NME’s latest star of The Cover, Songer, has curated an exclusive playlist to complement the launch of the story – check it out below.

The rapper features in this week’s (13th May) edition of The Cover, part of NME’s ongoing commitment to championing emerging talent worldwide on a weekly basis. Each week, a rising artist takes centre stage on The Cover – you can delve into Songer's profile here, penned by Seth Pereira and featuring photography by Tom Oxley.

The playlist draws inspiration from Songer’s recent mixtape ‘The Price of Therapy’. Named ‘Free Therapy’, it comprises 17 tracks "to ease the mind", according to Songer, featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle, alongside other rap luminaries, as well as selections from Sampha, Stereophonics, and Amy Winehouse. Listen to the entire playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.

The playlist reflects Songer’s diverse musical tastes, as discussed in our Cover story. “I was always into grime or rap music, but I also was never limited to it,” he tells NME. “I loved Oasis, I loved James Morrison and artists like that in all different genres… When I started making music I was pretty fearless in terms of what I wanted it to sound like, I could write a song that was grimey, but I could also write an R&B tune the next day.”

2024 has proven to be a breakthrough year for Songer, with his single ‘Toxic’ and third album ‘Skala’ both breaking into the UK Top 40. Reflecting on how the lyrics for ‘Toxic’ were crafted years ago for an appearance on the Bl@ckbox YouTube channel, Songer reflects with amusement: “Those bars might be some of the most streamed freestyle bars ever. It’s a wicked part of my life to look back on, and I think ‘OK, well, at least if nothing else happens, that one’s pretty legendary.’”

Learn more about Songer in the full Cover story here and discover other artists who have graced The Cover here.