Robyn - "Fembot"

International pop pixie Robyn has been driving pop music forward since 1995. She's been able to stay fresh and current and yet still honest and never pandering. Her music is always timely and her sound is always on point. How she doesn't have shelves full of Grammy's is beyond me.

Swedish singer, songwriter and record producer Robyn arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, Robyn Is Here, which produced two Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles: "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love". Her second and third albums, My Truth (1999) and Don't Stop the Music (2002), were released in Sweden. Robyn returned to international success with her fourth album, Robyn (2005), which brought critical praise and a Grammy Award nomination. The album spawned the singles "Be Mine!" and the UK number one "With Every Heartbeat". Robyn released a trilogy of mini-albums in 2010, known as the Body Talk series. They received broad critical praise, three Grammy Award nominations, and produced three top-10 singles: "Dancing On My Own", "Hang with Me" and "Indestructible". Robyn followed this with two collaborative EPs: Do It Again (2014) with Röyksopp, and Love Is Free (2015) with La Bagatelle Magique.

Her forthcoming album could not be more anticipated. Her fans are breathless over her long silence and the most recent single tease "Missing You" has people across the world tell her how much she's been missed. 

So today, with a shout out to Paradise Motel's "Fembot's Have Feeling's Too" party full of femme-pop favorites and inspired by today's artist, I choose Robyn's "Fembot" as my, do not let your past define you, take the time to make choices based on who you want to become, look at yourself critically but gently, song for a, all the feels, Missing you is hard to do, Welcome Home, Monday.

Rihanna - "Man Down"

There's something in the audacity of this song. The idea that she's singing about a murder she committed, it's just wild. With this song she joined a very select few singers who were brave enough and yet powerful enough to sing about being the villain. Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury, and Cher are just a few; not bad company to be in. 

It says something about her cultural power and about her ability to make you listen to a song beyond it's catchy beat. With the tropical rhythm bringing you hints of Bob Marley, Princess Riri, takes a twist on this classic style of song and makes it all hers. 

So today, with shots fired, I choose Rihanna's "Man Down" as my, forever mood, what are you gonna do, I dare you, song for a, this is me, you can't change it, consider the mold broken, Friday. 

Breakwater - "Release the Beast"

They had a sound and a feel that was lightyears ahead of it's time. They stood on the backs of greats to look farther into the future than even they knew.

The band, originally from Philadelphia was formed in 1971. The original members of Breakwater consisted of Gene Robinson, James Gee Jones, Lincoln 'Zay' Gilmore, Steve Green, Vince 'Garnel' Dutton, Greg Scott, John 'Dutch' Braddock, and Kae Williams, Jr. They were signed to the Arista label in 1978. Their second album Splashdown, which was released in 1980 has been referred to by Tom Bowker of the Broward Palm Beach New Times as a funk masterpiece.

Breakwater is an American funk band from Philadelphia. The band released two albums: Breakwater in 1978, and Splashdown in 1980. The latter features the song "Release the Beast", which was sampled for the Murs track "Intro" in the album Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition. "Release the Beast" was later sampled by Daft Punk for the song "Robot Rock", which appeared on the album Human After All.

The sound of Breakwater's music is normally that of slow jams, but they have been known to incorporate rock music and funk styles into their songs, much like their song titled "You". "Release the Beast" is best known by non-funk music fans, and the band's sound can be closer compared to that of Con Funk Shun or Earth, Wind & Fire.

So today, with that beat drop getting me ready to DANCE, I choose Breakwater's "Release the Beast" as my get down, jam like jelly, dance like Ciara, song for a, here it comes, get yourself ready, the beast awakens, Thursday.

Estère - "Nomads"

Estere Dalton is beautiful and brainy, gifted and funny, articulate and charming. You would expect her to have friends galore, right? Well, she does, but not all of them are human. Some of her best friends are machines, you see.

By day, Dalton tutors anthropology at a Wellington university. By night, she makes a sort of jazz-damaged hip-hop soul music in her bedroom – a sound she calls "electric blue witch-hop" – using a rowdy crowd of electronic instruments, all with names of their own.

These instruments are her plug-in chums, her wired-up whanau. A lot of her human family lives in Africa and France, but her second family is always nearby, sitting quietly in her room until she flicks the "On" switch and kicks them into noisy, vibrant life.

Fond of emitting all manner of digital barks and growls, her synthesizer is called Korgi. And she has "sort of a mother-daughter relationship" with a sampler named Lola.

Now 25, Dalton is a "child of the global culture clash", she says. She was born on Waiheke Island and grew up in Wellington, but a far wider world is expressed in her thoughts and her music.  

