Kristine W Returns with New Album “Dance with Me” and Uplifting Single “Next to You”
BY VICTOR MELAMED
Dance music icon Kristine has launched her highly anticipated new album, Dance with Me, led by the vibrant new single “Next to You.”
A definitive voice in the genre for nearly three decades with 17 Billboard #1 dance hits, Kristine W’s latest project delivers a dynamic blend of progressive house, Afro house, future disco, and tech house, all anchored by her signature soulful vocals.
Co-written with UK producer Rob Buttons (Freejak) and featuring a standout mix by the newly reunited British duo Soul Seekerz, the lead single “Next to You” delivers a classic European house sound. The track was directly inspired by the isolation of the pandemic. “The message is that life is better and people are happier when they are together,” shares Kristine W, who found the temporary absence of live performance particularly challenging. “I missed my people and just wanted to get next to everyone again.”
“The message is that life is better and people are happier when they are together… I missed my people and just wanted to get next to everyone again.”
That profound longing for connection shapes the entire album, which functions as both a celebration of her 30-year legacy and a bold step forward. Released on her own Fly Again Music label and distributed globally via The Orchard, Dance with Me features fresh, updated versions of her classic hits alongside brand-new material. The tracklist includes unexpected reinterpretations, such as an electro-lounge take on “Smooth Operator” and a genre-bending reimagining of “Danger Zone,” created in collaboration with a top-tier roster of longtime production partners.
From her roots as a jazz-trained musician in Washington State to her triumph as a leukemia survivor and powerhouse independent artist, Kristine W continues to create music defined by resilience and authenticity. “I’m always reinventing and creating, but the goal is the same: to bring joy,” she reflects. “We’re literally making joyful noise. And the world needs more of that.”
