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Welcome to the It List Spring Guide, where we share our picks for the best in entertainment. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases that we can’t wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.
It’s either a recession indicator or a sign of the changing seasons, but pop music is defrosting. Bangers are in bloom as artists are releasing upbeat songs and albums to get us out of hibernation and onto the dance floor.
Festival season is also nearly upon us. The lead-up to Coachella in 2024 brought us two of the year’s most popular singles — Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” — so it’s possible other artists will follow the same playbook this time around. Mark your calendars: Coachella starts April 11.
Other festival acts who could release songs ahead of their upcoming performances include Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Benson Boone and Charli XCX. Honorable mentions go to Carpenter and Tate McRae, whose latest music came out in February but will remain in constant rotation in the spring.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the most anticipated pop music releases through March and May. Here are some of our favorites.
Doechii, “Anxiety”
Doechii performs at the Grammys. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for the Recording Academy)
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What to know: Fresh off her Best Rap Album win at the Grammys, Doechii isn’t slowing down. Plenty of her older hits are still tearing up the charts — one of which she freshly released after it blew up on TikTok: “Anxiety.”
Lady Gaga, Mayhem
Lady Gaga performs at Saturday Night Live. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)
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What to know: For the first time since Chromatica provided a rare bright spot in the depths of the 2020 pandemic, Gaga released a new album. New songs like “Abracadabra” and “Garden of Eden” are still making their way up the charts.
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Why it’s a banger: Though some may say she “reheated her nachos” by returning to her offbeat but upbeat sound, I say Mother Monster returned to her roots, breathing much-needed life into pop music.
Chapell Roan, “The Giver”
Chappell Roan performs onstage at the Grammys. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
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What to know: There’s no denying that Chappell Roan catapulted to pop stardom in 2024, but over the course of the year, she only released one single. Fans have been eagerly awaiting her follow-up, “The Giver,” since she performed it on Saturday Night Live in November.
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Why it’s a banger: The song’s country twist follows the trend of pop girls embracing twang and comes just in time for cutoff jean weather.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, I Said I Love You First
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco at the Golden Globes. (Michael Buckner/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images)
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What to know: Selena Gomez is one of two actresses on the list making her return to pop music after Oscars season. For this album, she teamed up with her fiancé, Benny Blanco, a producer and songwriter who’s responsible for many of the bangers of the 2000s.
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Why it’s a banger: Though many of the songs have a slow, thoughtful quality, there are plenty of bops, like “Call Me When You Break Up” and “Bluest Flame.”
Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead
Ariana Grande performs at the Oscars. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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What to know: The good witch of dreamy pop music blessed us with six new tracks as a follow-up to her March 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine.
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Why it’s a banger: Wicked might have made her an Oscar nominee, but she’ll always have one of the most enchanting voices on the Top 40.
Lucy Dacus, Forever Is a Feeling
Lucy Dacus performs on The Tonight Show. (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
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What to know: Shortly after confirming her relationship with fellow Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker, who also has new music out, Lucy Dacus is releasing her “most romantic” album yet.
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Why it’s a banger: Dacus’s whisper pop singles might seem like the kinds of things that get people on the dance floor, but trust me — the only way to fully experience her brilliant lyricism in songs like “Ankles” and “Best Guest” is to scream them from the top of your lungs.
Maren Morris, Dreamsicle
Maren Morris performs during Extra Innings Festival 2025. (Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage)
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What to know: Maren Morris has dabbled in many genres and worn many different hats over the years, but she promises that her forthcoming release represents her “truest, most secure self.”
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Why we’re expecting bangers: Many of the songs on this album first appeared on her 2024 EP Intermission, which was devastatingly slept-on. Now’s your chance to make things right by streaming the relentlessly catchy “Push Me Over.”
Lana Del Rey, The Right Person Will Stay
Lana Del Rey at Reading Festival 2024. (Joseph Okpako/Getty Images for ABA)
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What to know: Lana Del Rey has been known to delay her album releases, but with a big performance at Stagecoach on the horizon, it seems like her country-influenced project will soon be ours.
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Why we’re expecting bangers: Del Rey is at her best when she’s embracing Americana. It’s a thrill to hear her in her element again.
Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful
Miley Cyrus performs at SNL50: The Homecoming Concert. (Todd Owyoung/Peacock via Getty Images)
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What to know: We don’t know much yet about Miley Cyrus’s forthcoming album, except that it’s going to have a stunning visual component and 13 new songs.
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Why we’re expecting bangers: More like Bangerz, right? Well, “Flowers” has been stuck in my head consistently since it was released in January 2023, so I’m sure Cyrus has a few earworms planned for us.
