New Music Friday: Tinashe, Tank, Leon Bridges and More Pack R&B’s September 25 Release Schedule

R&B listeners are getting fed this Friday.

September 25 is shaping up to be a particularly busy New Music Friday, with Tinashe, Tank, Leon Bridges, Jae Stephens and Nippa all scheduled to release new projects. The lineup stretches across contemporary R&B, soul, alternative R&B and more experimental corners of the genre.

For Pulse Radio 96.1 listeners looking for something new to add to the rotation, here’s what’s arriving.

Tinashe — Popstar

Tinashe returns with Popstar, her eighth studio album and a 16-track project arriving through A Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records.

The album continues Tinashe’s genre-fluid approach to R&B, bringing pop and electronic influences into the mix. The rollout has included tracks such as “Crash Out,” “Too Easy” and “Melatonin.”

🎧 LISTEN: TINASHE — POPSTAR

Tinashe has spent much of her career moving between mainstream pop accessibility and the more experimental R&B that helped establish her independent era. Popstar arrives as her latest attempt to bring those sides of her sound together.

Tank — Experience

Tank is also back — despite previously suggesting that R&B Money would be his final studio album.

The veteran singer returns with Experience, his 11th studio album. The 16-track project includes “Control,” “Yes,” “Highlight” featuring Charlie Wilson and MK, and “How I Need You” featuring Kirk Franklin, Eric Dawkins and Zacardi Cortez.

Tank has described the album as an expansion of his traditional R&B sound, incorporating elements of dance, gospel and country while keeping R&B at its center.

🎧 LISTEN: TANK — EXPERIENCE

For longtime Tank listeners, Experience also marks an unexpected continuation of a recording career that appeared to be winding down only a few years ago.

Leon Bridges — Happiness Anytime

Leon Bridges enters the weekend with Happiness Anytime, his fifth studio album.

Produced by J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of Jungle, the project brings Bridges’ soul foundation together with a more groove-oriented contemporary sound. Its rollout has included “Light the Way,” “Tears of Joy,” “Illusion” and “Your Love Is Electric.”

🎧 LISTEN: LEON BRIDGES — HAPPINESS ANYTIME

Bridges has steadily expanded beyond the traditional soul sound that introduced him to audiences, making Happiness Anytime another step in that evolution.

Jae Stephens — Audacity

Jae Stephens is representing R&B’s newer generation with Audacity.

Stephens has been building momentum within contemporary R&B, and the September 25 project gives the singer a larger platform to continue establishing her sound. Audacity is among the projects officially listed on this week’s R&B release calendar.

🎧 LISTEN: JAE STEPHENS — AUDACITY

With several established artists releasing music alongside her, Stephens’ inclusion makes Friday particularly interesting: this isn’t a release day dominated exclusively by R&B veterans.

Nippa — Homegrown

Across the Atlantic, British R&B singer Nippa is bringing Homegrown to Friday’s lineup.

Nippa has become part of a growing contemporary UK R&B scene, blending American R&B influences with his own London-rooted sound. The Homegrown era has included its title track featuring West Coast R&B artist Blxst.

🎧 LISTEN: NIPPA — HOMEGROWN

His inclusion also gives Friday’s release schedule an international dimension at a time when the lines between American and British contemporary R&B continue to blur.

R&B’s fall release season is only getting started

September 25 isn’t an isolated busy week.

The current release calendar has Lalah Hathaway’s Made In Chicago arriving October 1, followed October 2 by Victoria Monét’s Frequency of Love and Meshell Ndegeocello’s Synonym. Dawn Richard and Joyce Wrice also have projects currently scheduled for October 9.

That gives R&B listeners a run of releases spanning multiple generations and styles within the genre.

For now, Friday belongs to Tinashe, Tank, Leon Bridges, Jae Stephens and Nippa — and Pulse Radio 96.1 will be listening.

Pulse Radio 96.1 — The Beat of Lake County