Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...

The Queens-based Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Nia Marie turns breakup panic into a sleek, replay-ready single with Juan Arango at the controls. "Selfish" hits like the message you typed, deleted, typed again, then sent before courage ran away. Nia Marie is back with a Pop/R&B breakup single that feels close, moody, and painfully honest without dragging its feet. It has that late night playlist pull, but it also...