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Photo: Samantha Lee

Is there anything better than losing yourself on the dancefloor? Giving yourself over to the unbridled euphoria of accepting the inviting sway of an undulating mass of bodies simply looking to make the most of this very moment? It’s a moment of catharsis that builds the emotional crux of Hope Tala’s latest blissed-out single, “Leave It on the Dancefloor.”

“Leave It on the Dancefloor” sets the stage for the West London R&Bossa artist’s forthcoming new project, set to release this fall. Like a disco siren, Hope’s inviting, dulcet tone urges the listener to check whatever weight they’re carrying at the door and fully embrace the namesake of the single. “Let’s have some fun, I promise there’s no rules / Don’t let nobody tell you what to do,” sings the West London artist with all the gentle camaraderie of a friend guiding you through the crowded mass that has formed in front of the DJ booth. 

The iridescent ‘80s-evoking synths paired with Hope’s dreamlike delivery, which have traditionally lent themselves to emotionally heavy-handed or impassioned affairs in the past, fuse together here to create an intoxicating, easy-sipping cocktail of carefree bliss. The result is the sonic personification of a perfect daytime party falling into sunset.

“I wrote this song imagining what I would want someone to tell me while I was going through a hard time. The chorus lyric encapsulates it all— ‘So come on leave it on the dancefloor, leave your worries all behind, and let the night take the pain away.' Going out was something I missed intensely through the various COVID lockdowns, particularly when I was feeling down in the dumps. It was something I didn’t know how much I valued until it wasn’t possible or safe anymore. A lot of the music I’ve been writing since the pandemic started has been exploring the wonder and joy of that experience: the community that lives among the heat of happy bodies on the dancefloor—how precious that is,” shares Hope.

Listen to “Leave It on the Dancefloor” below: