Rewinding 2023 (So Far): Area Resident's Favourite Releases ...

Diplo's Major Lazer & Major League Djz Share 'Piano Republik' Remixes

Emerging South African superstars Major League Djz and Major Lazer unveil the official Piano Republik remixes, featuring previously shared reworks by Jayda G, Jacques Green, Jyoty and Joy Orbison and a new Ape Drums remix of "Oh Yeah" with Ty Dolla $ign.

Major League Djz and Major Lazer's collaborative amapiano album Piano Republik was released earlier this year to critical acclaim via Mad Decent/Because, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Channel Tres, Nigerian stars Joeboy and Tiwa Savage, DJ Maphorisa and more.

"Africa is the center of musical energy for the whole world right now, and amapiano is easily one of the most exciting things happening," says Walshy Fire of Major Lazer. "It's blown up all over the continent, but it all started in South Africa, and Major League Djz are in the middle of everything. As soon as we got to experience their movement in real life, we knew we just had to collaborate."

The music on Piano Republik falls under the genre of amapiano, a South African style of house music that emerged in 2012 and is descended from the South African house genres, kwaito and Afrobeats. Pioneered largely by Major League Djz, amapiano is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths, airy pads and wide percussive basslines and is currently topping charts in the U.K. And beyond. The BET-nominated amapiano duo Major League Djz—twin brothers Bandile and Banele Mbere—have quickly risen to international visibility as stars of the South African dance music scene, serving as pioneers of the genre and de facto global ambassadors with hits like "Bakwa Lah" and "Dinaledi." Since the release of their critically acclaimed album from 2021, Outside, they have gone on to break the world record for the longest DJ set performed by a duo, performing for 75 hours for a special edition of their Balcony Mix Xperience. Last year, they performed at Coachella alongside Black Coffee and sold-out a headline show at the O2 Academy Brixton. This summer, Major League Djz will be the first amapiano act to debut a massive London residency at new venue at Outernet, playing and curating exciting lineups every Saturday in June. With fans and supporters including TEMS, Burna Boy, Honey Dijon, Jorja Smith, Rema, Asake, Stefflon Don and Jayda G regularly attending their parties in South Africa, Ghana and beyond, they're now poised to take the world by storm. Major Lazer is the global dance trio of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. Named for the group's fictional figurehead, a one-armed Jamaican Zombie War commando, Major Lazer's mission is to free the universe with music. The band has released four acclaimed albums, 2009's Guns Don't Kill People…Lazers Do, 2013's Free The Universe, 2015's Peace Is The Mission, featuring the Diamond-certified "Lean On" with DJ Snake and MØ—one of the most successful songs of all time—and 2020's Music Is The Weapon, which features songs in five languages and collaborations with Nicki Minaj, J Balvin, Marcus Mumford, Khalid, Alessia Cara, Anitta, Paloma Mami, Busy Signal, BEAM, Shenseea, Nucleya and more. September 3—New York, NY—Electric ZooSeptember 30—San Francisco, CA—Portola*November 17—Las Vegas, NV—MSG Sphere StageNovember 30—Las Vegas, NV—AWS re: PLAY* b2b with Major League Djz Photo credit: Joe Larkin

Taylor Swift Will Forevermore Be Dancing To 'Bestie' Selena Gomez's 'Single Soon'

Before Taylor Swift took the stage for The Eras Tour in Mexico City Saturday night (Aug. 26), she showed some love to Selena Gomez.

"Taylena" trended on social media soon after Swift posted an Instagram Story, where she shared a clip from Gomez's feel-good new "Single Soon" music video and her own thoughts on the track.

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"WHEN UR BESTIE IS THE BESTEST," Swift captioned the post. "WILL BE DANCING TO THIS FOREVER METHINKS."

Gomez, who says she's working on her third full-length album but isn't quite finished yet, describes "Single Soon" as "a fun little song I wrote a while back that's perfect for the end of summer."

