Joshua Idehen

Recently, one can get the impression that the world is stuck in an endless cycle of bad news. Joshua Idehen is not trying to pretend otherwise. On his new album I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try, the artist creates a unique space - full of sounds and poetry that allows you to find solace in the midst of chaos. Created in collaboration with musician Ludwig Parment, the album is a transcendental work, filled with mourning, euphoria and hope.
The album follows the huge success of Mum Does The Washing, a brilliant and ironic poem analysing the workings of the modern world, originally created as a Twitter thread. Set on Parment's spatial beats, the piece took the duo to a whole new level of recognition. Support from the likes of Jamz Supernova and Huw Stephens resulted in sold-out concerts, crowded festivals - including appearances at Glastonbury and Green Man - as well as participation in the Later with Jools program and a tour with Baxter Dury. For Idehen, this was a particularly important moment, because after almost two decades of writing poetry, he opened a new chapter in his career. As he himself says: “In short, this song changed my life.”
British-born, Nigerian-born Joshua Idehen was initially more interested in film than poetry. Moreover, at the time of his studies at Hackney Community College and working in a bar in London's West End, he disliked poetry. Everything changed one evening when he turned on the Channel U channel after work and saw the song Vexed by Dizzee Rascal. He was fascinated by his first-person, streaming monologue - a frank ejection of emotions from himself. This experience led him to write. Years of performing and making new friends have made him one of the most revered names in the London poetry scene.
Inspired by Scroobius Pip's work, he quickly became interested in combining poetry with music. He has collaborated with LV, Benin City and Calabashed, and has also recorded guest appearances for projects such as Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming. His tours and presence on the British jazz scene helped him develop his confidence as a performer. At the same time, however, he was going through a difficult period in his private life - divorce and several suicide attempts. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, he moved to Stockholm, where he found space to work through his experiences.
As he recalls: “The peace and quiet of Stockholm was exactly what I needed at the time. They helped me look at myself as a whole. I was tired of sadness, shame and constantly dwelling on the past. I felt like a villain in my own life. When my daughter was born, I got to the point where I no longer wanted to make exclusively sad music. I no longer wanted to write songs based on feeling sorry for myself or the world.”
It was then that he began to think about combining his poetry with more uplifting music—dance music specifically. “There has to be some light at the end of the tunnel, something you can capture,” he says. At the same time, he was approached by an old acquaintance from London, Ludvig Parment, also known as the producer of Saturday, Monday. Their collaboration resulted in the track Don't You Give Up On Me, which later opened the 2023 mixtape Learn To Swim.
Parment stresses that their creative relationship resembles that of siblings — or, as some joke, a long-standing marriage. They are direct with each other, able to defend their ideas, but at the same time they listen to each other and accept the possibility of error. This allows each of them to develop their ideas freely, knowing that the other person will help maintain the right direction.
Idehen compares their collaboration to the band Sade, although the project functions under his name, they create music together. This creative symbiosis led to the creation of the album I Know You're Hurting..., which seeks redemption both within a person and in the world around him. It is an attempt to capture moments of good and positive energy that often seem fleeting, and a reminder that better times must come.
During the concerts, the new direction became more and more obvious. As Parment explains: “At first we had some idea of the message of the project and the inspirations, but we did not yet know how it would be received. We learned a lot along the way. We understood that we prefer a standing audience rather than a seated one and that we want people to dance. That's why I wanted to create music that would retain depth and resonate with Joshua's lyrics, while remaining danceable.”
The album features uplifting choirs, warm samples and energetic rhythms inspired by house music. Parment admits that he is particularly attracted to music that transports the listener to a specific place, situation or state of mind. On this musical basis, Idehen builds reflections on morality, interpersonal relationships and lasting bonds - friendship and family that help us survive the most difficult moments.
Many friends and collaborators also participated in the creation of the album, including writers Leone Ross and Charlotte Manning and vocalist Amanda Bergman. Thanks to them, the album develops the topics discussed without falling into moralizing. Among the musical guests were saxophonist Pete Fraser and flutist Shabaka Hutchings, who enriched the sound of the album with additional warmth and depth.
The album's opening track is You Wanna Dance Or What? tells a moving story of human kindness, the memory of a stranger who confronted Joshua at a club in Leicester Square when he was going through a difficult time. The album also includes memories of sunrises on Hampstead Heath (It Always Was), a celebration of the almost ritualistic power of the club community (This Is The Place) or affirmations that helped the artist survive the darkest period of his life (Brother).
In the song Choose Yourself, Idehen rejects the superficial fashion for “self-care”, promoting instead self-esteem and self-confidence, without losing her characteristic sense of humor. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a moving reflection on the alternative paths of our lives and all the possibilities hidden in his daughter's future.
After years of perfecting his craft, Joshua Idehen reaches a new level of artistic maturity on I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try. It is an extremely moving work, and at the same time, thanks to the musical landscapes of Parment, it encourages dancing and experiencing emotions together. In times that often try to divide and isolate us from each other, the album becomes a beautiful and powerful manifesto of hope, solidarity and community.
As Joshua Idehen himself summarizes:
“Perhaps we are sowing seeds today, the fruits of which we will never see. But the sowing itself is important. Just as important as watering, tending and harvesting. Each of us has a role to play if we are to find redemption.”

17.06.2026 Joshua Idhen - Mum Does The Washing OFFICIAL videoJoshua Idhen - Mum Does The Washing OFFICIAL videoJoshua Idhen - It Always Was (Official Video) Joshua Idhen - This Is The Place (Official Video) Metronomy x Naima Bock x Joshua Idhen - 'With Balance' (Official Music Video)

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