JOY OLADOKUN DEBUTS SPOTIFY SINGLES SESSION
FEATURES NEW VERSIONS OF “SUNDAY” AND BONNIE RAITT’S “I CAN’T MAKE YOU LOVE ME” FEAT. JASON ISBELL
FIRST NATIONWIDE HEADLINE TOUR CONFIRMED FOR SPRING 2022
PRESS ASSETS HERE
Breakthrough singer, songwriter and musician Joy Oladokun’s debut Spotify Singles session is out today. Listen/share HERE. Recorded at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, the release includes a new rendition of Oladokun’s “sunday” as well as a version of Bonnie Raitt’s classic “I Can’t Make You Love Me” with special guest Jason Isbell on guitar.
Reflecting on the project, Oladokun shares, “I’ve been a rabid consumer of Spotify Singles since their inception. Being asked to do one was a dream come true and I wanted to bring in the best crew. I asked Jason Isbell to play guitar on the Bonnie Raitt cover and he absolutely smashed the energy and emotion of what I was trying to do. So excited to have these out in the world.”
The release adds to a landmark year for Oladokun, whose major label debut album, in defense of my own happiness, is out now via Amigo Records/Verve Forecast/Republic Records. Moreover, Oladokun released a special deluxe edition, in defense of my own happiness (complete), this past July which includes all 14 tracks from her major-label debut, ten additional songs from her self-released 2020 record, in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings), and one new track, “judas.”
In celebration of the new music, Oladokun will embark on her first ever headline tour next spring with newly confirmed shows at Austin’s Antone’s, Dallas’ Club Dada, Los Angeles’ Troubadour, San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, Seattle’s Neumos, Denver’s Marquis Theater, Minneapolis’ Fine Line, Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Washington, DC’s Union Stage, Atlanta’s Terminal West and Nashville’s The Basement East among several others. See below for complete itinerary. Tickets for the tour are on-sale now, full details can be found at here.
Within defense of my own happiness, Oladokun is forging her own path, sharing the unique perspective she’s gained from living in today’s world as a black, queer woman and first-generation child of Nigerian immigrants. Born in Arizona and now living in Nashville, her musical exploration began at age ten when she was inspired to learn guitar after seeing a video of Tracy Chapman—the first time she’d ever seen a black woman play the instrument.
Recently named one of the “Best Albums of 2021 So Far” by Rolling Stone and Variety, and one of Billboard’s “Best Albums by LGBTQ Artists of 2021 So Far,” in defense of my own happiness features special collaborations with Maren Morris, Jensen McRae and Penny & Sparrow and continues to receive widespread critical praise:
“She has a remarkable ability to distill how forces at work in the world…she can make even social and political protest feel like an intimate, warmly human act”—NPR Music
“Joy Oladokun, like all of us, is a work in progress. But when you talk to Joy, it’s almost like you can see that growth happening right in front of you. Every time she speaks, she’s discovering a new idea or a new thing about herself or uncovering a new way of looking at the world.”—NPR World Café
“a serious talent with a kind of low-key, casual ease…she’s always seeking out the light to point the way, making for one of the year’s most uplifting listens.”—Rolling Stone
“one of the hottest new singer-songwriters making music…surgical songwriting and soulful vocals that will send chills down your spine on each repeat listen.”—Billboard
“songwriting and production values that could take these bold tunes to a broad audience. These are affecting songs of loss, both romantic and mortal, that land far from any soapbox”—Variety
“Joy Oladokun is a rare talent who manages to dissect Christianity, queerness, race and mental wellness with a delicate yet determined touch”—Vogue
“Oladokun’s message is not only timely, but essential.”—them.
