Daley Pop x May 2025 starring: Heidi Montag, Doechii, Benson Boone, Evanescence, Lena Katina, Lana Del Rey, MAYO, Mar Lucas, Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, NOCUI, Max Barskih and Marilyn Manson!

Music has been embedded in my life ever since I was in the womb, my Mum and Dad basically raised me on music, especially POP music! I grew up listening to Madonna, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Spice Girls, Britney Spears and even AQUA and I’ve always been obsessed with pop culture and Eurovison! I love sharing my favourite songs and album every month with the world from Scene HQ!

Heidi Montag – Body Language (feat. Spencer Pratt)

I don’t think anyone was expecting the Heidissance to be upon us in 2025 but Heidi Montag, a pop culture fixture of the 2000s is embracing her pop star era 100%. I imagine witnessing the world transition from BC to AD must have felt similar to this!

Despite the devastating loss of her home in the LA fires earlier this year, The Hills star is giving the gays everything we want.

I actually can’t keep up with Heidi feeding us new music left right and centre (I’m not complaining at all btw) and now she’s given us an official music video for Body Language (after waiting for 84 years)! The video gives Britney (Spears) Womanizer and is an undeniably campy and a hyper-synthetic slice of recession pop.

Body Language is taken from Heidi’s 2010 Superficial album that soared to number 1 on the iTunes chart earlier this year, 15 years after its release (woah) in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Oman.

Although Superficial didn’t achieve mainstream success upon its initial release, I’m proud to say I was one of 1,000 people that bought the album on its first release, just saying!

I was honestly thrilled for Heidi and the world in 2023 when I’ll Do It (taken from the album) went viral on TikTok prompting me to feature it in my column (HERE) and earlier this year Heidi dropped a way overdue official music video for it too.

To celebrate the unexpected resurgence of Superficial, Heidi released the expanded Superficial (Anniversary Edition), featuring eleven new tracks and six remixes, quickly followed by the surprise drop of Superficial 2: Heidiwood Edition with TWELVE additional new songs!

Superficial is available on vinyl now too! Adding to this flurry (love the word flurry) of activity, Heidi has also announced her second studio album, phew!

Speidi (Heidi and her husband Spencer Pratt) spending over $2 million of their own money on making Superficial in 2009 and now all of this unexpected success after their awful start to 2025 is such a full-circle moment, especially when they needed it the most, inspiring Heidi to record music again and live her best pop star life.

Heidi attended the Billboard Women in Music 2025 event looking sexy, famous and rich, performed at Coachella, invited Mr Worldwide aka Pitbull to collab with her on a I’ll Do It remix and is now performing all around the globe. Oh annnnnnd Heidi is even performing at Mighty Hoopla in the UK this WET HOT SUMMER!

Doechii – Anxiety 

Fuelled by a TikTok-driven resurgence that saw over 200,000 daily creations and a staggering 11.2 billion views across 2.3 million videos, Grammy-winning queer rapper Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon aka Doechii has officially released fan fave Anxiety with newly recorded vocals thrown in too.

Originally self-released on her YouTube channel in 2019, this track’s viral TikTok success prompted Doechii to release this updated version with a high budget music video.

At this year’s Billboard’s Women in Music 2025 event Doechii said “That song is years old, I made it in my bedroom just goofing around, and now it’s something that’s huge, and that people connect with, which is powerful.”

Anxiety solidifies Doechii’s position as an artist unafraid to push boundaries within planet pop.

Oh and yep the song does sample Gotye’s 2011 collaboration with Kimbra Somebody That I Used To Know. Iconic.

Benson Boone – Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else

The name on everyone’s lips right now is Benson Boone as he’s unleashed an undeniably catchy and well, a simply timeless anthem.

Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else serves as the first taste from his upcoming second studio album, American Heart.

Benny said “the day that we wrote this song, I was having a pretty weird day. I was in my head a little bit and emotional and I just walked in and I wrote it with Jack LaFrantz and the producer Jason Evigan and I was just kind of talking him through my mood and I was feeling weird and I didn’t want to bring that into the studio, like I didn’t want to just have a day where we’re all just kind of sulking and sad and so I was like “Let’s make something out of it,” and when we when I first started writing that chorus like, “I’m sorry I’m here for someone else,” on the piano it was really soft and slow, it was very slow down. Jason, he’s got like a bunch of synths and piano and keyboards everywhere and he’s like, “Dude, this is going to be a sad day,” and I remember he said that and after that I was like, “No, no, no, no,” and I walked over to a synth and I started playing it on the synth and I did it double time and Jack was like, “Okay, that’s sick, try singing it over that,” and we sung it over that a couple times and then we just moved on to the verse and like just started riffing. Writing everything on a piano definitely takes things a little slower and softer and sadder and it ended up being a really fun day at the end of it where we were all just like throwing in ad-libs and messing around and just throwing lyrics at the wall and enjoying ourselves. It just really turned the day around, so for me like that that song definitely kind of did a little 180 and turned into something that, in my opinion, is really like fun energy and a good vibe.”

Evanescence – Afterlife (from the Netflix Series “Devil May Cry”

From Bring Me To Life to Afterlife (see what I did there?!), Evanescence are back baby!

Afterlife was co-penned by Alex Seaver of Mako and the queen Amy Lee and co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz and Alex Seaver.

Amy revealed that Evanescence are “very excited to have new music. This is the first of many. We are working on a lot of songs right now for the new album, but this came up through Netflix, and we were just really excited to have an excuse to get in there right away.”

The sheer strength of Afterlife is reminiscent of Evanescence’s groundbreaking Fallen album so if there are more songs where that came from, my 14-year-old self will be super emo!

