Jabulani Hadebe, popularly known as Sjava, has announced the release of his album “Inkanyezi NeziNkanyezi”, set to drop on Friday, 30 January 2026.
The album marks the last part of the “Inkanyezi” trilogy, which began with “Inkanyezi” in January 2025, followed by “Inkanyezi 2.0”, released on September 5, 2025.
“Inkanyezi NeziNkanyezi” (“A Star Amongst the Stars”) reflects Sjava’s journey and serves as an acknowledgment of his collaborators, musicians, producers, and fans, who form the surrounding constellation. The album emphasizes the idea that shared light shines brighter.
#GENews 🌍 | Award winning— Sjava is set to drop a brand new album “INkanyezi NeZinkanyezi” this Friday, 30 January. ✨
The award-winning artist revealed that his forthcoming album, INkanyezi NeZinkanyezi, will arrive this Friday, 30 January, accompanied by a heartfelt teaser… pic.twitter.com/h2IVl0ZzHT
The story began long before it was taken to the audience on stage, even before the live EPs ever saw the light of day. Most of the songs on “INkanyezi NeZinkanyezi” were written and recorded in the studio ahead of the live performances, making the live releases a bold preview rather than the starting point.
Sjava sees this as a way to push creative boundaries: “For me, that’s just how I challenge myself and my team to be more creative in every aspect of our work.”
He also emphasised the collaborative spirit of the project: “the project is bigger than just me, hence the name. The people who worked on the project with me really give it that unique and special creativity.”
And for me, that’s just how I challenge myself and my team to be more creative in every aspect of our work”, Sjava shared, adding that “the project is bigger than just me, hence the name. The people who worked on the project with me really gave it that unique and special creativity”.
The album’s last part features collaborations with Nkosazana Daughter, Jesse Clegg, and other prominent South African musicians. This final chapter represents Sjava’s creative journey and celebrates the constellation of talent surrounding him.
Sjava invited his fans to be an integral part in the making of the Inkanyezi Trilogy by reversing the usual release/touring process: first introducing the music to his live audiences in a raw, unfiltered way, and then releasing the studio-recorded versions.
Sjava adopted a unique strategy for the rollout of his album, “INkanyezi NeZinkanyezi”, aiming for a more intimate connection with his audience.
“I wanted to try a different approach, one that allowed me to engage my fans more intimately than before, so I thought, ‘let me teach them the songs before I release them’,” he explained.
This creative approach meant the entire year of 2025 served as the album rollout. Fans were able to learn the tracks, hear themselves on the live EPs, and develop a love for the music well before the album officially dropped.
The album features South African talented musicians: Nkosazana Daughter on “Sleepover”, Buhlebendalo on “Sanibonani”, Msaki and Zadok on “Mdumise”, Anatii and Sjava on “Amashidi Amhlophe”, Jesse Clegg on “Kuye”, Shwi and Dogzin on “Gusheshe”, The Qweller’s Lowfeye and Lacabra on “Madibuseng”, Siya Ntuli on “Moya Wam”, Ntando Dlamini on “Uyena”, Gusba, J John and Ronaldo on “Xigugu”, and Zamoh with Mafakhiza on “Indoda Enjani”.
Sjava produced the album with longtime partner Ruff, backed by producers including Vuyo Manyike (who has worked with Sjava since 2016), Kelvin Momo, Zadok, Dogzin, Soja, Young2unn, Selani, and Anatii.
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