It's been four years since Sampa The Great's latest LP, 2022's As Above, So Below. The Zambian singer and rapper is back today to announce her third album Nu Zamrock. It features last year's "Can't Hold Us," and the new single "Simon Says" is out now.
Nu Zamrock was executive produced by Cadenze, and it's inspired by the discovery that her blood uncle George Kunda (Groovy Joe) was a founding member of Zambia's legendary psychedelic rock band WITCH. "Zamrock is part of my family legacy," Sampa says. "It's my voice. Being Zambian, being loud, being defiant — that's what Zamrock is."
"Nu Zamrock is not nostalgia," she continues. "It is the future remembering where it came from. This album is a reclamation of my lineage and bloodline: it is my homage to the disruptive, rebellious spirit that Zamrock represented at its peak and carried Zambia forward with, reintroducing the genre to the world, in my own way."
Of "Simon Says," she explains, "This track is my honest reflection on the pressure of visibility — being watched, judged, and shaped by endless rules. What should a 'star' look or act like? The industry seems to value numbers over artistry. Simon Says critiques the industry, where 'Simon' is the system telling artists how to be."
Along with the song, she's sharing a prelude visual introduction, titled Ukwamba: (To Start). Check it out below along with "Simon Says."
Nu Zamrock is out 10/30 via Loma Vista. Pre-order it here.
