‘It Always Was’ is the new single from British-born, Stockholm-based Nigerian writer and poet Joshua Idehen. It’s a creative track that takes a simple, soulful sample and underpins it with the bouncy intensity of a house beat. It’s topped with his instantly recognisable spoken-word vocal lines filled with nostalgia and optimism. “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.” Joshua Idehen is releasing his album, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try, on March 6th, 2025, via Heavenly Recordings. -Dan Peeke