The singer and rapper Labrinth, beloved for his score to the HBO show Euphoria, drops his latest album this week, along with new ones from Jessie Ware, Smokey Robinson, Joy Oladokun and more.Featured Albums:1. Labrinth — Ends & BeginsFeatured Songs: "Kill For Your Love," "Everything," "Power Couple"2. Jessie Ware — That! Feels Good!Featured Songs: "Freak Me Now," "Beautiful People"3. Joy Oladokun — Proof of LifeFeatured Songs: "Spotlight (available only on CD and vinyl)," "Changes," "Taking Things For Granted," "We're All Gonna Die"4. Baby Rose — Through And ThroughFeatured Songs: "Fight Club (feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow)," "Stop the Bleeding," "I Won't Tell (feat. Smino)"5. Smokey Robinson — GasmsFeatured Songs: "How You Make Me Feel," "Beside You," "Gasms"Lightning Round: Dreamer Isioma — Princess ForeverIndigo De Souza — All of This Will EndThe National — First Two Pages of FrankensteinTony Shhnow — Love StreakOther notable releases for April 28:Arturo O'Farrill — Legacies Avalon Emerson — & the Charm Bebe Rexha — BebeDiplo — Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2, Swamp Savant Great Lake Swimmers — Uncertain CountryJFDR — MuseumJim Legxacy — homeless n**** pop musicJosh Ritter — Spectral LinesJoseph — The SunNeil Gaiman & Fourplay String Quartet — Signs of LifeNew Breed Brass Band — Made in New OrleansPeach PRC — Manic Dream Pixie Rickie Lee Jones — Pieces Of TreasureSkinny Pelembe — Hardly the Same SnakeTaj Mahal — SavoyY La Bamba — LuchaYUNGMORPHEUS — From Whence It Came Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Joy Oladokun is a singer and songwriter from Arizona, now based in Nashville, who’s been releasing music since 2015. Last year, she was named an Artist to Watch by NPR, Spotify, and Amazon, and she was #1 on Vogue’s list of New LGBTQ Artists To Listen to Now. She put out her third album, In Defense of My Own Happiness, in June 2021. It includes the song “Look Up.” For that track, she worked with Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Dave Bassett, and while they were working and talking, they recorded a couple long voice memos. Joy sent me those voice memos, and in this episode, in addition to the stems of the recording, and Joy’s story about how it was made, you’ll hear the actual moments in late 2019 when the song was first coming together. Joy explains how the song was inspired by the different, and maybe opposite ways that she and her partner see the world. For more, visit songexploder.net/joy-oladokun.