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Steve Lacy has teamed up with SZA on new single 'is it cool?'•
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deBasement have announced their new EP 'HARDBODY' and shared teaser track 'CUT THE LINE'•
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Brandon Flowers has 'Plans' ahead of his solo return 'Thrasher'•
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Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
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  1. Tracks
  2. Joji
  3. Nectar
  4. Sanctuary
Sanctuary by Joji

SINGLE

Joji

Sanctuary

Release date: 24th September 2020

From Nectar
Track 8
3:00
AlternativeMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Joji

About This Track

Released in June 2019 as the lead single from 'Nectar', 'Sanctuary' finds Joji offering refuge rather than romance. The track was written by Joji alongside Daniel Wilson, Justin Raisen and Luke Niccoli, with Raisen handling production. It earned RIAA gold certification in March 2020.

The song pivots on a neat inversion: 'I've been aiming for heaven above / But an angel ain't what I need,' Joji sings, framing intimacy as something earthbound and honest rather than idealised. The motel-neon imagery and the repeated insistence on sincerity sketch a relationship built on presence rather than perfection. The arrangement stays uncluttered, letting the vocal carry the weight of the promise in the title.

It sits as the eighth track on 'Nectar', a record that consolidated Joji's move from internet provocateur to earnest pop balladeer. The song's streaming numbers suggest it connected beyond his established fanbase, the chorus hook doing quiet work without ever raising its voice.

"Sanctuary" is a single by Joji, from the album Nectar, released 24th September 2020. The track is 3:00 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below.

About the Artist

Joji

Joji

Lyrics

Sanctuary

Go ahead and park after dark
Fallen star, I'm your one call away
Motel halls, neon walls
When night falls, I am your escape
When you lay alone, I ache
Something I wanted to feel
If you've been waiting for fallin' in love
Babe, you don't have to wait on me
'Cause I've been aiming for heaven above
But an angel ain't what I need
Not anyone, you're the one
More than fun, you're the sanctuary
'Cause what you want is what I want
Sincerity
Souls that dream alone lie awake
I'll give you something so real
If you've been waiting for fallin' in love
Babe, you don't have to wait on me
'Cause I've been aiming for Heaven above
But an angel ain't what I need
Hold me, oh, so close
'Cause you never know
Just how long our lives will be
If you've been waiting for fallin' in love
Babe, you don't have to wait on me
'Cause I've been aiming for Heaven above
But an angel ain't what I need

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Nectar

3:002020Single
Listen
Album
Nectar
Nectar
Joji
25th September 2020
Track number
8
Release year
2020
  1. 1Ew
    3:28
  2. 2MODUS
    3:27
  3. 3Tick Tock
    2:12
  4. 4Daylight
    2:44

More from Joji

Albums & EPs

Piss In The Wind
Piss In The Wind
2026
SMITHEREENS
SMITHEREENS
2022
Nectar
Nectar
2020
Gimme Love
Gimme Love
2020
Gimme Love (Channel Tres Remix)
Gimme Love (Channel Tres Remix)
2020
BALLADS 1
BALLADS 1
2019

Explore

More tracks by Joji

  1. Forehead Touch the GroundPiss In The Wind
    1:57
  2. Hotel CaliforniaPiss In The Wind
    2:09
  3. Beautiful
  4. Beautiful (with Joji)
  5. Can't See Sh*t In The ClubPiss In The Wind
  6. CigarettePiss In The Wind
  7. Fade To BlackPiss In The Wind
  8. Forehead Touch The GroundPiss In The Wind
  9. Hotel CaliforniaPiss In The Wind
  10. I'LL SEE YOU IN 40 (Demo)

Showing 10 of 20

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5Upgrade
1:30
  • 8Sanctuary
    3:00
  • 9High Hopes (feat. Omar Apollo)
    3:02
  • 10NITROUS
    2:12
  • 11Pretty Boy (feat. Lil Yachty)
    2:37
  • 12Normal People (feat. rei brown)
    2:47
  • 13Afterthought
    3:15
  • 14Mr. Hollywood
    3:22
  • 15777
    3:02
  • 16Reanimator (feat. Yves Tumor)
    3:03
  • 17Like You Do
    4:00
  • 18Your Man
    2:44
  • —Pretty Boy
  • —Normal People
  • —High Hopes
  • —Reanimator

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Daniel Wilson, Joji, Justin Raisen, Luke Niccoli
    Producer
    Justin Raisen
    Arranger
    Joji
    Mastering Engineer
    Chris Athens
    Mixing Engineer
    Casey Cuayo, Rob Kinelski
    Recording Engineer
    Francisco Ramirez
    READ MORE ABOUT JOJIREAD MORE ABOUT JOJI
    READ MORE ABOUT JOJIREAD MORE ABOUT JOJI

    No coverage available for Joji yet.