Joy Oladokun has announced her new album, *Hope Is A Heavy Thing*, and released its latest single, “Kind”. The song pairs her smooth, reassuring vocal style with darker and more vulnerable lyrics, while the album is presented as a response to burnout and a search for renewed hope.

The 12-track album will be released on 25 September via Concord Records and includes a collaboration with Adekunle Gold on “Sage”. Oladokun said it was made across Nashville, New York and her tour bus, drawing on influences including the Soulquarians, Bob Dylan, afrobeats, J Dilla, the Ronettes and 1960s–70s protest rock.