“Get the point? Good. Let’s dance” – Janet Jackson, 1989
There’s a time and place for every mood and vibe when looking for new music, but generally like Whitney once sang… we just want to dance. You may not think you want to, but put on a specific song and all of a sudden you’re up on your feet. As a teenager, that’s how I would feel when listening to “4 Minutes” by Madonna. It just had that ability to get me out of my seat, so now that summer parties are starting to trickle in, dance music is having a moment in all its forms. Whether it be derived from R&B, Electronica, ‘90s House or Hip-Hop, this week’s new releases experiment with dance in so many different variations.
You can always count on Anderson .Paak to provide us with infectious grooves and magnetic stage presence to match. After sweeping the Grammy’s in 2022 with Bruno Mars on their collaboration as Silk Sonic, Anderson has now gone back to another duo he was a part of – NxWorries. It took them eight years to get back together but Anderson and producer Knxwledge finally put out their second album last year, and are now on a hot streak of releasing energetic and funky new songs. Anderson has always given us ‘80s soul/funk vibes in his music, bringing back a time when R&B music had a lot more dance elements in its production. It’s a popular misconception that dance music is limited to electronic or house music, but it can come from so many different genres; Anderson is making sure that we in 2025 know that. Anderson and Knxwledge (or “NxWorries” as they are known together) will be heading out on their first-ever headlining North American tour this fall. I got my cigar and dancing shoes ready, and hopefully Mariah Carey will be there lol.
Some of my favourite dance music comes from the ‘90s – the era that never met a piano riff or diva house remix it didn’t love; ahhh, they just don’t do it like they used to! If we’re being honest, while this is definitely a sound we all have so much nostalgia attached to, it isn’t always best to re-create it, we’ve seen what happens when you do. However, if we stick to remixes, then I say it’s fair game. This week brings the release of a brand new mix of one of the most beloved Y2K-era songs with a house diva twist that is very reminiscent of the remixes we used to get back then. And it’s all in honour of the 25th anniversary of the iconic second album by my personal living legend Britney Spears. I can always count on my girl to get me dancing.
Before moving on to this week’s MC playlist additions, I do have to acknowledge the latest release by Rihanna for The Smurfs movie soundtrack. Rihanna definitely had her work cut out for her because the last song that came from a Smurfs soundtrack was this absolute banger by a little artist you may recognize. Alas, Riri did not deliver the goods in my humble opinion, and this comes from a place of love. “Friend Of Mine” is certainly a dance track of some sorts, so it should’ve been a no brainer add, right? While it has a dancey vibe, the quality of the melody, lyrics and vocals all together were subpar for someone of Rihanna’s calibre. I take into account that this is for a movie soundtrack, and frankly Rihanna has absolutely nothing to prove, we already know she’s a musical icon; but girl, maybe no single at all might have been better.
Next week will give us new music from Renee Rapp and more music from Miley Cyrus before her highly-anticipated visual album Something Beautiful drops the week after. This week aside from NxWorries, we got new tunes from Aminé, Aya Nakamura, &friends, a new Britney remix and a viral pick from one of Britney’s “Great Impersonators”.
Listen on…
MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK
“Everybody Gets Down” by NxWorries, Knxwledge, Anderson .Paak
From the first note of this song, I was locked in. The slinky beat, soft keys and ethereal vocals courtesy of Anderson. Paak make it so that you get completely immersed in the song off the bat. Anderson has a unique way of releasing music; sometimes he’s solo, and other times he’s in a duo whether it be Bruno Mars or in this case, producer Knxwledge. Together the two make up the pair NxWorries and with this banger, they are letting the listeners know that they are back and mean business. The song is reminiscent of the R&B that was being created in the ‘80s, where yes it was still soulful and groovy, yet you could dance to it in a club and it wasn’t exclusive to a more chill sound. Those ‘80s R&B crooners really knew how to get you moving, after all it is Rhythm & Blues. Lyrically, Anderson is singing about love and the lustful tension that is shared between lovers - could be some Mimi tea? If you’ve been scrolling X recently, you’d know the chatter online is that we are well into May and there is no clear “song of the summer” emerging on the charts. There’s a point there, more than half of the songs in the Billboard top 10 are songs that were released last year, with three of them being well over a year old. We need something fresh to get into heavy rotation so let me be the one to throw “Everybody Gets Down” into the ring, because no day party should be without this dance/neo-soul piece of art.
