "twin," JENNIE's devoted fans — affectionately, and fittingly, known as Rubies — will be able to say they've seen more than a dozen sparkling new sides to the K-pop star.
Read More: Breaking Down Every Solo Act From BLACKPINK: From LISA's "Money" To JENNIE's 'Ruby'
Kelsea Ballerini doubles down on her latest studio album, PATTERNS, by dropping the deluxe edition with five new tracks replete with the five-time GRAMMY nominee's characteristic honesty, wit and musicality.
According to a giddy social media post by the newest coach of NBC's "The Voice," the quintet of bonus songs were "written and recorded over the holidays on car rides and backstage on the first leg" of her ongoing Patterns Tour, which is set to cover the Pacific Northwest and West Coast throughout the rest of the month with stops in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and more.
Among the highlights, the "Sorry Mom" singer finds healing in the wake of the high-profile divorce that inspired her 2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat on "Hindsight Is Happiness," flirts with finding a fling on "Put In To Bed" and comes up with a devil's advocate-approved contingency plan for falling out of love on "Cut Me Up." Plus, she simultaneously spirals out and learns to avoid pushing the panic button on the laid-back "Future Tripping" and pens a moving thank you to reliable new love everywhere on "To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak."
Wake up, there's a new Hobi song! Ever since he completed his mandatory Korean military service in October 2024, fans all around the world have been anxiously awaiting new music from j-hope. So it's safe to say their dreams have come true with the release of his latest solo single "Sweet Dreams."
On the airy track — which arrives just in time for his first U.S. solo tour later this month — the K-pop idol trades the old-school rap stylings of his 2022 EP Jack in the Box and 2024 compilation HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1 for a swooning love song featuring an ultra-smooth assist from Miguel. "You the only cover that I need when I'm cold/ You can have my body, with my heart and my soul," j-hope vows before adding, "You light up my life, you're like a diamond/ Shinin', shinin', shinin'."
Read More: Breaking Down Every Solo Act From BTS: Singles, Debut Albums & What's Next For The Septet
What started between Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana as a collaboration on a single song has officially blossomed into the fully formed supergroup ASTROPICAL, now complete with a self-titled debut album.
Each of the 12 tracks on the Spanish-language studio set takes direct inspiration from a different astrological sign, from opener "Brinca (Acuario)" and lead single "Me Pasa (Piscis)" to "Una Noche en Caracas (Tauro)" and "Fogato (Leo)." The latter also received a carefree, cinematic video treatment about a budding romance between two young women upon the album's release.
To celebrate their serendipitous release, ASTROPICAL will hit the stage twice this month, making their stage debut at the Vive Latino festival in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 16 and the Estéreo Picnic festival in Bogota, Colombia, on March 29. But that certainly won't be the only chance to see ASTROPICAL in action — according to a press release, more tour dates are set to be revealed in the coming months.
Read More: 8 Essential Latin Electronic Releases: Songs And Albums From Bizarrap, Arca & More
Jessie Reyez is busy creating core memories on her "PSILOCYBIN & DAISIES," the latest preview of her just-announced studio album PAID IN MEMORIES. "Tomorrow's just this moment's enemy," she tells a lover before practically begging in horny hyperbole, "So let me f— you in a field full of daisies 'til we both run dry/ I wanna, I wanna love you to death/ I wanna love you to death."
Arriving March 28 via Island Records, Reyez's long-awaited follow-up to 2022's YESSIE will also contain previously released tracks "GOLIATH," Lil Wayne collab "RIDIN," the Miguel-assisted "JEANS," "JUST LIKE THAT" with Ari Lennox and closer "SHUT UP" featuring Big Sean.
Jason Isbell — 'Foxes in the Snow'
Last fall, Jason Isbell walked into Manhattan's legendary Electric Lady Studios with a singular goal in mind: to record an entire album in a matter of just five days. The six-time GRAMMY winner's only rule was that the project would be acoustic — just him and a 1940 Martin guitar sans the usual backing from his trusty band, The 400 Unit.
The resulting body of work, Foxes in the Snow, marks Isbell's first solo LP in nearly a decade. Featuring folksy, stripped-down tracks like "Bury Me," "Crimson and Clay" and "Good While It Lasted," the 11-track collection arrives accompanied by Feels Real Good, a short film helmed by GQ global editorial director Will Welch.
Fresh off their viral appearance on NPR's Tiny Desk, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso swing for the fences with their new EP PAPOTA.
Not only have the Argentinian hip-hop duo released the nine-track project, which is split between four new songs and five live recordings from their time behind Bobby Carter's famous desk in Washington, D.C. They've also dropped a 16-minute short film humorously tackling the imposter syndrome and outside pressure that comes along with internet stardom set to songs like "IMPOSTOR," "RE FORRO" and "EL DÍA DEL AMIGO."
Four years after their 2021 debut album, Spiritbox are back with their sophomore studio effort, Tsunami Sea. Though it's hardly like the Canadian metalcore rockers have simply been biding their time: in the interim, they've also released two EPs and scored back-to-back GRAMMY nominations for Best Metal Performance for their songs "Jaded" (2024) and "Cellar Door" (2025).
Following those acclaimed releases, Tsunami Sea includes singles "Soft Spine," "No Loss, No Love" and "Perfect Soul" as well as album cuts like dynamic opener "Fata Morgana," the hard-hitting "Black Rainbow" and the swirling title track.
Read More: On 'Tsunami Sea,' Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante Contemplates Adversity, Solidarity & Renewal
Nearly 25 years into his acclaimed solo career, TobyMac has reached the double digits with his landmark tenth album, Heaven On My Mind.
The LP has already scored the seven-time GRAMMY winner a No. 1 hit on multiple Christian radio airplay charts, as well as a Top 10 entry on Billboard Hot Christian Songs tally, thanks to the success of lead single "Nothin' Sweeter." It also features guest appearances from Juan Winans ("Rearview") and Terrain ("Resist (Keep The Devil Away)") and a special dedication to TobyMac's late touring band member Gabe Patillo in emotional closer "Goodbye (For Gabe)."
Just days after pop quintet Why Don't We settled a three-year legal battle with former management, Daniel Seavey begins a new chapter with his debut solo album, Second Wind. Preceded by singles "The Older You Get" and "Gateway Drug," the studio set finds the rising singer/songwriter crafting a sound all his own rooted in the melodic pop-rock of the early 2000s.
According to a press statement, the former boy bander imbued his guitar-driven solo effort with a "'glass half full' sort of vibe," which he employed to balance out the album's overarching autobiographical narrative of "a boy desperately clinging on to his youth while life is trying to force him to grow up." Other standouts include the pulsing “Lose Me Like You Mean It,” impassioned breakup tune "You Let Me Down," and poignant ballad "If I Ever Get To Heaven."