New Release: Joeboy – Only God Can Save Me

Only God Can Save Me released by Afrobeat star Joeboy serves as a perfect introduction for new listeners and is certain to be a hit with those who are already along for Joeboy’s journey. Propelled into the limelight with his 2019 EP Love & Light, he quickly rose to become a teen idol and was fondly christened the “African Pop Star”. The Body & Soul album released earlier this year received similar acclaim and he’s now sitting on a collective 3 billion streams. Safe to say Joeboy’s showing no signs of slowing down. So it’s been a busy year for Joeboy but perhaps there’s been bumps on the road to success as new single Only God Can Save Me reflects the transient nature of human relationships.

While the title of the track might summon images of a man crying into the void, the song does emphasise that in moments of true despair solace can be found in the divine. Joeboy got the bones of the tune down working only with a microphone and a pen, it’s fleshed out in the final arrangement, but the sense of solitude was there from the start. The instrumental brings darkness in the piano and synth tones matched with earthy drums. Joeboy typically finds inspiration in themes of love however in Only God Can Save Me we find a vulnerability in the lyrics.

Joeboy says “The song came from a place of realisation over a strange two-week period that had me questioning everything and everyone. I discovered a lot of negative things going on around me, and I started seeing people around me for who they truly were … I came to the realisation that you are really and truly alone on this Earth, and God is the only source of strength…All we can do is cast all our worries on God, and he will handle it, hence the title ‘Only God Can Save Me’.”

Joeboy’s Only God Can Save Me is the lead single off his second project of 2023 Body Soul & Spirit which will be released on November 17th.