TRENDING

2017 is going to be a dope year for music, we can just feel it. Laura Marano is going to have a *big* year with the release of her first album, Niall Horan is set to grace us with his first solo record and is it just us, or is Taylor Swift long overdue for new music of her own? Things are already off to a great start, though, so let's not get ahead of ourselves. Instead, let's chat about the music that has graced our ears just this week.

Austin Mahone's ForMe+You mixtape

We can't think of a better way to wrap up a year than with new music from Austin Mahone. On Saturday, Dec. 31 Austin released this 8-track mixtape, his first music since his hilariously titled This Is Not the Album mixtape in 2015. The new EP features performers such as Pit Bull, and the sound reminds us a lot of Nick Jonas and Jason Derulo. Our song picks? "Better With You" has a chill yet enchanting Cali vibe that is especially Nick Jonas-esque, while "Wait Around" gets a little sad, but in a way that's perfectly relatable. It's a *must* listen as we await his debut album coming later this year!

Ashley Brinton's music video for "All I Need"

Ashley Brinton's music style *and* fashion style are both on point, and her music video for "All I Need" proves it. Though it's more "new to us" than "new," you'll catch us dancing in front of the mirror to the electro-pop track, wishing we were adventuring around the streets of New York City like Ashley is with cutie Tenzing Trainor (Liv and Maddie) in the vid. Turns out, Ash and Tenzing had an amazing time taking on the city together.

"We shot from Central Park to the Hudson River to Times Square at night, which was packed with people and magical with all the lights," Ashley spilled to GL. "When we were in Central Park filming, there were so many people. Everyone was watching and cheering us on. We actually had a man dressed as Big Bird keep approaching us. It was so funny to see a life size bird dancing to my song!"

If this video is any indication, Ashley is going to have an awesome year!

To cap things off, Ed Sheeran announced via Instagram yesterday that he is debuting new music this Friday—eee! This has been a *long* time coming for the "Thinking Out Loud" singer. On Dec. 15, 2015, he took a break from social media. Exactly one year later, he posted just a blue square on his Instagram. Then, he posted this short video yesterday on Twitter, suggesting that 1. he is back on social media and 2. the visual theme for this album will be blue (with + being orange and x being green) and that the title will have something to do with division. We are so glad to have Ed back, and we can't wait to hear his new music!

What are you listening to today? Share in the comments.

by Sydney Adamson | 1/2/2017