British pop legends Johnny Hates Jazz and celebrated soul vocalist Jaki Graham have officially joined forces for the first time in their illustrious careers with the release of ‘Soul Believer’. Out via Revolver Records on August 21st, the song is a landmark collaboration that blends polished pop precision with rich, timeless soul energy to create a sophisticated feel-good anthem. The track is a glorious taste of things to come, being the lead single from Johnny Hates Jazz’s forthcoming 40th anniversary double album and huge UK tour in 2027.
A Secret Love Letter to the History of the Soul
“Soul Believer,” a collaborative effort by Johnny Hates Jazz singer-songwriter Clark Datchler and Hamish Stuart, founding member of the legendary Average White Band, has a fascinating lyrical template. The song’s verses and choruses are constructed almost entirely of more than 27 iconic song titles from classic soul songs from the 1960s through the 1980s. This hidden creative layer transforms the track into a love letter to the genre at large, narrating an emotional story of the everlasting space music holds in our lives.
To connect generations and delve more deeply into these histories, the duo has created Soul Believers, a companion 12-part music and culture podcast series. Hosted by Jaki and Clark, the show looks at the stories behind the making of soul music and ends each episode with an intimate, stripped-back piano-and-vocal performance of the classic songs mentioned in the lyrics.
“Soul Believer” (Johnny Hates Jazz) Johnny Hates Jazz’s melodic songwriting instincts wrap beautifully around Graham’s soaring, soulful vocal conviction. The tune is the perfect start to a massive rollout that will culminate in “Shattered Dreams – The Tour” in 2027, bringing these two enduring musical forces to theater stages across the UK and further afield.
