There is an artist from the Eastern Cape of South Africa who has quietly been doing everything right. iSandi – singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and, it turns out, one of the most purposeful voices in her field right now – is back with ‘Joina’, and it is exactly the kind of release we are here for.
Raised on a farm surrounded by wide open skies and the storytelling of her aunt, who filled her childhood with folklore and fairytales, iSandi has always understood that music is more than sound. It is meaning. It is responsibility.
“Music carries moral weight,” she has said. “It can heal, harm, unite or divide. That belief guides how and why I create.” On ‘Joina’, she creates to unite – crafting a tender, powerful call for compassion around the realities of substance addiction, wrapping a difficult subject in warmth and the unshakeable belief that communities can, and must, look after their own.
Produced by Mark Beling and mastered at Sterling Sound, the track blends iSandi’s Afro-experimental instincts with a broad, cross-cultural sound that feels as at home here as it does anywhere in the world. This is music without borders, made by a woman with deep roots and an even deeper sense of purpose.
‘Joina’ is released through RADA Unearthed, the music arm of a humanitarian organisation that reinvests royalties into community projects: a model that suits iSandi perfectly. She has been with RADA since 2023, and the partnership makes obvious sense. For her, making music and making a difference have never been separate things.
Since her debut EP Intyatyambo in 2022, iSandi has shared stages with Vusi Mahlasela and Bongeziwe Mabandla, taught music, composed for film, and built an ambient soundscapes channel on YouTube – all while preparing what promises to be a significant new EP later in 2026. ‘Joina’ is the sound of an artist fully in her stride, and we are very glad to be listening.
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE