‘Body, Soul & Spirit’ by Joeboy

Sitting at the zenith of his career, Joeboy is a shining beacon in Nigerian music. As a seasoned veteran in the afrobeat scene, his quintessential sound and emotional vulnerability has not only piqued listeners in his homeland, but also around the world, becoming a prominent figure on the global Afrobeat and Afropop stage. Continuing his meteoric rise to worldwide stardom, he wraps up the year with his highly-anticipated and personal EP,  Body, Soul & Spirit: a five-track masterpiece seamlessly continuing the musical narrative from his recently acclaimed album, Body & Soul. 

Needing no formal introduction, Joeboy has firmly established himself as one of the foremost hitmakers in the Afrobeat scene. Basking in the limelight, he boasts collaborations with Diplo and Mr Eazi under his belt, as well as charting in over 25 countries for his debut album, Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic. Whilst his most recent album, Body & Soul, earned its flowers for its focus on the universal themes of embracing love and finding passion, his latest EP, Body Soul & Spirit takes on darker themes that see Joeboy delve deep into his psyche, unravelling subjects of paranoia, insecurity and the dark side of love, a fitting antithesis to his album. 

Opening with the heartfelt ‘Only God Can Save Me’, Joeboy unravels his relationship with God, whilst coming to the realisation that the people closest to us are still fallible, all to a spell-binding tempo with his hallmark catchy hooks. The EP’s second, ’24/7’ sees Joeboy find a moment of solace as he realises that most of his worries are inconsequential in the grand tapestry of life. A standout track includes ‘Telephone’ where we see his emotional vulnerability come to full force all within an intimate soundscape laced with piano melodies that sing to the heart. The project ends on a resilient note with Joeboy taking his first steps towards healing and new beginnings on the hopeful ‘Surviving’.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the Body, Soul & Spirit EP, Joeboy says, “I have been through a rollercoaster of emotions since the release of my album. From my relationship with God, and seeing the dark side of love, to experiencing betrayal, and trying to survive against all odds, I have had to really dig deep to keep my sanity intact, while putting on a brave face and keeping up with appearances. The songs on this EP embody my journey through this emotionally draining period. Usually, I have people around me during my recording and writing process, but for this project, I was all alone with a mic and a pen, because creating this project coincided with me learning how to record myself in the studio, which meant I was able to completely offload all those pent-up emotions into this project.”