“Baddies” by Aya Nakamura, Joé Dwèt Filé
It’s been close to a year since Aya Nakamura took over the stage at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris last summer, and now riding high off that success she is back with a sultry summer banger featuring MC’s Music Lounge favourite Joe Dwèt File – y’all know I just love a French-language banger. Maybe it’s my Moroccan heritage, but nothing makes me feel sexier than singing along and dancing to French music. The song blends Afro and Kompa rhythms, delivering a summery sound that compliments both Aya and Joé. Aya is widely considered to be one of France’s biggest pop stars, especially after her collaboration with Ayra Starr reached diamond status. Her recent Billboard cover story highlighting her worldwide success also helped establish that narrative, especially in light of her recent departure from major labels and launching her own independent label. With “Baddies” she’s on track for another major success, even a contender for summer anthem, resonating with fans of Afro-Pop. The video was filmed in Barcelona and features both artists in chic villas, complementing the song’s luxurious and carefree feel, while also exuding the summer vibes that have been running through all my music picks this week. Aside from her obvious talent and drop dead beauty, Aya has also made a name for herself in recent years as somewhat of a fashion icon, even performing at last year’s Vogue World fashion show. Just the potential looks that a summer themed album cycle could give is enough to get me excited for what’s next.
“Jackie B” by &friends, JOSEPH (CH), Brent Fiyaz
San Diego raised DJ &friends (whose real name is Sean Thomas) has been using his world music influences to create a sound in dance music that hasn’t been heard before. Currently based in Dubai, &friends has brought the sound of his music to audiences in New York, Miami, Tulum, London, Lebanon and more. If you take a look at the cities in the world where he has the most Spotify streams, you’ll see him thriving in Athens, Amsterdam and New York City – party cities. His recent set at Coachella saw him premiering a new Afro House mix of Brent Fiyaz’s 2022 hit “Jackie Brown”, appropriately titled “Jackie B” – re-imagining the song in a new way perfect for an outdoor night rave on a sunny destination. &friends has been performing the song in his sets for well over a year now at different festivals and dance floors, Coachella just happened to be the biggest stage he performed it at, prompting the mass audiences to demand a commercial release on streaming so we could have it for summer. &friends said it himself in his Instagram post announcing the release, some of the demands have been savage lol. Listen, when it comes to music, dance heads are going to demand their remixes get posted online – they’re already so hard to come by and given that majority of remixes that labels usually release commercially aren’t too great, sometime we have to take matters into our own hands as fans. The perfect vibe for summer – maybe we’ve had it wrong all along and the true leaders of Summer 2025 come from international DJ’s giving us something fresh. It’s all about vibes at the end of the day, and the rise of Afro House is about as vibey as it gets. Look out for many more songs of this genre to hit the playlist this summer.
“New Flower!” by Aminé, Leon Thomas
The latest album by rapper Aminé titled “13 Months of Sunshine” has dropped and is both a lover letter to his Ethiopian roots (the Ethiopian calendar runs for 13 months) and a result of his growth as an artist and man. “13 Months of Sunshine”, while also referring to the months in the Ethiopian calendar is also a nod to the year-long sunshine the country has and old school tourism slogans used in ads for Ethiopian travel. “New Flower!” is a feel-good anthem, one that you can blast from your speaker on a weekend day party or even just as you’re cleaning your apartment. It almost sounds like Anderson .Paak and KAYTRANADA merged into one, you can just imagine the vibes. Leon Thomas adds his vocals to the chorus of the song, using his lower register to establish a darker feel to an upbeat bouncy instrumental. It’s almost giving Disney villain – I hear Scar from the Lion King. In the second verse of the song, Aminé looks back at when he was an intern at both Complex and Def Jam Recordings and was sent to deliver a sandwich to Big Sean who went on to give him a $20 tip; which as he puts it in the song “that twenty saved my life that week”. As a former server at multiple restaurants, I know that feeling all too well. More than a decade later, and Aminé is one of mainstream Hip-Hop’s best kept secrets, because while he obviously has a huge following, he has managed to stay out of the drama and politics that happens when you make it big.
