American singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Megan Kashat has released her new EP, Sailor Blues, bringing her personal journey of love, loss and healing into conversation with South African house music.
Released through Soul Candi Records on Friday, 25 September 2026, the four-track project marks Kashat’s debut on the Johannesburg-born label. It features collaborations with Cornelius SA, Ed-Ward, REGALO Joints and France Deep, connecting her international creative background with four distinct voices in the local scene.
Finding Hope Through Heartbreak
At the centre of Sailor Blues is the process of finding a way back to oneself after a difficult chapter. Drawing on personal experiences, Kashat explores heartbreak, truth and reflection through songwriting that leaves room for both vulnerability and hope.
The project’s underlying message is about allowing those emotions to coexist: dancing through tears, accepting the journey and holding onto the possibility of brighter days.
That connection between emotional expression and movement also reflects Kashat’s own artistic path, which began in dance before developing into a recording career.
Four South African Collaborations
Each track pairs Kashat with a different collaborator. Cornelius SA joins her on the title track, “Sailor Blues,” while Ed-Ward collaborates on “Montenegro.” REGALO Joints appears on “Motion Sick,” with France Deep completing the project on “Bones.”
Together, the collaborations place South African house music at the heart of Kashat’s first Soul Candi release, providing a shared creative setting for the EP’s personal themes.
For the label, the project adds an international perspective to a catalogue rooted in South Africa’s dance music culture.
From Detroit to Afro-House
Born and raised in Detroit to Iraqi parents, Kashat left her hometown at 16 to travel internationally as a professional dancer.
Her performance background includes working alongside Mariah Carey and Charlie Wilson, appearances at the Grammy Awards, Steve Harvey Hoodie Awards and The Wendy Williams Show, as well as a season as an NBA dancer.
A summer spent working closely with Steve Aoki in Ibiza drew her further into electronic music. After exploring different dance music styles, she found a creative home in Afro-house.
Now based between Casablanca and London, Kashat works across music, movement, fashion, painting and visual storytelling. According to her artist biography, her recording career has generated more than 20 million streams and over 300 chart positions, with a publishing deal through Notting Hill Music among her milestones.
A New Chapter With Soul Candi
Founded in Johannesburg in 2001, Soul Candi Records has supported the artists, producers and releases that have helped shape South African house music.
Kashat’s arrival extends that collaborative tradition, bringing an artist with roots in Detroit and a career spanning international stages into the label’s orbit.
With Sailor Blues, that meeting takes a deeply personal form: four collaborations built around heartbreak, healing and the impulse to keep moving.
Sailor Blues tracklist:
- Sailor Blues — with Cornelius SA
- Montenegro — with Ed-Ward
- Motion Sick — with REGALO Joints
- Bones — with France Deep
FOCUS TRACK: Megan Kashat – “BONES”
STREAM FULL EP: Megan Kashat – SAILOR BLUES EP