Lena Katina – Беги или останься

Lena Katina‘s first release of 2025 is called Беги или останься (I can’t read Russian either but it means run or stay) offers a compelling blend of contemporary pop sensibilities with a distinctly Russian emotional core, showcasing Lena’s powerful vocals against a backdrop of gorgeous electronic production.

The track pulses with a captivating energy, shifting between moments of vulnerability and strength perfectly mirroring the internal conflict suggested by the title.While the song maintains a polished pop sheen, Lena’s passionate delivery and the subtle Eastern European melodic undertones lend it a unique character that elevates it beyond typical mainstream fare.

I’ve loved Lena’s voice since the t.A.T.u. days and so grateful she’s still creating music.

Lana Del Rey – Bluebird

I’ll admit I was hoping for pedal steels after my Lana Del Rey announced she was recording a country album, but Bluebird is a gorgeous country-folk influenced song and prime Lana so I’m still a happy birdy!

With its gentle acoustic fingerpicking and the subtle twang of a harmonica, Bluebird creates a wistful and vulnerable atmosphere allowing Lana’s signature melancholic vocals to soar with a newfound fragility.

Henry, Come on is another compelling and atmospheric addition to her flawless discography, literally no one else does it like Lana and now I’m wishing my name was Henry.

MAYO and Mar Lucas – Decírtelo

Álvaro Gutiérrez Mayo aka MAYO aka “the twink of Spain” rose to fame after his time on Operación Triunfoand in 2023 (basically the Spanish version of Britain’s Got Talent-I think) and Mar Lucas is a big deal in Spain, she’s a singer and an influencer with millions of followers so a MAYO and Mar Lucas duet is….dulce!

The collaboration between the two artists feels natural, with their voices complementing each other over a slick and fresh beat punctuated by subtle electronic flourishes and just a hint of urban edge.

Oh and the official music video is directed by Ana Arden who is known for her work with Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, I can see it!

MAYO said “my influences are a bit of international pop and pop culture in general. I think I’ve always liked it a lot; I’ve always consumed it since I was little, and it’s also somewhat influenced the music I make now. And I’ve always been a big fan of pop girls, like Lady Gaga, so the music comes out organically a bit like that. I also obviously try to contextualise it within the market we’re in and the country I’m in”.

This blend of global pop sensibilities a deep appreciation for iconic pop figures and a keen awareness of his own cultural context clearly informs both MAYO’s music and evidently the visual interpretation brought to life by Ana Arden. The resulting music video is not merely a companion piece, but a thoughtful extension of MAYO’s artistic vision.

NOCUI – House Of Cards

Italian-born, Berlin-based DJ/producer and composer, Leonardo Di Fiore aka NOCUI is one to watch in 2025.

Leonardo said “With this one I focused on expressing the decadence and egocentrism that characterises our times. The “rotten king” is not at all a role model, but rather a fallen human blinded by its desires. Aren’t we all like this to some degree?”

House Of Cards is a captivating slice of dark synth-pop marked by its atmospheric production and hauntingly alluring vocals and I’ll say it, I’m hooked.

Dua Lipa – Physical (feat. Troye Sivan)

Future Nostalgia remains a rare, truly no-skip album (reminds me of COVID though gah) and to celebrate the 5th anniversary, Dula Peep sorrrrry I can’t help it, Dua Lipa dropped my favourite track from the album featuring Troye Sivan which add extra layers of euphoria to an already epic banger and that’s both (future) nostalgic hehehe and feels brand new!

Troye said “I’ve loved this song since the day it came out (snap) and Dua since the day I heard Be The One for the first time” oh Be The One is a bop too to be fair, maybe my second fave after Physical (featuring our boy Troye obvs).

Max Barskih – Someone new

Ukrainian singer, songwriter and producer Max Barskih is true a pop chameleon, consistently evolving his music and fashion and has announced his highly anticipated English-language album.

Following the beautiful Stomach Butterfly, a song about the power of love, Someone new arrives as the second single delivering an instantly infectious dose of synth-pop with a retro energy. Whilst maintaining a contemporary edge providing a dynamic backdrop for Max’s smooth vocals, he navigates the exhilarating and slightly disorienting feeling after a breakup and going through all the emotions.

Max wrote the song and said “It’s about that moment after a breakup when emotions come crashing in waves: first love, then anger, disappointment, and finally the cutting truth. You’ve been betrayed. You’ve given your heart to the wrong person. But this song isn’t about pain for pain’s sake—it’s about acceptance, letting go, and moving forward. I want listeners to see themselves in this story because we’ve all been there,” unfortunately so!

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Marilyn Manson – One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1

Marilyn Manson’s 12th studio album, One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 arrives as a typically provocative and sonically dense offering though perhaps with a slightly more streamlined and accessible edge than some of his earlier more abrasive and scarier work.

Though it doesn’t abandon his signature focus on societal decay and religious critique, the album’s layers of industrial grit and theatrical vocals surprisingly give way to catchy melodies and a more conventional rock song structure—an unprecedented fusion that makes it his most metal and pop album to date!

Omg who remembers Manson joining Gaga on the Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix remix of LoveGame in 2009 btw?!

One of the best remixes literalllly ever made. What a time to be alive.

Raise The Red Flag is definitely my favourite song on the album and fun fact: this song reached a career-high peak on the official UK Singles Sales Chart!

I love No Funeral Without Applause, As Sick As The Secrets Within, Sacrilegious, Meet Me In Purgatory, Nod If You Understand, Death Is Not A Costume and….Sacrifice Of The Mass too so yep, the whole album. OAUG C1 definitely showcases a more polished and arguably palatable iteration of Manson’s confrontational artistry even if it remains firmly outside my traditional pop comfort zone. Roll on chapter 2!