“Stronger – Adamusic Remix” by Britney Spears, Adamusic
I still can’t believe it’s already been 25 years since Britney’s Oops! album was released. And I gotta hand it to RCA Records for this one, because the promotion for this anniversary release has been flawless, and the actual release itself has been handled with such care. This is how all anniversary releases should be if the label chooses to do it. From unreleased b-sides, to fresh new updated remixes, the Oops!... I Did It Again album has earned its ninth life. The Adamusic remix of “Stronger” is one of the brand new remixes to be added to the release. It pulses with gritty bass, glitchy textures, and a slick modern drop that reframes Britney’s empowering anthem for the club crowd of today. Adamusic is an LA based DJ who is known for his mashups and Y2K-inspired sonic palette, turning nostalgic hits into futuristic dance anthems. For one, the sound of the telephone dialing at the beginning is the obvious nod to the early oughts, but it is Britney’s unmistakable vocals over the new production that truly keep the heart of the song alive. This isn’t the first time he has remixed “Stronger”. In fact, it was this viral mashup of “Stronger” with Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” that got him noticed by the team at RCA eventually commissioning him to create a new remix for the re-issue. The reality is we don’t know if we’ll ever get new music from Britney, and maybe we don’t need to. Her legacy speaks for itself, and we’re still celebrating it decades later. If she were to return, she would be welcomed with open arms – but until then, I’m just grateful we ever got her at all.
MC’s VIRAL PICK
Halsey “Bad At Love”
Halsey has had an interesting year since returning to the spotlight last summer. While her latest album The Great Impersonator wasn’t a monumental commercial success, it still showcased her longevity as she is currently on tour for the album across North America, and even just put out a new duet with Amy Lee of Evanescence. She is however now 10+ years into her music career, so like any artist who is transitioning into “legacy” status in the Tik Tok age, it’s around this time that an older track goes viral for the younger generation; Halsey has scored hers with “Bad at Love”. This is a result of a combination of nostalgia and meme culture. Fans have been creating face-swap edits and other memes featuring the song, as well as fan edits to TV shows and popular moments. The song has hundreds of thousands of uses on TikTok and is pulling in close to a million streams a day on Spotify. A whole new era of teens are learning about “the boy back home in Michigan” and how Halsey rhymed “Michigan” with “Bitch again”… wild.
@abigailliddlee Bad at love
♬ original sound - SpotifySounds
@embreighcourtlyn Bad at love #lipsync #sounds #audios #audiostouse #soundstouse #audios #sounds #hairstyle #foryou #foryoupage #fyp #blowthisup #viral #jewelry #makeup
♬ original sound - cleansongsalltheway
@morgapn Real
♬ original sound - SpotifySounds
It’s Halsey when she was just reaching the peak of her pop radio powers in the late-2010s, which in hindsight close to a decade later actually was quite a long string of successes for her. For some reason at the time, it didn’t feel that way when we as music fans were in it, but let’s give the girl her flowers… she had some hits! At the time of its release in 2017, the tune became a top 5 hit in the USA, and was certified 8x Platinum, so while it definitely didn’t “need” the viral attention it has been getting, it’s an indication of just how popular this song really was and continues to be.
@musictiktok2005 Team girl VS Team boy #coversongs #musiccovers #cover #badatlove
♬ original sound - SpotifySounds
@d4rwnism @Halsey talking about Bad At Love on @inyourdreamspod! (#halsey #halseyinterview #halseymusic #badatlove #halseyedit #halseyfan #fyp #fy foryoupage)
♬ original sound - d4rwnism
You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year.
With Love,
MC
