Tag Archives: Jody Watley Music

Jody Watley – LET’S DANCE Vol. 1 Hits Top Charts

Posted on by

OUT NOW!

Jody Watley LET’S DANCE Vol.1 (Hit Them Beats) VAULTS to Top of the iTunes and Amazon Music Top Dance Electronic Albums Charts.

After 8 successful albums and singles at MCA 1987-1994 (4 full lengths, gold and platinum albums, 2 remix albums, 2 Greatest Hits Collections) Grammy artist Jody Watley in 1995 started Avitone Recordings as the vessel to release her music independently.  

LET’S DANCE Vol. 1 Hit Them Beats is a celebration! 

▪️A new club-fueled compilation celebrating 30 years (!) of Remastered Club Classics, Top 10, #1’s and chart-topping faves of indie dance gems and collaborations released on Jody’s Avitone label.🎉🪩

▪️Vol. 1 features Craig C. Quentin Harris, Josh Peace, Mark de Clive-Lowe, John “J-C” Carr, Morgan Page, Love To Infinity, Jodie Harsh, Alex Di Ciò, Ron Trent, Brian Power

A&R: Jody Watley Bill Coleman & Angelo Pepe Skordos for Avitone Recordings & Peace Bisquit

🎧 Download • Stream • Playlist • Share – Upgrade Your Summer Music Playlist

#JodyWatley #LetsDance

Jody Watley is a GRAMMY-winning, multi-platinum singer/songwriter/producer and style icon. Named Best New Artist in 1988, she’s one of Billboard’s Top 60 Female Artists of All Time, with 6 Top 10 Hot 100 hits, 13 No. 1 Dance singles, and genre-spanning success across R&B, Pop, Dance, and Jazz. A visionary in music and fashion, Watley helped pave the way for Black women to break boundaries. Honored as a Crossover Music Icon by Black Music Honors, her influence continues—decades strong.

27 Years of Jody Watley’s Flower: A Musical Journey

Posted on by

Jody Watley‘s “Flower” Album Turns 27: Timeless Music Of Growth and Renewal. The Grammy winner came together with an esteemed array of collaborators for her 6th solo album. From select members of Organized Noize (Ivan Matias), Masters at Work (Louie Vega, Kenny Gonzalez), Tony! Toni! Toné! (D’Wayne Wiggins and Randall Wiggins) and Groove Theory (Bryce Wilson) as well as Rahsaan Patterson, Malik Pendleton, Cassandra Lucas, Phil Galdston, Deric Angelettie, and Derrick Edmonson all assembled to get down to the business of record making. Out of all these new faces, Edmonson was the only carry over from Flower’s antecedent Affection, as a Watley co-writer, co producer, the first release of Jody Watley’s independent offering from her Avitone Recordings, established in 1995.

While it’s true that the genesis of Flower had a bumpy start, the project eventually took on a joyful upswing during its creation. All of those assembled respected Watley’s progressive form of soul and sought to make it accessible to the black radio format of the late 1990s. Obvious hooks are planted among the fluid funk of Flower, none of them blocking the intelligence or sexiness of the lyrical thrust of the LP.

Watley’s way with a groove, whether a simmering midtempo (“Flower,” “Everything You Do”) or a punchy uptempo aimed squarely for the dancefloor (“Baby Tonight,” “I Don’t Want You Back”), was second to none. “Off the Hook” functioned at both paces on the affair, becoming its launching single. It’s original incarnation favors Quiet Storm posture, whereas its secondary shape—the D-Dot Remix—is that of an undeniable hip-hop banger that reunites her with one of that movement’s defining voices after their inaugural partnership on “Friends” in 1989: Rakim. 

There are at least four formal downtempos on Flower, all of them prepossessing, but it’s the acoustic warmth of “16” that rises above that pretty pack to become not only the best ballad on the set, but one of the standout entries in Watley’s entire discography. On “16,” Watley writes and sings for young womanhood and captures all of the feelings of that unique, if sometimes bittersweet, journey. A year after its release on Flower, it found its way onto The Writings on the Wall (1999) as “Sweet Sixteen,” the second LP from a soon-to-be iconic girl group known as Destiny’s Child. – Quentin Harrison, Albumism –

Singles: Off The Hook

# 1 Hot Dance Club Play (Remixed by Masters At Work & D-Dot Hip Hop Remix)

# 23 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles

# 73 Hot 100

“If I’m Not in Love” (The Remixes)

# 2 Hot Dance Club Play

It’s Spring – be like a “Flower – continue to bloom and grow.

