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- Victoria Kimani goes global with Afro House anthem “Joy”;
The Kenyan Afropop star joins Dr.Feel and DJ Stavo on a standout from Inner Visions, the global Afro House compilation set for release on 27 November 2026.
Fans know Victoria Kimani for the voice that carried “Safari,” for Afropop and R&B records that made her one of Kenya’s most recognizable exports, and for songwriting that led the Grammy Recording Academy to call her “Kenya’s Best Kept Secret.”
Now she is stepping into Afro House and Afro Tech on “Joy,” a new collaboration with Zimbabwean producers Dr. Feel and DJ Stavo.
“Joy” is a standout from Inner Visions, a global Afro House compilation curated by Dr. Feel that brings together 16 Zimbabwean DJs, producers, and artists. The compilation will be released on 27 November 2026 through South African Afro House label Mansa Musa.
For Kimani, the move is bigger than a guest verse.It places her inside a genre that is rewriting charts, festival lineups, and streaming data across the world and it puts a Kenyan pop star at the center of that shift.
Afro House is having a global moment.In January 2026,MIDiA Research and Splice named it the Sound of the Year after downloads rose 778 percent, from 760,355 in 2024 to 6,674,943 in 2025.
That made it the second most downloaded genre on Splice and drove roughly 70 percent of all house music growth.
On Beatport,Afro House jumped from the 23rd most searched category to number four.
Adam Port,Keinemusik,and Camila Cabello’s “Move” passed 74 million Spotify streams and reached the Billboard Global 200.
The wider business is growing too. Global electronic music reached a record $15.1 billion in 2025, up 7 percent year over year. In 2024, recorded music revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa grew 22.6 percent and passed US$110 million for the first time. Afro House sits at the center of much of that momentum.
East Africa is already part of the story. Kenyan Afro House vocalist Idd Aziz topped Spotify’s 2025 Global Impact List with a Swahili sound that has traveled from Nairobi to Berlin,Bali, and Lisbon.
Sofiya Nzau’s Kikuyu-language record “Mwaki” became a global club and streaming fixture.Kimani’s turn on “Joy” follows that path, but with a pop star’s profile and a songwriter’s instinct.
On “Joy,” Kimani wrote and performed the topline and lead vocals.Her Afropop and R&B style meets the Afro House production of Dr. Feel and DJ Stavo.The result keeps her identity intact while opening a new lane.
Dr. Feel has built more than 200 singles, over 10 EPs, and two albums, Made in Africa and Indalo.He has played Sondela Summer Party and Badbox & Friends in London, Cé La Vi in Dubai, and Amsterdam Dance Event,plus shows in the United Kingdom,United Arab Emirates, Netherlands,Germany, France, Kenya, Cyprus, Zambia, and South Africa. His global network is part of what gives Inner Visions its reach.
His career spans decades.He has worked with Mandoza,Shota, Fiesta Black,Trademark, the late Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah,DJ Maphorisa,Di Buckz, Roki, and Lady Du.
His hits include “Simudza Ngoma,” “Sexy Darling,” and “The Journey.” Several have passed 1 million YouTube views. He has toured South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, the United Kingdom, and Greece.
Inner Visions will be released on 27 November 2026 through South African Afro House label Mansa Musa.The compilation also features Nitefreak, Dr Chaii, Ryan Synth,MIčI, Reverb, TAPIWA,Simbai,Tashinga, Shona (SA), PA NGU, Afro Wav,Takue SBT, Josh Major,Daphfinee, and Taarof Adder.
Tendai Joe, the project’s PR and communications manager, said Kimani’s involvement shows what can happen when African artists work across borders.
“We are talking about an artist who has been professionally linked to names including DJ Whoo Kid, Jadakiss, DJ Green Lantern,Busta Rhymes,and Timbaland.
For me, this is what makes a project like Inner Visions so exciting.It shows what becomes possible when artists move beyond borders,bring their different influences together, and create something that can travel to the world.”
Tendai Joe further said, “This is one project with some of the best Afro House DJs and producers. We have Nitefreak on the compilation.
A producer who features on two tracks that have more than 100 million streams on Spotify alone — and yes, he is part of Inner Visions.
Those in Nairobi are familiar with the name; he has played in Kenya a couple of times.Furthermore, we have the LA-based Dr Chaii, a 5x Grammy-nominated music producer from Zimbabwe based in LA.
He has worked with the world’s biggest artists including Tyla,Dua Lipa,Sean Paul,Chris Brown, Pitbull,J Balvin, Maroon 5, Inna,Camila Cabello,Blondish, and Nicki Minaj.
He designs sound for movies like Fast & Furious, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Baywatch, and TV including NFL and Netflix.”
Joe added that the project is built to support both individual artists and the wider Zimbabwean music community.The aim is to raise the profile of Zimbabwean talent,encourage growth through collaboration,and open pathways for Zimbabwean House music to reach international audiences.
For East African listeners, “Joy” will be a signal. Afro House and Afro Tech are not distant genres owned by other markets.
They are open spaces where Kenyan and East African artists can compete, collaborate, and lead. Kimani’s presence on the record makes that point before the world even hears the full compilation. Inner Visions will be released on 27 November 2026 through Mansa Musa.
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