Bruno Mars returns with his new album The Romantic on February 27, 2026, leading a packed New Music Friday slate that includes major projects from BLACKPINK, Gorillaz, and Mitski. The day features high-profile singles from RAYE, Alex Warren, and Ava Max, alongside a diverse array of albums and tracks across genres. Releases are expected to drop at midnight in local markets, promising to dominate streaming playlists.
February 27, 2026, marks one of the busiest New Music Fridays of the year, with Bruno Mars releasing The Romantic, his first solo studio album since 2016's 24K Magic. The album features the Top 5 single I Just Might and aims for a third UK chart-topper, following Doo-Wops & Hooligans in 2010 and Unorthodox Jukebox in 2012.
BLACKPINK follows their 2022 chart-topping BORN PINK with the EP DEADLINE, which includes the 2025 Top 20 single JUMP and focus track GO, performed by members ROSÉ, LISA, JENNIE, and JISOO. Gorillaz delivers their ninth studio album The Mountain, seeking another Number 1 after Demon Days in 2005 and Cracker Island in 2023, with six prior UK Top 40 albums. Mitski's eighth studio collection, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, succeeds her highest-charting release, 2023's The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, which peaked at number 4.
Other notable albums include Lauv's Songs I Couldn’t Forget, Kidwild's debut mixtape Job's Not Done, Geese's Live at Third Man Records, Iron & Wine's Hen’s Teeth, and Bill Callahan's My Days of 58. On the singles front, RAYE drops Nightingale Lane. from her upcoming album THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., due March 27, ahead of her BRIT Awards performance. Alex Warren releases Fever Dream prior to his BRIT nomination showcase, while Ava Max unveils KILL IT QUEEN.
Additional singles feature Sean Paul and Stalk Ashley on Ready for the Ride, Laufey's How I Get, Melanie Martinez's DISNEY PRINCESS, and Skye Newman's Walk, her first of 2026 and a potential fourth Top 40 hit amid BRIT nominations. Independent artist CHARLS shares Begging On My Birthday, inspired by unreciprocated efforts in relationships: "The overall statement in the song is, if you can’t show up for me on my birthday then we’re pretty much damned for the rest of the year, aren’t we?" Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and TIDAL will host most releases starting at midnight local time, with some using global midnight ET rollout.
