Mondays can be rough. But today might feel a little lighter if you give the new single "It Always Was" by British-born, Stockholm-based Nigerian artist Joshua Idehen a listen. Over a jubilant soul sample and springy bass, Idehen beckons joy and moves towards all the good coming his way. The optimistic track announces his debut album I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try that's out March 6, 2026 via Heavenly Recordings.
Idehen reflects on the track's inspiration:
The song is me trying to capture a moment of optimism from my past: I used to have a bunch of mates, and we'd squeeze into a Mazda and ride around London, trying to get into bars, ending up on a bench somewhere watching the sun be reborn. One time, we'd spent the night bigging ourselves up (I think Benji had just left McDonald's and moved into finance) and we all started sharing our five-year plans. Come the morning, a friend Martin said "what's meant for me will find me anyway" and that line stuck with me for over a decade.
Watch the video directed by Jonny Sanders below.
TRACK LIST:
01 "You Wanna Dance Or What?"
02 "Interlude – It Won’t Always Be Like This"
03 "It Always Was"
04 "This Is The Place"
05 "Interlude – What You Need To Hear"
06 "Could Be Forever"
07 "Mum Does The Washing"
08 "Don’t Let It Get You Down"
09 "My Love"
10 "Interlude – How I Found Forgiveness
11 "Brother"
12 "Whatever Comes"
13 "Choose Yourself"
14 "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
15 "Everything Everywhere All At Once Reprise"
16 "Turn It Around"
17 "What Is Redemption"
I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try is out 03/06 via Heavenly. Pre-order here.
