Entertainment
African Fresh Picks: Ayra Starr & Rema, MOLIY & Tyla, Young Jonn, Shallipopi, Joeboy, The Cavemen. & More
While Tyla is dripping in “Chanel” on her latest designer single, the South African star is making movies on the dancefloor with MOLIY on “Body Go” and holding onto remnants of a past relationship with Lojay on “Memories.”
And there’s no stopping what’s coming from Mavin’s golden children Ayra Starr and Rema on their hypnotic collab “Who’s Dat Girl,” which debuted at No. 3 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs this week (chart dated Nov. 1). The single arrives less than one month after Rema popped out as a surprise guest during Starr’s performance at this year’s Global Citizen Festival, where they duetted on Rema’s “Baby (Is it a Crime)” single from earlier this year and his 2022 international smash “Calm Down,” with Starr filling for Sade’s and Selena Gomez’s parts, respectively.
We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and catch a vibe with our Spotify playlist below.
Lojay & Tyla, “Memories”
Lojay and Tyla cosplay as exes who are hesitant to let go of their haunted “Memories” of each other on this tantalizing highlight track from the former’s debut album XOXO. But their mellifluous “Eh-la-la-lo, eh-le-ah-no-ah” harmonies sound like a subtle hint that they’re still meant to be together. The Lagos loverboy reunites with his “Monalisa” collaborator, Afrobeats hitmaker Sarz, who brings his Sarz Academy protégé Twitch along for the duet’s sensual Afropop production.
MOLIY & Tyla, “Body Go”
Whether you’re in the back of the cab or in a “section full of baddies” at the club, MOLIY and Tyla command you to “dance, whine your body, go down” on their dancefloor filler. The infectious waist-whining rhythm of “Body Go” complements its come-hither lyricism. Months after releasing her U.S. Afrobeats Songs No. 1 “Shake It To The Max (Fly)” remix, the Ghanaian star continues to seize her moment.
Ayra Starr & Rema, “Who’s Dat Girl”
Mavin’s marquee stars Ayra Starr and Rema burn brighter together on their “Who’s Dat Girl” banger. Starr flaunts her It-girl status with poise, while Rema’s rapid-fire flow momentarily steals the spotlight from her – only for listeners to realize he’s spending his whole verse gassing up the gyal. And Ragee and The Elements’ dancehall-inspired and Middle Eastern-influenced production gives “Girl” a multicultural edge.
Young Jonn, “Full Control”
Young Jonn is giving up “Full Control” of his body tonight on his sleek and sultry single, which arrives ahead of his upcoming sophomore album Blue Disco. Producer Yung Willis’ electronic flourishes and subdued log drums help soundtrack Jiggy’s late-night rendezvous. “This one is about owning your space and moving with confidence. After so many collaborations, I wanted to drop something that’s purely me – my energy, my vision, my vibe,” he said in a press release about “Full Control,” which debuted at No. 42 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs.
Boj & Anaïs Cardot, “After Hours”
After delivering gorgeous verses on Asake’s “My Heart” and Wizkid’s “Slow” last year, French Gabonese singer Anaïs Cardot lends her lithe, featherlight vocals once more on Boj’s “After Hours” single ahead of his upcoming album Duplicity. Their intimate exchange floats over Genio Bambino’s guitar-driven production, which softens into an old-school R&B synth loop for an extra touch of romance.
The Cavemen. feat. Pa Salieu, “Gatekeepers”
The high-life masters just released their new album, Cavy In the City, today (Oct. 31), and on this latest single they brought Gambian-British singer Pa Salieu along for the ride. His contribution to the laid back track is less, singing, less rapping, than it is spoken word, adding a contemplative element to a track that is an engaging groove in the context of the overall album. The duo also announced a series of European dates for early next year, where they’ll take the new record on the road.
Shallipopi feat. Gunna, “HIM”
Shallipopi has been on an incendiary run of late, and this time he taps Atlanta MC Gunna for a street-to-street linkup that manages to feel like it lives simultaneously in both artists’ worlds. Shalli has an extended verse to open the track, using his slinking yet confident delivery to set the tone, before Gunna comes through to flow over the Spanish-inflected guitar that animates the brooding beat. It somehow manages to seem like a commercial hit, even though it’s still rooted in the streets. Another high-quality addition to both catalogs.
Flavour & Baaba Maal, “Afroculture”
Flavour — who also produced this song — often has a very distinct style, and this track embodies that, with driving percussion, traditional vocals and classic instrumentation that delivers a largely instrumental intensity that is lush with its different stylings and insistent in getting in — and staying in — listeners’ heads. It’s almost breathless, and feels much shorter than its three-plus minute run time, even as it fits in an avalanche of elements to create its sound. A real triumph, and a joy.
Lil Kesh feat. Balloranking, “TTGG”
Lil Kesh is one of the best and most consistent artists on the scene right now, and his vocals are distinct from anyone else out there. He’s so adept at melody and crafting catchy hooks that his verses can often fly under the radar, but he’s truly well-rounded in so many different ways that each release of his is a must-listen. Balloranking slides through with a different style on his verse, but it fits well within Kesh’s world on this ode to finding ways to get through tough times (which is one way of putting it).
Joeboy & Shoday, “Ring”
Joeboy is an effortless vocalist, one of the true crooners in the Afrobeats scene, and this is a twist on his usual love song — finally, after playing around with a number of women, he’s met someone who makes him want to cut off all his relationships to dedicate himself to getting married to the woman of his life. Accompanied by a hilarious music video which shows all that drama coming home to roost, this is another ear worm in his ever-expanding catalog of catchy hooks and varied takes on love songs.
