RuPaul, Shakira, Florrie and Tensnake and Jacques Lu Cont warm up your ears this Friday

RuPaul – Geronimo 

The drag icon just debuted a new album as her hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race returned to TV screens. Despite doing things off her own budget Ru manages to serve up knockout pop time after time. This track plays off of the New Orleans bounce sound with plenty of whirring guitars and signature RuPaul putdowns. Throw in YouTube twerk fave Julian Serrano in to the colourful, eye-popping video and you’ve got a Friday anthem designed to make you shake it.

http://youtu.be/lkUFQffOLag

Shakira – Empire

While her Rihanna duet burns up the charts Shakira is readying another track from her forthcoming self-titled album. This is a mid-tempo cut that lets her rock tendencies come out in full force. Hearing Shakira go full indie-pop might jar at first but her kooky delivery and yelps especially on the full-throttle chorus will beat you into submission. Another off-kilter gem from pop’s most eccentric bombshell.

Florrie – Seashells 

Working with the Xenomania team who crafted hits for Girls Aloud means that Florrie already has pop-geek pedigree. As she attempts to break into the mainstream in 2014 she’s whetting appetites with some new tunes. First up is the unusual but insistent bhangra-pop of Seashells. It may have an odd structure but it will firmly worm into your brain as her urgent delivery spells out every syllable.

Tensnake and Jacques Lu Cont – Feel of Love feat. Jamie Lidell

House producer Tensnake, best known for crossover smash Coma Cat, already has a killer Nile Rodgers assisted cut on this debut album Glow, due next month. But on this tune he shows off a Prince-style skill for 80s funk-pop with an undeniable groove. Teaming with Jacques Lu Cont, aka dance mastermind turned pop producer Stuart Price, it works as both a 80s throwback (with pitch-perfect vocals from indie darling Jamie Lidell) and as a song that could sign-post another revival of a once-popular sound following 2013’s disco revival.

https://soundcloud.com/i-d-online-1/track-premiere-tensnake