An Island Christmas! Dinah Jane Welcomes Common Kings, Sammy Johnson for Holiday Special
Christmas #Christmas
Dinah Jane, Common Kings, and Sammy Johnson make it easier to imagine a holiday season in the tropics. On Thursday, the former Fifth Harmony star welcomed her fellow Polynesian musicians for a mash-up performance of “He Still Loves Me” by Beyoncé and Walter Williams and the holiday classic “This Christmas.”
“This one was special to me,” Dinah Jane tells Rolling Stone. “I’m so glad Sammy J and Common Kings were available and ready to invite the islands into your homes this holiday season.”
Johnson opens the rendition with his soothing vocals over a warm beat led by Common Kings before Jane bodies Beyoncé’s part of the song as the two share their vocal prowess together on the chorus.
The Beyoncé cover was one Jane had always wanted to “reintroduce to the world” as a gospel song for the holidays. “Hopefully, this song can help people that are struggling or having a tough time this holiday season, and may it bring joy to those souls who are hurting,” she says. “It’s an oldie but a goodie!”
The performance then transitions into the Donny Hathaway as both Jane and Johnson’s voices complement each other as Jane hits the track’s high notes. “Please keep your loved ones close this holiday season, and I can’t wait to celebrate more with you in 2023,” Jane wrote in the video’s caption.
The Sammy J-Common Kings Christmas collaboration with Jane follows her holiday medley of Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe,” Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me,” and Fifth Harmony’s “Can You See” from holiday film The Star, alongside girl group Citizen Queen.
The holiday-themed performances on YouTube are the first taste of music from Jane since she released her Men At Work-sampling single “Missed a Spot” and the sexy “1501” back in 2020. To Rolling Stone, she teases that more music is surely on the way in the new year.
“To my fans, thank you for being so patient with me. Ya girl is back and better than ever,” she says. “I can’t wait to share my new projects with you.”
Earlier this year, Seventeen’s Vernon Solo Mixtape — and the other former members of Fifth Harmony — celebrated the tenth anniversary of the girl group’s formation: “Ahhh how time fliess aha happy 10yrs mijitasss,” she wrote on Twitter. “love y’all always x.” (Rolling Stone commemorated the occasion by ranking the group’s best 27 songs.)