"My mum's a Pākehā New Zealander and lives over here, but my dad's from Cameroon in Central Africa, and he lives with my two brothers in France. I lived in France and Germany myself as a teenager, and I'm fascinated by how people from different cultures are socialised to process information in profoundly different ways. A lot of these songs are inspired by looking at other people's positions in the world relative to me and relative to each other."

Dalton believes her African ancestry makes her gravitate towards certain rhythms and melodies, and she hears echoes of her own concerns in the work of other musicians of African descent.

Reviewers often compare Dalton to US hip-hop soul queen, Erykah Badu, but she's far more influenced by "dramatic older singers who create a whole world and invite you in", she says – people like David Bowie, Grace Jones and Nina Simone, and sonically inventive indie bands such as Dirty Projectors and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. 

So today, with adventure calling my name and the North Wind pulling at my coattails, I choose Estère's "Nomad" as my, wander as long as you need, find a mystery in every step, listen to the call of the wild, song for a, sing yourself home, follow the light, listen to the voice softly singing you into the west, Wednesday.

Dan Seals - "Bop"

I mean, some days you hear something and it sparks a memory and it just takes you all the way back. Today I heard an awesome mix by a new DJ collective that I know and one little lick in that mix made me think of this song, and of dancing around the kitchen with my Mom and fishing with my Dad. It was a wild and wonderful trip down memory lane, so now I'm bringing you guys with me. 

Danny Wayland Seals was an American musician. The younger brother of Seals & Crofts member Jim Seals, he first gained fame as "England Dan", one half of the soft rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, which charted nine pop singles between 1976 and 1980, including the No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight".

After the duo disbanded, Seals began a solo career in country music. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he released 16 studio albums and charted more than 20 singles on the country charts. Eleven of his singles reached Number One: "Meet Me in Montana" (with Marie Osmond), "Bop" (also a No. 42 pop hit), "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)", "You Still Move Me", "I Will Be There", "Three Time Loser", "One Friend", "Addicted", "Big Wheels in the Moonlight", "Love on Arrival", and "Good Times". Five more of his singles also reached Top Ten on the same chart.

He may not be someone that everyone remembers but he's certainly got a place in my nostalgic memory. 

So today, with nostalgia and chuckles, I choose Dan Seals' "Bop" as my, find your inner child, remember the good bits, look around the corner for all the dreams you left behind, song for a, burst through with a smile, take me back, walk with me for a little while, Tuesday. 

Rhye - "Open"

So I've loved this band since 2013. They've got a flavor that just pulls me in. Intense and chill and the same time, their mesmerizing beats and soft harmonies lull you into a dreamy trance and hold you chained to the melody. 

I've written about them before, check out my first taste here: Song & Soul : Rhye

Rhye is an R&B musical project of Canadian singer Mike Milosh. It originally consisted of him and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal. They released the singles "Open" and "The Fall" online without much detail, which led to speculation about the band. Their debut album, Woman, was released on March 4, 2013. In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. In 2017, it was reported that Robin Hannibal was no longer a member of Rhye and that the project had evolved into a music collective led by Milosh and focused around the associated live band. Their latest album, Blood, was released on February 2, 2018, and was largely written, produced, and performed by Milosh.

So today, with head bobbing and eyes smiling, I choose Rhye's "Open" as my, keep growing, keep learning, keep searching, song for a, press into the sore spots, change your perception, see the world from a different angle, Monday.

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - "Dream A Little Dream Of Me"

There are days when you walk away feeling accomplished. Knowing that this has been a race well run, and that you've got a well deserved rest ahead of you. Today is one of those. So tonight. While I dream, I hope to dream sweet, happy little dreams. I hope you do it. 

So today, with exhaustion's happy smile, I choose Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong's "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" as my, rest your weary head, breath in the fresh free air, open your eyes and see the fruits of your labor, song for a, well that was a week, dream on little man, sing to the moon and the stars above, Friday.

Jennifer Lopez - "Love Don't Cost A Thing"

So this morning Jenny from the Block came on my Spotify Mix and I was NOT mad at it. This old school jam made me giggle all the way through my pull-ups, and some days that giggle is all you need. 

Not to mention, can we talk about how incredibly attractive J-Lo still is. F&%^!!!!! She's a beautiful human. 

So, today with giggles and gambles, I choose Jennifer Lopez's "Love Don't Cost A Thing" as my, no it don't, just trust, honest, and commitment, come on over here and get it, song for a, I've stil got it, well why not, here we go showing our age ... and don't it look good?, Thursday.