Ten minutes, three songs, one subject. MJ Sings' new release "Isoka" landed on streaming platforms on 23 October, and it does something Zimbabwe's mainstream rarely rewards: it sings about love, closely and without apology, in isiNdebele.
What's on it
"Isoka" is a three-track release on Khaya Lyf, out on 23 October 2026, running "Finally", "Away" featuring Bhekiwe, and "Sabela".[1] In the run-up it was billed as "Isoka: The Art of Loving", an Afropop and contemporary soul EP; the streaming listing carries the shorter title. Production came from Bulawayo-based producers Maask and Reneiloe at DAB Three Studios.[2]
The concept is tight. MJ Sings says the title describes a man who loves, takes risks and makes mistakes, and who is "willing to be vulnerable for someone he cares about". Rather than three unrelated stories, he says, the songs look at different sides of the same thing: falling for someone, appreciating the connection, and living with the uncertainty that can threaten it.[2] At roughly ten minutes, it is a record you can play twice on a short commute, and it is better for that discipline.
Two Bulawayo romantics on one track
Bringing in Bhekiwe for "Away" is a smart pairing. Her Afro pop and R&B love songs have earned her the nickname Bulawayo's Pop Princess, and her own single "Falling" came out earlier this month.[3] Two of the city's most committed love-song writers sharing a track is the kind of collaboration that builds a scene rather than just a playlist.
Back in his own lane
"Isoka" also reads as a homecoming. Lately MJ Sings' name has travelled mostly through Afro House: "Hlala" with Choujaa arrived in September on the Deep Root Tribe label, after "Abalele" and "Mwari" earlier in the year.[1] This release pulls him back towards the voice-first soul that earned him the "Prince of Soul" tag at home, and away from the DJ booth.
Why it matters
Zimbabwean pop's centre of gravity sits in Harare, and so does much of its airplay. Mainstream spaces in Zimbabwe have traditionally centred on the capital, while Bulawayo artists singing in isiNdebele are often assumed to be South African by audiences abroad because the language is so close to isiZulu.[4] That is a double squeeze: overlooked at home, misfiled overseas.
MJ Sings says he wants to show that Zimbabwean languages and stories belong on the global stage.[2] A short, focused set of Ndebele love songs, made with Bulawayo producers and a Bulawayo guest, makes that argument better than any manifesto. The real test is whether radio and playlist curators outside Matabeleland give it room. If they do, the lane gets wider for the next wave of Ndebele-language pop, and Shona-speaking listeners get a reminder that a love song does not need translating to land.
Where to hear it, and see it
"Isoka" is streaming now, including on Apple Music.[1] For the live version, MJ Sings brings back his Prince of Soul concert at Kings Kraal on 1 November. It will be his third one-man show and his first in two years, and he is promoting it himself rather than waiting on promoter budgets, with a handful of local DJs warming up the room before his set.[5] That is a quiet statement in its own right about how Bulawayo artists can take control of their careers.
Sources
MJ Sings explores romance, vulnerability in new EP, The Herald ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Bhekiwe is a singer "Falling," in new single, Greedysouth ↩︎
The Many Sounds of Bulawayo: Inside Zimbabwe's Multicultural Music City, OkayAfrica ↩︎
MJ Sings Reclaims the Prince of Soul Crown With Return to Kings Kraal, Youth Village Zimbabwe ↩︎
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