King by Florence + the Machine

Since Florence Welch formed Florence + The Machine in 2007, she has been developing personae with richly-imagined worlds. The song King is confessional, proclaiming I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King, thus mirroring the realities of being a woman in the music industry. “As an artiste, I never actually thought about my gender that much. I just got on with it. I was as good as the men and I just went out there and matched them every time,” Welch has said.

Multitude by Stromae

It’s the first album Belgian pop star Stromae in nine years. The music takes listeners back to Stromae’s childhood visits to Bolivia with his mother, and it offers a unique view of whatever he touches, including fatherhood on C’est Que du Bonheur. The long break between albums is partially related to severe health problems, which he suffered after an anti-malarial treatment set off a chain reaction. He broaches the subject of mental health on the track L’Enfer.

Made Up Mind by Bonnie Raitt

The first single — Made Up Mind — from her April release finds the 72 year old in top form singing about a toxic relationship and the end of a bitter end to a romance. Written and first recorded by a Canadian band called the Bros Landreth, the line that says it all — The break of a heart that won’t break now more. “On this record, I wanted to stretch. I always want to find songs that excite me, and what’s different this time is that I’ve tried some styles and topics I haven’t touched on before,” Bonnie Raitt has said in a statement.

Dead Leaves by Ambar Lucid

The 21-year-old is a storyteller and there is longing in her music. On Dead Leaves she sings: Dead leaves cover the floor/ I need someone to hold me/ Like never before/ Should I even bother letting anybody know how I feel? A promising voice and an equally promising lyricist.

Letter to Ur Ex by Mahalia

Leicester singer-songwriter Mahalia touches on heartbreak and moving on. The lyrics are restrained as well as potent: You can’t do that anymore and Yeah, I get it/That don’t mean I’m gonna always be forgiving. “I remember when I wrote this song and how special it felt. When I first started writing songs as a little girl, I was always so protective of my words and my stories. I never wanted to compromise when it came to telling stories that were true to something I was going thru,” she has posted on Instagram.