@Daryl Alabado

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

The best songs for getting you through that final lap or set. Our editors regularly update this playlist—if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

“This is a playlist of all the songs that make me feel empowered,” songwriter and rising indie-pop star Carla Wehbe tells Apple Music. “I get drawn into a song from the melody, so even if the lyrics are not necessarily happy or upbeat the melody can still give me that sense of empowerment and joy, so I hope it does the same for you!” Fittingly, her own penchant for winding potent pop sing-alongs around the gay abandon of ’80s-powered good times is on danceable display here. From Paris Hilton’s first hit single through to Dusty Springfield’s heartstrings balladeering, all great melodies are beautiful in the ears of Carla Wehbe. Read on for more on some of her selections. <b>“Stars Are Blind”, Paris Hilton</b> “In an industry previously unfamiliar to her, Paris Hilton cemented her place in pop music with one of the most iconic pop songs of all time (in my clearly unbiased opinion), so naturally it had to be in my playlist.” <b>“The Winner Takes It All”, ABBA</b> “When you think of ’80s pop, you think of ABBA (or I do, anyway). This is such a heart-wrenching song and the fact that two of the members were going through a divorce and were still able to put that all aside and create a musical masterpiece is so inspiring.” <b>“Anything but Ordinary”, Avril Lavigne</b> “Avril is the person who inspired me to become an artist and this song in particular reminds me that being different is OK, and feeling like you don’t ‘walk within the lines’ isn’t a bad thing.” <b>“Nobody’s Perfect”, Hannah Montana</b> “This song is definitely a guilty pleasure, but it doesn’t matter—if I’m feeling sad, lonely, insecure, listening to this song immediately lifts my mood.” <b>“I Only Want to Be With You”, Dusty Springfield</b> “To me, Dusty Springfield feels like the birth of pop music. This song is so full of pop melodies. I love seeing where pop music started and how so much is carried through the years—and is still a part of what makes up pop music today.” The artwork above was created in collaboration with Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta artist ENOKi. Apple acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past present and emerging.

Ask any current young popstar who inspired them, and chances are you'll get one answer and one answer only: Britney Spears. The epitome of the American girl next door, the multiple chart topper has dominated the pop landscape since the late '90s. She's influenced everybody from her little sister to Charli XCX, to Girls Aloud and Lady Gaga.

There’s something about dancing when you’re sad that feels more cathartic than dancing when you’re happy. We’re not saying it’s good to feel bad—only that it can take a down mood to recognise just how uplifting a good song can be. These are for the bittersweet moments: the ones where you feel alone but safe, a little washed out but tough enough to pick yourself up and start over. Our editors update this playlist regularly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

“I think there’s a time in every artist’s life [when] they have to do something that isn’t for fans, isn’t for success,” Miley Cyrus once told Apple Music. She could have been speaking about any number of moments from her profoundly varied career. Born Destiny Hope Cyrus—the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus—in Tennessee in 1992, Miley leapt to stardom as Disney’s Hannah Montana on the strength of perky, empowering bubblegum pop. Since then, she has shed her wholesome teen image and secured a reputation for an intense work ethic and an unshakable self-assuredness. Her 2009 summer anthem “Party in the U.S.A.” earned her credibility in the pop world, but it was 2013’s <i>Bangerz</i>—particularly the power ballad “Wrecking Ball”—that cemented it. She detoured into a psych-tinged collaboration with members of The Flaming Lips on 2015’s <i>Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz</i>. 2017’s <i>Younger Now</i> mixed country and pop. And 2020’s <i>Plastic Hearts</i> was a neon-hued explosion of disco, synth-pop and glam rock that featured Joan Jett and Stevie Nicks. Those frequent partnerships helped define her as a pop pace-setter—but on the 2023 smash “Flowers”, Cyrus confidently reaffirmed that she’s more than capable of standing on her own.

Here’s a home for new tracks from some of the most familiar voices in pop. Easy stuff to add a little brightness to your day. Treat yourself. Our editors update picks here weekly, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

From uplifting anthems to heart-rending ballads, here’s a playlist capturing the best of contemporary pop: bright, clean, fun and familiar. Because it just feels good. We regularly update these tunes, so if you like something you hear, add it to your library.

Big, bold, bright—pop songs are made for dancing and singing along to. But when you listen to them in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, you can take that experience to another level, as sound comes to you from all directions. Curated by our editors, this handmade playlist offers an immersive listening experience that’s the closest thing to being in the club, in the very centre of the moment’s hottest songs.