25 July 2026 – Joy Oladokun Carries ‘Hope Is A Heavy Thing’

<a href="/tags/joy-oladokun">Joy Oladokun</a> announces ‘Hope Is A Heavy Thing’, a new twelve-track album arriving on 25 September, and shares its thoughtful first single ‘Kind’. Written after a period of burnout, the record asks how hope can be recovered when optimism begins feeling less like a natural resource and more like something requiring excavation equipment.

Oladokun recorded across Nashville, New York and the back of a moving tour bus, drawing inspiration from soul, folk, Afrobeats, protest music and sample-driven hip-hop. That broad musical foundation suits an artist who has never treated genre boundaries as particularly useful furniture. ‘Kind’ offers warmth without becoming naïve, suggesting that gentleness can remain valuable even when the surrounding world appears determined to behave like a poorly moderated comments section. The album also features Adekunle Gold, adding another colour to an already expansive sound. Check out our <a href="/genres/folk">Indie Folk and Soul</a> section for more updates.