Protoje has released Third Time’s the Charm on Friday, September 23, 2022. The 10-track album arrives through his own In.Digg.Nation Collective and RCA Records, Pitchfork reports, and completes a trilogy that began with A Matter of Time in 2018 and In Search of Lost Time in 2020.
All 10 tracks are in the JamaicansMusic library, sourced from Protoje’s official channel: press Play all above to hear the album while you read, open the Third Time’s the Charm album page, or jump to the track-by-track player below.
“Third Time’s the Charm concludes this trilogy of albums that directly focus on my study of time and how important it is to make sure what you’re doing is fulfilling you in every way,” Protoje said in press materials quoted by Pitchfork. “Sonically it’s a bit more reggae than my last, even though reggae is always the root, I had some fun implementing all the sounds I’ve grown to love.”
Who is on it
The record was made primarily at the Habitat, Protoje’s Kingston base, with producers including Iotosh, Ziah .Push and Zion I Kings. British singer Jorja Smith appears on “Ten Cane Row”; In.Digg.Nation signee Lila Iké on “Late at Night,” which Protoje co-produced with Cadenza over a sample of Pam Hall and Gussie Clarke’s “Late at Nights”; Jesse Royal on “Family”; and Samory I on the closer, “Heavy Load.” “Hills,” “Incient Stepping,” “Family” and “Late at Night” were released ahead of the album, the last with a video directed by Samo.
“I’ve been searching for an instrumental that epitomizes hard core reggae,” Protoje said of “Late at Night.” “It feels like how ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ by Damian Marley felt when I first heard it, and Lila’s voice adds this eerie and haunting element to an already dark and grimy riddim.”
Tracklist
Each title links to the song page in our library, where you can play it, queue it and find the official upload.
- The Charm
- Hills
- Family (feat. Jesse Royal)
- Incient Stepping
- Dreamy Eyes
- Ten Cane Row (feat. Jorja Smith)
- Late at Night (feat. Lila Iké)
- Love For Me
- Here Comes the Morning
- Heavy Load (feat. Samory I)
Protoje is on tour behind the album. Editor’s note: in November, Third Time’s the Charm was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 65th Grammy Awards, alongside Kabaka Pyramid’s The Kalling, Koffee’s Gifted, Sean Paul’s Scorcha and Shaggy’s Com Fly Wid Mi (Recording Academy).
Listen and dig deeper
- Play the full album on the Third Time’s the Charm album page — official audio from Protoje’s channel (ProtojeVEVO), with the “The Charm,” “Hills,” “Family,” “Incient Stepping,” “Ten Cane Row,” “Late at Night” and “Here Comes the Morning” videos and visualizers available as alternate versions in the player.
- Browse the Protoje artist profile, including Ancient Future and The 8 Year Affair in the library.
- From our archive: “Protoje’s New Album – A Matter of Time” (2018) and the “Blxxd Money” video (2017).
Sources: Pitchfork — “Protoje Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song: Watch” (Madison Bloom, Sept 8, 2022); Reggaeville — release page and tracklist; Recording Academy — Best Reggae Album, 65th Grammy Awards.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an archive backfill covering Jamaican music news from 2022 to 2026. It is dated to the events it reports.