Revisit or Listen for the first time! “Flower” is streaming at all digital platforms. Learn more about the Jody Watley Discography.

Watch the NEW exclusive video upload on The Jody Watley Youtube Channel – Here

Celebrating Jody Watley’s ‘Real Love’: Chart Success and Fashion Impact

Posted on by

March 18, 1989, marked the release of Jody Watley’s 6th smash hit solo single “Real Love” a song that solidified her status as a music and style icon. 

The second single from her platinum selling Larger Than Life album dominated the charts, hitting #1 on both the Billboard R&B AND Dance charts and soaring to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also achieved Gold certification, selling nearly a million copies. The song was written by Jody Watley and Andre Cymone and produced by Cymone for MCA Records.

Beyond its chart success, “Real Love” made history at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards earning six nominations – one of the most nominated in the award show’s history. The stylish high fashion visuals directed by David Fincher, showcased Watley’s trendsetting influence, cementing her as a force in both music and fashion.

Decades later “Real Love” remains a timeless anthem of empowerment and independence. As we celebrate this milestone, it’s clear Jody Watley’s impact is as powerful as ever.

Download, Stream, Watch the Official Video – AGAIN on YouTube and work that runway walk!

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we celebrate Jody Watley. Learn more about the ongoing and diverse Jody Watley Discography

Jody Watley – “Waiting In Vain” A Bold and Beautiful Reinvention

Posted on by

Grammy winning artist Jody Watley, known for her genre-defying artistry, took a reggae classic and transformed it into a sultry, jazz Bossa nova infused masterpiece.

Her interpretation brought a fresh and sophisticated elegance to “Waiting In Vain”, showcasing her ability to reimagine timeless songs while staying true to the emotional essence. The video, released in 2018, “Waiting In Vain” marked a significant chapter in pop, R&B, dance music, she seamlessly stepped into the jazz world again (decades after her her rendition of Cole Porter’s After You Who? for Red, Hot & Blue in 1990), proving her versatility and ability to captivate across genres. The song became a smooth jazz radio favorite reaching the Top 20 and Top 25 Billboard Jazz, cementing her credibility in the jazz space. It resonated with both longtime fans and new listeners with what Soulbounce called her elegant cool and refined vocal delivery.

Celebrating the 7th anniversary of the single and video release. NEW Exclusive Youtube Channel Video – Watch it Now: Official Jody Watley YouTube Channel

Learn More about the Jody Watley Music Discography : Here

Exciting News Jody Watley Youtube Channel Turns 18

Posted on by

Jody Watley has always had a strong vision with regard to her music, artistry and constant evolution, including in the digital age. From the early social media days of social media and subsequently Youtube. foresight to begin her branded Youtube Channel 18 years ago. The platform was still in it’s infancy. As another way to keep fans engaged and a part of the Jody Watley community offering a variety of playlists and of course the ongoing release of her music, videos, concerts and behind the scenes footage.

“18 years goes by so fast. I’m always surprised when people who say they are fans of an artist, can be so out of touch. With social media, artist website newsletters, artist pages on music streaming platforms, artist Youtube Channels all at your fingertips by way of mobile devices – there is no reason to be in the out of touch if you truly want to support and stay up to date with your favorites that may not be mainstays of gossip centric platforms. I started the channel as well to always tell my own story. As the platforms have gained popularity over the years, the increase of false narratives, fake stories, and so on have unfortunately increased. My channel allows me to always tell my own story countering the content for engagement, rage bait, click bait and so on. Pages and channels steal photos, to serve their own purposes for nefarious reasons. I can only control what I can control so to speak, especially as a public figure. Most of it you ignore and hope others do but people are gullible and love negativity, also very unfortunate. Over the years, I’ve removed content because of unauthorized misuse.

