Friday Five: Andra Day's 'Phone Dies,' Sebastián Yatra meets Bach, and more

The five best songs we heard this week.

Friday Five
Photo: Joseph Okpako/WireImage; Jason Mendez/Getty Images; Samantha Burkardt/Getty Images; Sebastián Yatra/YouTube; anjimile/YouTube

Every Friday, EW's music team runs down the five best songs of the week. In today's edition, Andra Day takes a ride around the African diaspora, Dua Saleh kicks a hookup to the curb, Sebastián Yatra samples Bach, Anjimile teams with Jay Som, and ILOVEMAKONNEN makes a surprise return.

"Phones Dies" — Andra Day

There's a perception that any work an Oscar nominee releases in the lead up to the awards is required to be staid as to not risk any negative attention, but Andra Day does the opposite here. Her adventurous new track, produced by Anderson .Paak, gives listeners a delightful ride around the African diaspora, mixing elements of jazz, samba, electro-soul, and even traditional call and response. It's both a far cry from her turn as Billie Holiday, which she's currently promoting, and the Andra Day people remember from her breakout 2015 song "Rise Up." —Marcus Jones

"Whoopsy" — ILOVEMAKONNEN feat. Payday

"I done spilled my whole fo' on my motherf---in' Prada/And that b---- still dancing on me 'cause she know I got them dollars," raps ILOVEMAKONNEN in his trademark breathy yelp. This bouncy track off the 32-year-old performer's surprise new album isn't so much a mea culpa over reckless (and recklessly fun) behavior than a hilarious shrug; a falsetto "Whoopsy!" — as he repeatedly sings in the hook. —Alex Suskind

"Signs" — Dua Saleh

The confidence with which Minneapolis-based artist Dua Saleh asks "Wait, whoa, what's your sign?" is enough to leave someone so shook they won't remember what day they were born. The rapper makes quick work over this quasi-industrial beat, kicking a hookup out of their house — and having a hell of a time doing so. —Marcus Jones

"In Your Eyes (Reflection)" – Anjimile feat. Jay Som

There's a unique spiritualism to "In Your Eyes (Reflection)," a reimagining of the Boston-based singer-songwriter's 2020 meditation on gender and identity. With the addition of a fluttering string section and the refreshingly frank vocals of indie rocker Jay Som, Anjimile seems to have tapped into something beautiful, profound, and often unspoken. —Alex Suskind

"Pareja del Año" — Sebastián Yatra & Myke Towers

Prestige dramas scoring climactic moments with Bach's "Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007" tend to cause a tear-jerking Pavlovian response in me. But when the reggaeton beat drops on this amorous single, that emotional heft strikes a new chord. It's like Sebastián Yatra and Myke Towers are telling us, "There's going to be crying in the club this summer, and that's okay." —Marcus Jones

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