NEW ED SHEERAN: ed sheeran - perfect / fuse odg feat ed sheeran & mugeez - boa me

ed sheeran - perfect
i have to be honest, i was not a fan of this song when i first heard it. to me it felt like a 'thinking out loud' knockoff with even more twee lyrics. but you gotta give it up to director jason koenig who manages to take the cheese out and instead gives us a sweet video that shines even brighter with actress zoey deutch as the love interest. ski cabin bookings will go through the roof after watching this video!


fuse odg feat ed sheeran & mugeez - boa me
released on the same day comes this afro-beat jam by fuse odg with our boy ed giving a wonderful hook to the proceedings. it's a fun catchy song that will do wonders for the scene! love it!!

WONGIE INDIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: paramore - told you so

paramore - told you so
jeez...the speed of new material from big releases this year is crazy! just two weeks after launching the return of paramore with their wonderful 'hard times' track, the trio return with an afro-tropicana jam that's equally catchy and joyous! who knew that i've become a paramore fan?

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: paramore - hard times

paramore - hard times
marking 4 years since paramore released new material, hayley williams and co (founding member zac farro is back) put out this 80's afro new wave jam as their official return single and it's kind of awesome! throw in a colorful video and it's no surprise they garnered 2.4 million views in less than 12 hours of it's release! they're back people and it's a pretty good thing!

WONGIE HIP HOP SONG OF THE WEEK: pell - queso

pell - queso
to be honest the thought of food (i LOVE me some queso!) brought me to the world of new orleans based hip hop rapper pell. but sometimes these shallow reasons brings a positive outcome as his catchy 70's afro retro infused single has been on repeat since discovering it last week. already buzzed as a one to watch on loads of tastemaker music sites, let this be my hype addition to an exciting new artist to keep an eye out for!

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: nico & vinz - am i wrong

nico & vinz - am i wrong
already a massive 2013 hit back in the scandi territories, this afro friendly pop tune has turned into a surprise summer hit in the US, currently charting in the top 10 of the billboard hot 100 and one of the most shazamed songs in the world. kind of awesome for this new act!

DANCE MIX: fuse odg feat sean paul - dangerous love

fuse odg feat sean paul - dangerous love
something about this joyous african groove by ghanaian born nana richard abiona (aka fuse odg) that just makes it a perfect song to start off your day. it's cheese with an afrobeat!

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: dan croll feat the very best - nobody knows

dan croll feat the very best - nobody knows
as part of his deluxe edition (with 8 extra tracks!) dan croll ventures deeper into his love of paul simon's 'graceland' album with this afro-groove sprinkled pop track that has the potential to crossover big time. we've been fans of dan for a bit so all this new material marks a happy day for us!

want more? check out dan croll's collaboration with the amazing ladysmith black mambazo below:

dan croll feat ladysmith black mambazo - hello my baby (record store day release)

5 GREAT SONGS FOR THE DAY: ibibio sound machine - let's dance (yak inek unek)

ibibio sound machine - let's dance (yak inek unek)
THIS is a band that i'm going to be clamoring to see live! fronted by UK/nigerian singer eno williams, the ibibio sound machine celebrates retro west african sounds (the grooves and trumpet section alone) with some electronic disco making it a party that you'll wanna be a part of all year round! i'm a tad hooked with their debut single and can only imagine the jams forthcoming on their album. yaaay!

VIDEO PREMIERE!: kelis - jerk ribs

kelis - jerk ribs
it's the return of kelis! after a leak of this song came out about a year ago, the singer officially releases this afro cuban soul track produced by dave sitek (tv on the radio) in all it's funky glory!

LIVE WONGIE: laura mvula - green garden (live @ the graham norton show)

laura mvula - green garden (live @ the graham norton show)
making her live tv debut on friday, the ever awesome laura mvula shows that she can surely bring the energy of her wonderful song to a live audience! LOVE her!!!

WEEKEND CATCH UP: d'banj - oliver twist

d'banj - oliver twist
[it's this mix of afro beats with electronic grooves that makes this track so damn awesome! the lyrics are stupid as hell, but heck, i can't help but bop happily to this! oh and if you haven't seen the video, check out who shows up at the end!]