Joy Oladokun website  instagram  facebook  twitter  youtube with a guitar in hand,baseball cap over her eyes, and hooded sweatshirt loose, a woman sings with allof the poetry, pain, passion, and power her soul can muster. she is a new kindof american troubadour. she is joy oladokun. the delaware-born, arizona-raised,and nashville-based nigerian-american singer, songwriter, and producer projectsunfiltered spirit over stark piano and delicate guitar. after attractingacclaim from vogue, npr, and american songwriter, her words arrive at a timeright when we need them the most. “words are such a powerfultool,” she states. “i remember all of the best and worst things anyone has eversaid to me. i love and respect the ability of words to touch on the physicalrealm. i’m very intentional with my words. i’m grateful and try to be asencouraging as i can, because i’ve been in situations where that has not beenthe case and it’s hurt me or others. people are traumatized by words oruplifted and encouraged to change their lives and careers by them.” the daughter of nigerianimmigrants, she was the first in the family to be born in america. after sometime in delaware, they moved to arizona. dad’s record collection includedhundreds of titles, and he introduced joy to everyone from phil collins, petergabriel, and king sunny adé to conway twitty and johnny cash. as mom and dadstressed academics, she wasn’t allowed to watch tv on weekdays. on saturday,they would “either rent a movie from blockbuster or watch the thousands ofhours of concert and music video footage dad had recorded since coming to thestates.” one afternoon, she witnessed tracy chapman pay homage to nelsonmandela during his 70th birthday tribute at wembley arena. it changed everything… “i grew up in casa grande,which is in the middle of nowhere in arizona,” she goes on. “i was surroundedby images of white dudes with guitars. i was programmed to believe peoplearound me listened if somebody had a guitar. as a shy kid and one of the onlyblack children in town, i had a lot of social anxiety. seeing tracy chapman upthere with a guitar in front of a full stadium was such an empowering moment. iran into the next room and begged my parents to buy me a guitar forchristmas—which was six months away,” she laughs. with her new christmas gift,she went from crafting her first song about the lord of the rings to penningsongs dedicated to her mother after rough days at work. eventually, the localchurch needed a guitar player, and she ended up working there full-time foralmost six years. after college in orangecounty, she relocated to los angeles where writing became a job…and she finallycame out. “i quit the church and came out of the closet,” she recalls. “i gotto a point where i was like, ‘if god exists, he does not care that i’m gay.with all of the things happening, he cannot give a shit’. i feel like it’s notan accident i’m a queer black woman writing and making music.” she wrote and recordedcountless songs alone in her los angeles apartment, even playing sixinstruments. her music and story galvanized a growing fan base as she completeda successful kickstarter campaign to release her independent debut, carry. hersong “no turning back” soundtracked a viral baby announcement by ciara andrussell wilson, opening up the floodgates. she landed a string of high-profile syncs,including nbc’s this is us, abc’s grey’s anatomy, and showtime’s the l word:generation q. around the same time, she settled in nashville, tn and continuedto create at a feverish pace. on the heels of in defense of my own happiness(the beginnings), she garnered unanimous critical praise. ultimately as she releasesnew music, joy’s words might make you cry, and they might make you think, butthey’ll definitely make you smile. “when you listen to me, iwant you to feel like you’ve taken an emotional shower,” she leaves off.“that’s what i’m trying to accomplish for myself. to me, music is a vehicle ofcatharsis. i write a lot of sad songs, but i always push for a sliver of asilver lining or glimmer of hope it could be better. that’s why i’m writing inthe first place. i want you to be changed when you hear me, and not because i’mspecial, but because i make music with the intention to change myself.”