MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE: Time to Sweat

The public at large may swear by the lifestyle of having a “summer” body, but the true fitness season is the colder months. I prefer to spend my summers drinking on a patio with the body I built over the cooler seasons. Music is the driving force to get through any workout of mine, and given that I have just completed a half-marathon, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect sweat anthems. This is to say that Melanie C’s new single “Sweat” couldn’t have come at a better time. Complete with the iconic aerobics popstar get-up, Melanie follows a long line of female artists who serve up some serious gym motivation. 

If the 80s gave us anything it’s a few iconic songs and films that scream Zumba class as a Halloween costume. Everyone from Olivia Newton-John living a spandex dream, Jane Fonda completely re-inventing the home workout game, Jamie Lee Curtis giving John Travolta a few thrusts, and Jennifer Beals’s “maniac” moment, all of these moments brought glamour to the idea of a good sweat. Decades later we have Madonna’s instantly recognizable pink leotard, Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa (in her best Olivia Newton-John drag) who have incorporated the workout look in their videos and songs - who doesn’t love a festive and colorful fitness themed performance? Sh-t, Madonna even opened up her own chain of gyms across the world titled “Hard Candy Fitness”, complete with photos of her all over the walls and her music blaring through the speakers. To my sheer horror, the gyms did not last longer than a few years, but you have to respect a diva who is dedicated to the plot. 

Melanie C is the perfect addition to this elite club of fitness pop goddesses, especially since she literally is Sporty Spice and frankly it’s shocking that it took her this long to go back to her “Sporty” roots. Now it’s just more fun because she’s doing it with a feminine edge and a banging bod in her 50s. In the 90s she was rocking the Nike Air Max, and in the 2020s she has traded the Nikes for some spandex. There’s something endlessly appealing about the image of a popstar in motion, or any entertainment icon for that matter. Maybe it’s the literal sweat or the complete power in her stance as she poses, performs and commands her space. Of course I also just love a look lol. In pop music, the workout is never just about working out. It’s about putting in the work and making it look good, and for that I thank all my girls. The only gym motivation I will ever need.

Next week, continuing with the trend of c-nty pop music, we have the new release by Demi Lovato. Her ninth studio album It’s Not That Deep has seen Demi making fun dance music with subject matter far less serious and strenuous as her previous works. She recently made headlines after selling out her show at the Hollywood Palladium in 20 minutes with demand far exceeding expectation. She said back in 2022 that she was done with touring, but she seems to be putting that idea to bed with this new era. This week, we got new tunes from Melanie C, Tame Impala, Ty Dolla $ign with Travis Scott and Leon Thomas, Muni Long, Sam Fender with Elton John and a viral pick that takes us all the way back to the 90s courtesy of the 4 Non Blondes.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Sweat” by Melanie C

From the initial sensual whispers of “speed it up slowly” and such, Melanie C is making it clear that she is in her dance-pop era. Out of all the Spice Girls, Mel C is the sole member who has consistently made music and put out albums for the entirety of their career. She always was the singer of the group, but her solo music tended to stray away from the traditional bubblegum pop of the Spice Girls for a more singer-songwriter edge. This time around though, it seems Mel just wants to dance and has even said that this upcoming new record is the closest she has ever gotten to re-creating the Spice Girls sound. This return to form is resonating in a big way with fans. The video has already garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, which is way more fruitful than her previous releases. Well, except for “Never Be the Same Again” and “I Turn to You” from her debut album Northern Star, but there’s no competing with a British Girlie Pop classic. This is the most alive Melanie has seemed on a record in years. Even the girls of KATSEYE are hopping on to the Melanie C train with this latest TikTok of them dancing to the song, simulating dumbbell lifting along with a respectable amount of diva sass. This of course is introducing her sound to a younger generation of listeners who weren’t around when Sporty was preaching “girl power” in the late 90s. Melanie looks as incredible as ever in the video as she flaunts her washboard abs like only Sporty Spice can. Her passion for performance is on high as she prepares for a sold out show this weekend in London where she will be kicking off this celebratory era of her career on stage. While we all wait for Posh to get it together and agree to the reunion, I’m more than happy to fan out over Melanie. 

 

“My Old Ways” by Tame Impala 

The most talked about new release this week across all social platforms and billboards around downtown cores of any major North America city is the latest album by Tame Impala. Deadbeat is the fifth release by the music project brought to life by Kevin Parker. “My Own Ways” tells the story of a man in fear of falling into his “old ways” that he put in the work to fall out of. Sung over an infectious piano riff that plays over a thumping bass and danceable groove, “My Old Ways” brings out the best of Tame Impala’s experimental approach to psychedelic music. The song follows a thread of the entire album that is embracing the rave scene, a scene that Kevin Parker himself has said heavily inspired the album. The Australia rave scene in particular was used as a point of reference when conceiving the album’s creative direction. The song picks up into a dance track before reverting back to the simple piano riff that serves as opener. With  a glossy high-budget feel that is showcased throughout, the album comes together for a unique listening experience with something new to discover on every listen. He made a point to say that he didn’t want to feel like he had to make “sonic perfection” but rather enjoy the freedom of experimenting in the studio in order to put out a body of work that felt authentic. The new album incorporates more minimalism than his previous works but as we can hear on “My Old Ways”, that only helps to enrich the track by highlighting the strengths even more. Certainly worth that 5 year wait. 

