In the wake of of her chart- and list-topping single "thank u, next," Ariana Grande is back with another new song called "imagine," the second from her upcoming album allegedly also titled Thank U, Next. Unlike the John Lennon song of the same name, Ariana's single imagines a level of intimacy that includes bubble baths, pad thai, and lots of late-night sex, all draped over the song's sparkling hook,...

Across publications, tastemakers, even members of our own staff, there was little consensus about who made the best music of 2018. Reliable superstars were either M.I.A. or working through fallow periods: no new Kendrick or Frank, Beyoncé limited to an album of unmemorable duets, Kanye holed up in Wyoming making duds (and Daytona). This vacancy wasn’t all bad, however, because it allowed less obviously...

Will Westerman has already had too much caffeine, but because I’ve just arrived, ostensibly to chat with him over coffee about his breakout year as a musician, he feels obliged to drink something. At the counter of Southern Cross, a cramped “Aussie and Argentinian”-themed cafe in Manhattan’s East Village, he grabs what he terms “one of these weird fizzy drinks”: a bottled yerba mate soda....