Joy Oladokun Details New Album ‘Hope Is A Heavy Thing’ & Shares ‘Kind’ Single

Joy Oladokun will issue her new album, Hope Is A Heavy Thing, on September 25 via Concord Records. Ahead of the release, Oladokun shared a new song from the project, “Kind.”

Produced by Oladokun with additional contributions from Nigerian producer Spellz, the 12-track album follows 2021’s in defense of my own happiness, 2023’s Proof of Life and 2024’s Observations From A Crowded Room. In addition to “Kind” and the previously released track “Zombie,” the album features a collaboration with Adekunle Gold on “Sage.”

Oladokun provided the statement below regarding the new record:

“To understand your future you have to confront your past. This is the driving theme behind Hope Is A Heavy Thing. It’s a collection of 12 songs that I wrote to help myself find my light again after burning out. Produced in Nashville, New York, and the back of a speeding tour bus, this album is sonically an homage to all of the music that inspires me.

“On this record you’ll find music that nods the brilliance of the Soulquarians, the rawness of Bob Dylan, the rhythms of afrobeats, and the sampling prowess of J Dilla. Not to mention a callback to the Ronettes and a few songs that find inspiration in rock and roll protest music of the ’60s and ’70s.

“You’ll also find me at the most authentic I’ve been able to be as an artist. It is a record I wrote for anyone who finds themselves wondering how to hope in these times. Sometimes it means looking back and digging through the muck to find what’s worth fighting for again.”

Stream Oladokun’s new song, “Kind,” and the previously released album track “Zombie,” below:

Hope Is A Heavy Thing Tracklist

1. Raised By The Radio (A Reintroduction)
2. Dear Maria
3. Easy Company
4. Kind
5. TOGIAIM
6. Sage (feat. Adekunle Gold)
7. The End Of The World
8. Zombie
9. Toothache
10. Don’t Call Me Baby!
11. Die Young
12. Time Is A River