Additionally and on a positive note, all Jody Watley Music from the classics to the new are on Youtube Music and the Jody Watley Channel-but you get so much more with the content being uploaded, the exclusives, the variety of curated playlists and more.” – Jody Watley

Watch the NEW Anniversary Video: Jody Watley YouTube Channel Make sure to Subscribe if you haven’t already.

March is Women’s History Month. Empowering women in music requires intentional effort and action to include, support, and promote them.

Jody Watley sends a special thank you to all active supporters!

Jody Watley’s Iconic Remix Album: YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME?

Posted on by

The Jody Watley remix album YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME? assembled remixes from the self-titled debut and the sophomore Larger Than Life was released October 26, 1989.

Photography by Steven Meisel. Art Direction Lynn Robb and Jody Watley

Remix albums were not a popular thing back in the 80s but were gaining traction as artists like Madonna (You Can Dance!), Bobby Brown (Dance!…Ya Know It!), Janet Jackson (Janet Remixed, 1995), and Paula Abdul released sets that catered to their dance loving fans. 

Fans express there isn’t a single skip in the track listing and contains five of her six Billboard Top 10 HOT 100 Hits. The ballad “Everything”, another Top 10 multi chart hit, was not remixed for inclusion. The album was a continuous energetic mix.

YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME? from the vast Jody Watley Discography peaked at number eighty six on the Billboard 200 album chart and forty eight on the Top R&B Albums chart. Watley took to social media to note she disagreed with MCA Records decision to release the remix album while still promoting her second album “Larger Than Life” still churning out hit singles such as “Real Love” “Friends” featuring Eric B & Rakim and “Everything.”

“I wish they’d released it between my second album and “Affairs of The Heart, but labels do what they do. For me it competed in sales with two albums out at the same time, time flies though and it’s another wonderful music anniversary and milestone – Happy 35th YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME?!”

Multi-Platinum GRAMMY winning artist, songwriter, producer Jody Watley has an ongoing catalog spanning decades ranging from R&B, Pop, Dance, Rap/Hip Hop, Jazz, Adult Contemporary, House Music, Drum & Bass, Electronica, Ambient/Chill, Contemporary R&B/ Nu Disco/Club, Modern Funk – 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, 10’s, and 20’s.

Beyond her impressive discography, the Chicago native is recognized as a style icon (with features in American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Essence Magazine, People Magazine and more) as well as one of the architects of 21st century Pop/R&B/Dance music merged with style and artist branding. Ranking consistently in Billboard lists as one of the Top 60 Hot 100 Female Artists of All Time, Top 25 Dance Artists of All Time, Top 100 Black Solo Artists Of All Time.

Stream YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME? at the digital music platforms of your choice including Spotify with other Jody Watley releases.

Subscribe to the Official Jody Watley Youtube Channel to check out a new video of Jody Watley speaking on the release.

A Message You Need to Hear From Jody Watley

Posted on by

Jody Watley speaks on new single “EVERLASTING” in new video upload. Equally important, the Grammy winning artist, singer, songwriter and producer has an ongoing diverse discography spanning 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s.

Jody Watley Keeps It Moving With New DāM-FunK ‘EVERLASTING’ Remix

Posted on by

Grammy winning artist, singer, songwriter and producer Jody Watley keeps it moving with a new “EVERLASTING” remix. The final in the installment is The DāM-FunK Remix.

DāM-FunK is a critically acclaimed artist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ modern funk trailblazer. On top of that he’s a style icon who blends the music with the culture.

“EVERLASTING” The Alex Di Ció mix was released on January 30, 2024. The uplifting song ranked in the Top 5 in sales in various countries including the USA, UK and Italy via Watley’s longtime independent label Avitone and reached #2 on the UK Soul Charts.

An uplifting anthem about being true to oneself and perseverance another meaningful addition to her ongoing discography spanning multiple decades and genres.

Written and produced by Jody Watley with longtime collaborator, soul and jazz musician Rodney Lee, additional production by Italy’s renowned DJ/Remix producer Alex Di Ció another offering from Watley’s longtime independent label Avitone Recordings, established in 1995.

