Joy Oladokun, London

Joy Oladokun biography

Joy Oladokun (born 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. Her music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color. She has released a series of studio albums; Carry (2016), In Defense of My Own Happiness (The Beginnings) (2020), In Defense of My Own Happiness (2021). Oladokun relocated to Los Angeles, and initially landed gigs as a backing vocalist while she honed her craft and played occasional solo shows. In April 2015, Oladokun released a solo acoustic EP, Cathedrals, and later that year launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money to record a full-length album. Oladokun was able to raise more than her $30,000 budget, and Carry, featuring backing from a full band, was released in April 2016. Full of personal, emotionally powerful songs, Carry helped Oladokun expand her audience, and she followed it up with touring in the United States and the United Kingdom. The fiercely independent Oladokun continued to record and release new material in a series of singles, with “Memphis” appearing in October 2016, “No Turning Back” in April 2017, and “Sober” in June 2018.

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