Ch! Nonso announces new single “JJC” and an intimate Mt Eden show to celebrate the release
AfroSoul artist Ch! Nonso returns with JJC, out Thursday 14 November 2025, accompanied by an intimate live show, Something With Soul (with, at NiceGoblin Collective HQ in Mt Eden, Auckland. The new single continues Nonso’s exploration of identity, belonging, and cultural duality—blending influences from Nigeria and Aotearoa into one warm, rhythmic soundscape.
Following September’s NZ On Air–funded release “My Own,” “JJC” further expands the sonic and emotional world Ch! Nonso is building—one rooted in honesty, heritage, and home.
“JJC is my ode to summer in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa,” Nonso shares. “It stands for Johnny Just Come, a Nigerian term for ‘Fresh Off the Boat.’ I wanted to capture that strange, familiar feeling of finding warmth and safety in a new home, while still seeing it through the eyes of where you came from.”
Produced and co-produced by Mazbou Q, JJC brings together sounds from Lagos and Tāmaki Makaurau, creating a bridge between the two cities that have shaped his story. “It’s not every day Ikeja and Oshodi share space with Aotea Square and Karangahape Road in a song,” he adds. “It feels like a personal time capsule.”
The single’s release will be marked the same night with Something With Soul(With Michael Howell and Dave Schaevitz). A stripped-back, acoustic evening of music and reflection. The venue, NiceGoblin HQ, holds special meaning for Nonso: it’s where he launched his debut EP Kola Nuts & Chardonnay. Returning to the same creative tattoo space, this performance offers a deeply personal experience that honours his beginnings while revealing what’s next.
Ch! Nonso is fast becoming a name to know in the Aotearoa music scene. In 2023, he performed at Going Global, the country’s leading boutique music conference and showcase. This year, he was named a Top 5 finalist for the 2025 APRA Silver Scroll | Kaitito Kaiaka, alongside long-time friend and collaborator Mazbou Q, for their track “TORQUE.” Written by Mazbou Q (Hugh Ozumba) and Ch! Nonso (Emmanuel Chinonso Nwachukwu) and performed by Mazbou Q, the song cemented both artists as vital voices in the evolving soundscape of Aotearoa.