“EVERLASTING” The Remixes arrived to all streaming digital platforms April 19 with contributions by a variety of new and renowned DJ/ Remix Producers. The legendary Quentin Harris leads the charge with his BSF Re-Production, remixing the track with his signature musical touch. The “Everlasting” remix set also features an electro pop rework by French newcomer Slowz, a deep house favorite by NYC’s The Illustrious Blacks & Amara Jaguar ; a funky UK rave up by John “J-C” Carr and Gianpeiero XP’s anthemic Italo-house vibes. The remixes quickly vaulted to #2 on the iTunes Top Dance Albums Chart.

“I just love Damon’s vibe and musical approach. Making a guest vocal appearance on his outstanding “Invite The Light” on the high vibrations of “Virtuous Progression” from 2015 was special, I became a fan of his music with his heralded Stones Throw debut album ‘Toeachizown’ – he is the king of modern funk with timeless music sensibilities. On top of that he has a genuine deep respect for the music and funk genre.He’s a bit of a historian of R&B/Funk music as well. Furthermore, Damon and I both share a strong belief in staying true to yourself as well as self-belief as artists. Being authentic – never giving up that’s what EVERLASTING is all about. Having a DāM-FunK remix to conclude the trilogy made perfect sense, it’s the icing on the cake.” – Jody Watley

Save the date, August 9, 2024 to Download | Stream | Playlist and Add to Your Jody Watley and DāM-FunK collections. Preview the Youtube Short: Here

Jody Watley Charts In Top 2 With ‘EVERLASTING’ Remixes

Posted on by
Jody Watley-EVERLASTING THE REMIXES

Jody Watley, a perennial figure in the music industry, continues to captivate audiences with her latest dance release, “EVERLASTING” The Remixes, which surged to the remarkable #2 position on the iTunes Top Dance Albums Chart. This accomplishment serves as another jewel in the crown of the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer’s illustrious career.

Despite Jody’s extensive track record of contemporary dance hits on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Charts spanning multiple decades, this marks her premier Top 2 placement on the USA iTunes Dance Album Chart since her lauded “Midnight Lounge” album clinched the #1 spot in the Top Dance/Electronica Albums category back in 2003.

With a diverse music discography spanning R&B / Pop / Dance /Hip Hop / Electronic / Jazz / Adult Contemporary 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s Jody Watley is recognized as a style icon and one of the architects of 21st century Pop/R&B/Dance music.

Read More on CELEBRITY NEWS: Here

Download | Stream | Playlist – Add to your JODY WATLEY Music Collection.

Jody Watley “EVERLASTING” The Remixes Vaults To Number 2 on iTunes

Posted on by

Jody Watley’s latest dance release “EVERLASTING” The Remixes vaulted into the #2 position on the iTunes Top Dance Albums Chart. This latest milestone made for a remarkable release day for the music legend.

The legendary Quentin Harris leads the charge with his BSF Re-Production, remixing the track with his signature musical touch. The “Everlasting” remix set also features an electro pop rework by French newcomer Slowz, a deep house favorite by NYC’s The Illustrious Blacks & Amara Jaguar ; a funky UK rave up by John “J-C” Carr and Gianpeiero XP’s anthemic Italo-house vibes.

Though the venerable Grammy winning singer/songwriter has had numerous contemporary dance singles on Billboards Hot Dance Club Play Charts, in various decades spanning 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s. Notably, this is the first Jody Watley Top 2 on the USA iTunes Dance Album Chart since her critically acclaimed “Midnight Lounge’ full length reached #1 Top Dance / Electronica Albums back in 2003.

The original song has taken the music scene by storm, climbing to #2 on the UK Soul Charts and topping many international playlists at #1.

“EVERLASTING’ The Remixes features A&R by longtime colleague Bill Coleman of Peace Bisquit. The company is a multi-tiered, Brooklyn-based company incorporating artist and producer representation, A&R consultancy, film and television music supervision, sound design as well as being a record company.

The original was written and produced by Watley with longtime collaborator – soul and jazz musician Rodney Lee. Additional production by Italy’s renowned DJ/Remix producer Alex Di Ció. The single reached Top 5 in sales in various countries including the USA, UK and Italy.

Avitone Recordings (formed independently by Watley “Fueling Quality Music Since 1995”) adds this release to its ongoing output.

“I just want to thank everyone supporting this collection!” Watley enthusiastically shared on social media.

Dance. Download. Stream. Playlist. Share. Stay EVERLASTING!