Because this is a music-focused newsletter, do we need to mention the Grammys? Everybody else goes all in with the “who should win” and “who will win” guesses. Which is anyway easy: Beyoncé should win, and whoever sells the most records will win. To my knowledge, Beyoncé was not even nominated this year, so there will be another upset. But her husband put a word in for her at the show. Let’s see if that will help next year.

I made an attempt at serious Grammys coverage last year with the surprising discovery that we had a few Grammy nominees and even winners on glamglare over the years. And, of course, we wish every musician we have ever covered to be invited to “Music’s Biggest Night.”

But these days, Elke and I have Portugal on our minds. We will go to the capital, Lisbon, for a week. We haven’t visited a new city since Nashville in 2015, and we haven’t traveled to Continental Europe, except for Germany, in forever. We picked the city for many reasons, but music was not one of them. Over the years, we have featured only a few Portuguese musicians, most of whom don’t even live in their home country.

We will see Alice Phoebe Lou’s new project, strongboi, next Saturday in Lisbon, giving us an impression of the live music scene there. Alice played our 2019 SXSW showcase, and hopefully, we get to say ‘hi.’

Sometimes Elke and I are stopped in our tracks by a good cover: the French duo Nouvelle Vague released their cover version of one of my favorite 80s songs, ABC’s “The Look of Love.” Ultra-chill and sung with a charming French accent, this version is irresistible. There will be more reimaginations of 80s hits on their album Should I Go or Should I Stay, out next Friday.

Then, we have an addendum to Mïrändä’s “Put Down Your Phone” of last week’s list. Again, she delivers a colorful and fun video for her song. Here, you have a musician who writes, produces, and performs super-catchy songs and stars in impeccably produced videos. Grammy, anyone?

Finally, the New Colossus Festival in NYC comes closer. From March 6 to March 10, international indie music reigns in eight venues on the Lower East Side. Badges go from $150, and if you are up for immersing yourself for a long weekend, this is the best bargain you can get.

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Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

Michelle Cheung, Kasia Kadłubowska, and Rebecca Mauch came together to make restrained, carefully crafted electronic music in Germany. Under the name Mayuko, they have released their debut album Songs To Whistle When Strolling Along The Abyss, and “Human” is the latest single. “This song deals with the way we consume media and the fear of losing empathy and becoming numb,” the band explains about the track.

The Finches are back! Or, more precisely, the irresistible Australian sister duo Charm of Finches. For their fourth record, Marlinchen in the Snow they moved away from their mostly acoustic arrangements to a more full pop music sound. But no worries, “Clean Cut” is still quintessentially Charm of Finches. As usual, Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes directed and edited a gripping short film-like video.

The Montréal-based musician Annick Brémault chose a pseudonym of the Brontë sisters, Aloysius Bell, as her stage name. She just released her debut EP Warm Things with eight elegant electronic pop songs that let her emotive vocals shine. “Sometimes you just don’t get along with your person, and you have to vent,” she says about the latest single, “Wreckage.”

The Kansas City band The Greeting Committee is after the quan, or “popmoneyhits” as they call it. The video might make your stomach a bit queasy, but it is fun to watch:

Calling a song “Addictions” and making it sonically addictive is a genius idea. Jova Radevska and Mark Vernon make music together in London as YOVA, and this track makes us anticipate their second album Dreamcatchers, out on March 1.

Dream Prescription is a synth-pop duo from NYC. Their new song, “Star Size,” is a reminder that everybody is a star in their own life. “I tried to get across my experience that embracing my own ‘weirdness’ and laughing at myself has helped me feel better in my own skin,” singer Tim Robert says.

Sunna Margrét makes experimental electronic pop in Iceland. Her new song, “Come With Me,” is a restrained dance-pop piece influenced by the German krautrock pioneers Can and NEU!, among others. Her debut record Finger on Tongue is out on March 28 via No Salad Records.

Nine Photos of a Winter Sunny Day

After a long stretch of cold, grey, and, frankly, miserable days, the sun finally made an appearance again. We missed her. But last Saturday, she stayed with us all day long, and I could snap a few pics on my way to and from work from Ridgewood, Queens, to the Upper West Side. While enjoying a quiet afternoon in Central Park, I was amazed and strangely delighted about people feeding the squirrels. Tourists? They are back, too, luckily. Here’s to more sunny and warmer days to come!