Entertainment
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Smash ‘Golden’ Notches 10th Week as U.K. No. 1 Single
It’s another “Golden” week for KPop Demon Hunters as the breakout song reaches a whopping 10th week at No. 1 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart dated Nov. 7.
The song, taken from the Netflix smash film, is credited to the animated group HUNTR/X and sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Earlier this week it was reported that Netflix is targeting 2029 as a release date for a highly anticipated sequel to the animated flick.
“Golden” has now appeared at No. 1 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart for 10 non-consecutive weeks, and is the longest-running No. 1 single for an animated act of all time. The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” ruled on the U.K. Singles Chart for eight weeks back in 1969, while “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s 2022’s Encanto achieved seven weeks.
The song is also closing in on Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”, which has spent a whopping 13 weeks at No. 1 throughout 2025.
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” is a non-mover and ends the week at No. 2. It has already notched three weeks at the summit to give her longest-running No. 1 single since 2022’s “Anti-Hero”. The LP’s other breakout song, “Opalite”, stays strong at No. 4.
Joining them in the top five is RAYE‘s “Where Is My Husband!” which holds its position at No. 3. Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” lifts one place to No. 5, and is at the same spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, a career best.
As Lily Allen’s West End Girl moves up to No. 2 on the U.K. Albums Chart, the LP’s breakout song “Pussy Palace” heads into the top 10, finishing at No. 8. Two more tracks from the record, “West End Girl” (No. 15) and “Madeline” (No. 16), also achieve new peaks.
Entertainment
Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From Charlotte de Witte, Illenium, Romy & More
This week in dance music: Bunt.’s manager Nick Groff talked about using emerging technology to turn phones back on fans during shows during Billboard’s Live Music Summit in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 3.
Diplo reflected on his ex Katy Perry and her new boyfriend, the former prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau. Demo Lovato’s new dance album It’s Not That Deep bumped Tame Impala’s Deadbeat out of the number one spot on Top Dance/Electronic albums and the co-writer of Deadbeat’s star single “Dracula” Sarah Aarons told us about the production process and the procrastination that brought the song to life.
“It was like, ‘Cool, this mix is due in 45 minutes,'” Aarons recalled of finishing “Dracula.” “When you know you have a deadline, your brain just goes, ‘This is the right thing.’ [Kevin Parker] called me and he went, ‘What about this melody?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah! How did we not do that melody already? It totally fits the song.’ We’d written lyrics so many times, we already had so many lyrics floating around our brains. We had so much of what we knew the song was that it kind of clicked.”
Meanwhile, Fred again.. continued his 10 shows/10 songs/10 weeks run in Dublin (and in fact released three songs this week), we celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Madonna’s disco-laced Confessions On a Dancefloor and Calvin Harris announced a 2026 Las Vegas residency at Wynn Nightlife, the property where the Scottish producer had his first ever Vegas residency back in 2011.
The Avicii Estate and Pophouse released the first of a three-part documentary series about the making of the late artist’s 2015 album Stories and Above & Beyond released their own documentary about the making of their July album Bigger Than All of Us. Plus, Grammy season kicked off with the nominations announced today, with Skrillex, PinkPantheress and Fred again.. leading the dance/electronic fields with two noms each.
Is there more? You bet there’s more. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
Entertainment
Anuel AA & Blessd’s ‘Pórtate Bonito’ Skyrockets to No. 1 on Latin Airplay Chart
Anuel AA returns to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Pórtate Bonito,” his first team-up with Blessd. The track flies 9-1 on the Nov. 8-dated list, Anuel’s first champ in over three years.
Released August 21 on Real Hasta La Muerte, “Pórtate Bonito” was initially announced on Anuel’s Instagram account on August 6, alongside news that Blessd would join him on his RHLM 2 tour.
The collab, produced by Ovy on The Drums, surges 9-1 in its seventh week on the chart with the Greatest Gainer weekly honors, after a 32% boost in audience impressions, to 7.6 million, logged during the Oct. 24-30 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
The new win marks Anuel’s first No. 1 in over three years, since “Ley Seca,” with Jhayco, ruled for one week in February 2022. In sum, he’s placed 11 rulers, here’s a recap of those since “Ella Quiere Beber,” with Romeo Santos, in 2019:
Title, Artist, Peak, Weeks at No. 1
“Ella Quiere Beber,” with Santos, Feb. 2, 2019, one
“Secreto,” with Karol G, May 4, 2019, one
“Baila Baila Baila,” with Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin & Farruko, May 11, 2019, one
“Otro Trago,” with Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, & Ozuna, Aug. 31, 2019, one
“China,” with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna & J Balvin, Sept. 21, 2019, two
“Aventura,” with Lunay & Ozuna, Nov. 9, 2019, one
“Keii,” May 2, 2020, one
“Fútbol & Rumba,” with Enrique Iglesias, Aug. 8, 2020, one
“Location,” with Karol G & J Balvin, April 10, 2021, one
“Ley Seca,” with Jhay Cortez, Feb. 5, 2022, one
“Pórtate Bonito”” with Blessd, Nov. 8, 2025, one
Colombian star Blessd adds his third No. 1 on the overall Latin radio ranking. “Medallo,” with Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavarez, and “Si Sabe Ferxxo,” with Feid, each led for one week in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Pórtate Bonito” ascends 3-1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. Plus, it gains traction on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart, where it narrowly misses the top 10 with an 18-11 leap.
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