Sampa The Great releases ‘Nu Zamrock’ album inspired by family roots

Zambian-Australian rapper and singer Sampa The Great has released her third studio album, Nu Zamrock, a 16-track project that reimagines Zambia’s 1970s psychedelic rock movement through a fusion of hip-hop, rock, soul and traditional rhythms.

Released on October 30, 2026, through Loma Vista Recordings, the 37-minute album draws inspiration from a family discovery that connected Sampa to the roots of Zamrock.

While reconnecting with relatives in Zambia, Sampa discovered that her uncle, George Kunda, also known as Groovy Joe, was a founding member of WITCH, one of the pioneering bands of the Zamrock movement.

The discovery of her family’s direct connection to the genre inspired her to reinterpret the sound through her own musical identity, creating what she describes as a form of Zamrock that is both ancestral and futuristic.

The album opens with Sampa interviewing her uncle about his role in co-founding WITCH, grounding the project in the movement’s oral history before moving into its genre-blending sound.

It is executive produced by Sampa and Grammy-winning producer Cadenza, alongside Zambian producers Magnus “Mag44” Mando and Solomon Moyo.

“For me, Nu Zamrock is a future-facing sound that brings together hip-hop, rock, soul, and the rhythms of Zambian Kalindula. It carries forward the disruptive spirit that defined Zamrock in its original form: bold, rebellious, visionary, and deeply rooted in identity and self-expression,” Sampa said.

She described the album as her most confident and honest work, saying the discovery had connected her heritage, artistic growth and the legacy she wanted to carry forward.

“This is my most confident and honest work yet. My journey through music has led me to discover that the genre I’ve long been instinctively drawn to was part of my bloodline all along. That realization has connected my heritage, my growth as an artist, and the legacy I want to carry forward into a new creative purpose,” she said.

The album features guest appearances from Sia on “Supernova”, KAMAUU on “Star”, Mwanjé and Nicole Gumbe.

Nu Zamrock follows Sampa’s previous albums, The Return (2019) and As Above, So Below (2022). It was preceded by three singles: “Can’t Hold Us” featuring Mwanjé, “Simon Says” and “Location”.

The single “Can’t Hold Us”, released in 2025, also featured in EA Sports FC 26, an Arsenal-Adidas campaign and a Fortnite summer trailer.

Sampa previewed the album at the Move My Way Festival in Sydney and Melbourne in early October before holding a sold-out double show at the newly opened Blue Note London on November 4, 2026, as part of its international launch.

Loma Vista has described the record as “fierce and uncompromising”, presenting it as a statement rooted in artistic identity rather than a request for approval.

For Sampa, the project represents more than a musical evolution, positioning Zamrock as a family legacy and a cultural sound she intends to carry into a new generation.

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