Her last full-length was 2020's Rare. She released her all-Spanish EP Revalación in 2021 and the standalone track "My Mind & Me" in 2022, in support of her documentary. Since Rare, Gomez has also guested on a handful of singles, including Rema's 2022 hit "Calm Down."

Join Swift in having "Single Soon" on repeat by watching the video below. The Midnights superstar takes the stage for her third Eras concert in Mexico City Saturday night. She'll play one more show there on Sunday.

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Allison Holker Is Dancing Again! Posts New Dance Videos For The First Time Since Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' Death

Allison Holker has triumphantly returned to the dance scene after an absence of over eight months. The wife of late choreographer Stephen "tWitch" Boss stopped posting videos of herself dancing after her husband's suicide last year.

She appears to have found her dancing shoes again, as she recently posted a clip of herself dancing with their daughter, Weslie, on Instagram. Holker plans to release a children's book they co-wrote and had previously launched a mental health foundation in his honor.

Keep on reading to learn more.

Allison Holker Boss Is Dancing Again

Earlier in the year, Holker told People magazine that she had been coping with the death of her husband, but she hasn't danced yet, saying at the time, "I know that's gonna be a big step for me, but I'll get there."

@allisonholkerboss♬ original sound – dj.Jayeazy

Now, she has garnered the courage to do so, as seen by her recent dancing clips on social media. She posted one on August 23, dancing with her daughter, Weslie, to the remix of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

Three days later, she shared another video of herself on TikTok and Instagram, boogying with her friend Brittany Russell to "Bomb Intro / Pass That Dutch," a song by American rapper Missy Elliott.

Holker wore all-black outfits in both videos, possibly indicating she was still mourning her husband. Despite this, she had a radiant smile, showing her determination to navigate her grief with strength and positivity.

'Felt So Good To Dance Again'

In the caption of the video she shared on Instagram, Holker told fans it "truly felt so good to dance again" after taking such a long break.

She added, "I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I was both scared and excited. But dance has always been there for me… even now and I am so grateful for that."

In the video's comment section, fans commended her for finding her way back to dancing and encouraged her to keep up the positive outlook.

One fan said, "What a hopeful post. Vulnerable as hell …and taking a risk to do it anyway. I hope you feel the universe lifting you up."

Another person mentioned, "So happy to see you back out there living life."

A third fan wrote, "You are loved. So happy to see you smiling and dancing again!"

One more person remarked, "Celebrating this part of you coming back to life."

Allison Holker & Stephen Boss Loved Dancing Together InstagramAllison Holker

It's no surprise that Holker took a long time to return to dancing, as it was something she shared with her late husband.

They often performed together on the dance reality show "Dancing with the Stars." They first appeared on the show in season 16 and subsequently participated in seasons 21, 23, and 25.

The duo also performed in "So You Think You Can Dance" season 2 and in the all-star version of the show.

On several occasions, they shared dance videos of themselves on social media and sometimes featured their kids, a son, Maddox, a daughter, Zaia, and another daughter, Weslie, from Holker's previous relationship.

Boss' final Instagram post before his tragic passing on December 13 was a video featuring him and Holker dancing. His caption, "HOLIDAY SUNDAY FUNDAY DANCE," resonated with the festive spirit of the Christmas season.

She Plans To Release Children's Book In Honor Of Her Late Husband InstagramAllison Holker Boss

Honoring Boss' memory, Holker plans to release a children's book, which they began writing in 2021, per People. It is currently available for pre-order but will hit the shelves on January 16, 2024.

"I'd always had a dream of coming out with a children's book. It was from years ago when I had Weslie," Holker said about the book Keep Dancing Through: A Boss Family Groove.

She added, "Then a couple of years ago, I was like, 'Let's do it!' Let's show who we are and put it in story form…' It's something that I hope really can be seen by people and is our true essence as a family."

In February, Holker and her children also started a foundation, Move With Kindness, in Boss' memory to help individuals with mental health issues access needed resources.

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