Joya Mooi shares Side A of new album ‘What’s Around The Corner’

Amsterdam based Joya Mooi has shared Side A of her fourth studio album ‘What’s Around The Corner’, featuring new single ‘So Stunning’. Side B of the project will be released in early 2023.

A blissful display of modern R&B, ‘What’s Around The Corner’ is fuelled by Joya Mooi’s desire to contribute to a more just future and delves into the theory of social change on both a political and personal level. The album is produced by Sim Fane, SIROJ, Blazehoven and Joya Mooi with additions of several live musicians, and is being released via Nine And A Half.

Exploring themes of patterns, reflection, identity and spirituality, Joya Mooi explains the inspiration for the album – “With this project I’m hoping to set some things in motion. Side A leans into escapism & seeking clarity; I’m sensing many things are reoccurring, noticing fuck ups of myself and the world. And I feel the growing need to do something about it. With Side B I’m hoping to bring resolution to end certain cycles.”

On Side A, Joya Mooi introduces the album’s theme of change with a variety of thought-provoking topics. A total of nine tracks include previously released singles ‘You Know Me Well By Now’, ‘Most Frail’, ‘Roselle’ and ‘Did Enough’ featuring Elijah Waters, as well as the new release, ‘So Stunning’. This latest offering explores the sentimental feelings of ‘home’ and the memories it provides, while a hazy soundscape which unites soul, alternative R&B and a sprinkling of trap reinforces its comforting message.

Speaking about new single ‘So Stunning’ Joya Mooi says – “On ‘So Stunning’ I speak of this tender longing for ‘home’. A place you know all too well. Full of memories, in every corner. It’s at its best when you’re visiting. If you stay longer, you know again that things never change. It still has beauty, but once you leave, there is freedom. So Stunning is the exact right amount of nostalgia you can have about a place you’re from. It’s still full of beauty because you know you can leave – and be free.”

‘What’s Around The Corner’ is an honest and authentic body of work that’s heavily influenced by stories from Joya Mooi’s past and present, with delicate melodies, explorations of pop trap, R&B and more layered with live instrumentation and electronic sounds.  Combining her roots in the Netherlands and South Africa (her father was a freedom fighter), Joya Mooi’s music aims to give insight into the experiences of a new generation from the African diaspora and spark change for the better. Her inspiring sound has already received notable attention from respected press and playlist outlets – Afropunk, Notion, Native Mag, The Line Of Best Fit, Vogue NL and Spotify’s POLLEN playlist to name a few – proving that she’s a leading voice in the modern R&B scene right now. With the full album set to be released in early 2023, ‘What’s Around The Corner’ is Joya Mooi’s most powerful work yet.