Apple Music Home Session features South Africa’s reigning Afro-Soul king, Sjava

Apple Music’s Home Session features reimagined signature songs and thoughtful covers and today, South African multi award winning, soulful singer-songwriter, Sjava (real name Jabulani Hadebe) releases his own stripped down Home Session.

“Rerecording all these songs gives a different feel to them,” Sjava tells Apple Music. “It’s more personal, it’s more intimate if it’s a stripped down version than the original track. That’s one thing that was very special about the stripped down versions, I’ve never done them before like that. I think I’ve really evolved as an artist as well since I did the original songs, especially considering the feedback I get, that’s very encouraging. I feel like I’m on the right track.”

The Home Session EP, available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio, will feature three exclusive unplugged tracks from the singer,“Grounding” and “Amavaka” off his groundbreaking fourth album Isibuko (2023), and a revisited version of “Egoli” (2018), his collaboration with Mlindo The Vocalist.

“‘Amavaka’ is a song that talks about self doubt and not believing in yourself, feeling like you’re not doing great. There was a time where I looked in the mirror and hated myself and felt like, this is the guy that’s ruining my life because things are not happening for me. But things were moving for me, things were happening for me. And I chose this song to pass that message,” he says.

“‘Grounding’ also talks about self doubt and talks about the pressure that I have from my mother telling me that I have to get married. I have my own reasons why until today, at my age, I’m not married and it talks about that. There are a lot of people that end up making the wrong decisions only to realise that they’re not ready.”

“And finally, I chose ‘Egoli’ because it is motivational, it’s one of the songs that I did early, before I released my debut album. When I recorded the song I had nothing, I was broke, and it talks about the guy that’s not coming back home, he’s going to Joburg to hustle so that he can build his mother a home. When I recorded this song I didn’t even have a cent, after I recorded it and everything became a success, so I went back home and built my mom a home. It’s a very special song to me.”

Sjava’s rags to riches story has inspired a whole generation and amassed a legion of fans around the world, as the singer uses his Zulu heritage to put a fresh spin on Afro-soul crafting songs that speak bold universal truths as he bravely walks a musical path that is all his own.

Discover this exclusive Apple Music Home Session today that sees Sjava recreate soulful pop anthems that have made him South Africa’s reigning Afro-soul king.

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