New Music Friday: Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan Collab for first time!

New Music Friday has officially entered the chat, and this week’s new music comes with some seriously strong pop combinations. First up, Olivia Rodrigo has teamed up with Chappell Roan for a brand-new remix of “expectations”, marking the first official collaboration between the two stars. The original appeared on Olivia’s third album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, and the new version was produced by their shared collaborator Dan Nigro. If putting two of pop’s biggest personalities together wasn’t enough, the accompanying video goes full retro game show, with the pair going head-to-head in a series of wonderfully bizarre challenges hosted by none other than Talking Heads front man David Byrne. Subtle? Absolutely not. Fun? Definitely.

Tate McRae is also kicking off her next chapter with “Housewife”, her first new release since the deluxe edition of So Close To What. The title might suggest domestic bliss, but Tate is very much not playing the traditional housewife role here. She has described the song as being about a woman who “can’t be contained”, while the video, filmed in the south of France, leans into the glamorous, slightly chaotic energy of the track. And Tate had actually been dropping clues about the song for months, including hiding the word “Housewife” in the opening of her Lollapalooza set. Her fans apparently missed the most obvious clue imaginable. Classic.

KATSEYE are giving us something a little more emotional with “UNLOVEU”, which has now made its way onto streaming after previously being available only as a hidden bonus track on physical editions of their WILD EP. The track shows a softer side of the global girl group, focusing on that strange moment when you realize you’re finally starting to move on from someone. It’s also a particularly interesting release because KATSEYE member Lara co-wrote and co-produced the song alongside Ross Golan and Amy Allen, giving her an even bigger creative role within the group. So if you thought KATSEYE were all high-energy pop bangers, “UNLOVEU” is here to prove they have a quieter side too.

And finally, Kygo and Ava Max are back together with “Before You Know It”, their latest collaboration following 2024’s “Whatever.” The Norwegian producer and pop powerhouse clearly decided that one collaboration wasn’t enough, bringing us another polished dance-pop track that clocks in at just under three minutes. It’s the kind of pairing that makes immediate sense: Kygo supplies the euphoric production, Ava Max brings the huge pop vocal, and suddenly Friday afternoon feels like it should involve a dancefloor.

So, whether you fancy Olivia and Chappell battling it out on a bizarre vintage game show, Tate McRae refusing to be contained, KATSEYE showing off their more vulnerable side or Kygo and Ava Max getting the dance-pop engines running again, there’s plenty to add to your playlist this week.