 

“MIXED EMOTIONS” by Ty Dolla $ign, Travis Scott, Leon Thomas 

Another artist whose new album is 5 years in the making is Ty Dolla $ign, and his latest Tycoon is filled with features including this one with Travis Scott and Leon Thomas. Ty Dolla $ign is one of the biggest forces behind pushing Leon Thomas to mainstream success after signing him to his record label EXMNY Records. While the album itself hits on some deep topics like anxiety and addiction, “MIXED EMOTIONS” is about what happens when trying to move on from a past relationship that make future situations both confusing and dull in comparison. Leon sings backgrounds in the song along with a bridge that steals the show, a bridge that upon first listen isn’t even recognizable as Leon’s voice. Leon’s touch along with Ty’s deeper tone and Travis’s mumble rap style make for the perfect trap anthem ready for the sexy stoner playlist. Talk about breaking a sweat. Ty Dolla $ign walks the line between trap music and R&B, making his album the perfect place for listeners like me who are generally more attracted to the rhythmic side of things to hear something different. Trap isn’t necessarily my first pick when I’m searching for music, but when it catches me in the right mood, it stays on for an hour or two. Beyoncé once said that when she needed a confidence boost she would stare at herself in the mirror telling the haters to “bow down b-tch”. That’s how a catchy trap song can make me feel. Leave it to me to still find a way to include a diva in my reaction, but that makes me MC lol. 

 

“Delulu” by Muni Long 

In the midst of her spot opening up for Brandy and Monica on “The Boy Is Mine Tour”, Muni Long has used the public spotlight to launch her latest single release. It’s an R&B ballad in the vein of her other hits “Hrs & Hrs” and “Made for Me” titled “Delulu”. My girl is taking Mariah’s “you’re delusional” lyrics through a 2025 filter. The song is as catchy as anything that miss Priscilla Renea (Muni’s real name) writes with that golden pen of hers. She has a knack for writing beautiful melodies over R&B/Pop driven records and her solo work has steered more into the lane of 90s and 2000s contemporary R&B. In “Delulu” she sings about love at first sight and that delusional state that one can go into when totally blinded by love. Or as I like to call it, lust. In my eyes, love isn’t instant and requires time to build trust but maybe I’m just on the guarded side. Having said that, she did call the song “Delulu” for a reason so I will let you all be the judge on that one. Muni has included the song during her opening set on The Boy Is Mine Tour which has already been taking over social media and even making headlines with Brandy’s recent early exit from the Chicago stage. Muni has earned this spot after the years that she spent creating hits for other artists. Now she’s no longer a “one hit wonder” and is continuing to release new music as her audience grows. 

 

“Talk to You” by Sam Fender, Elton John 

Sam Fender has been having one hell of a 2025, and specifically one hell of a week. He just won a Mercury Prize for his latest album People Watching, and now he’s got one of the most legendary figures in music to be featured on his latest single. “Talk to You” will be featured on the deluxe edition of his award-winning album and features Sir Elton John. Fender says the song is about the disillusionment of a long relationship, in particular the friendship between your partner and the lessons that come along with it. Fender always leans towards the more vulnerable approach to his songwriting, opening a portal into himself for his fans to find truth in. When Sam was thinking about adding a piano riff to the song, he hit up Elton and the two linked up for collaboration. How casual to just be able to call up Sir Elton John, but I guess when you’re a Mercury Prize-winning musician you can pretty much get anyone you want in the studio with you so long as they are still on this earth. Elton himself on his Rocket Hour radio show called the collaboration between Sam “a baptism of fire”, saying that the entire songwriting process was close to three years in the making, adding that the two have been friends for a while. The song had the carefree “dance in the field” energy that the majority of Sam’s songs give me, perfect for a dramatic romantic montage in a chick flick, and that’s a yes for me. 

 

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes 

In true viral trend fashion, an unexpected mash-up has taken over the masses online. This time it’s courtesy of Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in The Trap” with the 4 Non Blondes classic hit “What’s Up?”. The result is hundreds of thousands of videos using Linda Perry’s vocals over Nicki Minaj’s beat before her own rap comes in. Not a duo I ever expected to listen to but I shouldn’t be surprised to hear Linda Perry with an artist from a different genre. This is the same Linda Perry who co-wrote Christina Aguilera’s career defining album Stripped. And I do love this Nicki song as it has a ring of nostalgia to my senior year of high school, but there’s just no competing with the 4 Non Blondes. “What’s Up” evokes a feeling of euphoria into anyone who hears it. Its chorus is what radio hits are made of, something that is timeless yet simple enough that even the most casual listener can sing along to. The trend itself follows duos as they stand back to back against one another singing Linda Perry’s part before the camera pans to the another participant who raps Nicki’s portion; it’s called the “What’s Going On” challenge or the “Beez in The Trap” challenge, all the same really. But when you get Jimmy Fallon doing the trend with Malala Yousafzai, one of the brightest voices of our time? Yeah, that’s viral. The idea is to capture either the different personality types or feelings between the two people (usually family or friends). The broadcast TV world is even getting in on the action as the main stars of NBC’s Brilliant Minds did their own rendition, then Nicki retweeted. It’s all a blur.

@foot_on_a_stick

so much is going on #nickiminaj #viral #fyp #MentalHealth #theatre

♬ original sound - dj auxlord

@aj.carey

@carlos.d6larosa

♬ original sound - dj auxlord

@4llyzw0rld

and they ain’t say nothinnnnn @sam

♬ original sound - dj auxlord

@alcalderon

Back with my partner in crime. Watch brilliant minds on mondays @Peacock @NBC

♬ original sound - dj auxlord

@katseyeworld

and i say… beez in the trap 🐝 #KATSEYE #KATSEYE_Megan #KATSEYE_Yoonchae

♬ original sound - dj auxlord

With a spot at #2 on the TikTok Viral 50 chart and earning up to one million Spotify streams daily, “What’s Up” is getting another round in the sun more than 33 years after its initial run. That’s the great thing about timeless classics, they continue to prove themselves even when they aren’t required to any longer. 

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