“There aren’t many frills to Joy Oladokun’s folk music but that doesn’t mean her songs, which capture the quieter moments of life with a frank honesty, don’t still sear to the core.”—Nylon
“a stunning major label debut…any Nashville musician worth their salt should be pinching themselves to work with Oladokun, among the most exciting talents this city has seen in years.”—The Tennessean
“the rising singer-songwriter proves her worth as a master storyteller”—American Songwriter
“Oladokun’s ability to shine a light on the truth is remarkable, but perhaps even more so is her ability to do so with kindness.”—No Depression
“this compelling young artist, now a Nashville resident, has seized headlines for the honesty and depth with which she conveys her experience…but her songwriting is poignantly universal.”—Hits Daily Double
“Oladokun is giving us her whole self, and hoping to inspire us to be our whole selves too”—Nashville Scene
“often striking, and always satisfying”—Nashville Lifestyles
“an artist able to turn an idiom on its head through powerful messaging and an open honesty about her own life and her own family and her own roots.”—Folk Alley
“it’s pop music approached from the mindset of a true singer/songwriter, not far removed from the art of Carole King…each composition is flawlessly conceived”—Holler
“Open about her queerness, mental health, and her mission to be intentional with the music she creates, Oladokun…is making a name for herself in Nashville and beyond.”—uDiscover Music
Oladokun has continued to receive widespread attention in the past year. She was recently featured as part of NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk (Home) Concert” series, performed on “CBS Saturday Morning,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “TODAY” and will make her debut on PBS’ “Austin City Limits” early next year as part of the legendary program’s 47th season. She has also been named a member of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Class of 2021, a NPR Music/Slingshot’s 2021 Artists to Watch, a Billboard LGBTQ Artist of the Month, Spotify’s RADAR US: Artists to Watch 2021 and Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch 2021, was highlighted as part of HULU’s “Your Attention Please: The Concert” alongside 24kGoldn, Kiana Ledé, Lil Yachty and Swae Lee, and had her music featured on CBS’ “CSI: Vegas,” NBC’s “This Is Us,” ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC’s “Station 19” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Moreover, Oladokun recently collaborated with Brandi Carlile and Lucie Silvas on new song “We Don’t Know We’re Living” as well as with Noah Kahan on his track, “Someone Like You.”
IN DEFENSE OF MY OWN HAPPINESS (COMPLETE) TRACK LIST
- jordan
- smoke
- if you got a problem
- i see america
- heaven from here (feat. Penny & Sparrow)
- younger days
- sunday
- bad blood
- lost
- who do i turn to?
- sorry isn’t good enough
- taking the heat
- someone that i used to be
- brick by brick
- unwelcoming
- Bigger Man (feat. Maren Morris)
- mercy (feat. Tim Gent)
- let it be me
- judas
- mighty die young
- breathe again
- too high
- look up
- wish you the best (feat. Jensen McRae)
JOY OLADOKUN CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
October 23—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
October 24—Atlanta, GA—Shaky Knees Music Festival
October 28—Grand Rapids, MI—CFAC Auditorium at Calvin University
November 5—San Diego, CA—House of Blues
November 6—Los Angeles, CA—The Novo
November 7—San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom
November 9—Portland, OR—Roseland Theater
November 10—Vancouver, Canada—Commodore Ballroom
November 11—Seattle, WA—The Showbox
April 7—Austin, TX—Antone’s Nightclub
April 8—Dallas, TX—Club Dada
April 10—Phoenix, AZ—The Crescent Ballroom
April 11—Los Angeles, CA—Troubadour
April 13—San Francisco, CA—Great American Music Hall
April 15—Portland, OR—Doug Fir Lounge
April 16—Seattle, WA—Neumos
April 19—Salt Lake City, UT—Soundwell
April 20—Denver, CO—Marquis Theater
April 22—Kansas City, MO—recordBar
April 23—Davenport, IA—The Raccoon Motel
April 24—Minneapolis, MN—Fine Line
April 26—Madison, WI—Majestic Theatre
April 27—Chicago, IL—Lincoln Hall
April 29—Toronto, ON—Horseshow Tavern
May 1—Cambridge, MA—The Sinclair
May 2—New York, NY—Bowery Ballroom
May 5—Holyoke, MA—Gateway City Arts
May 6—Ardmore, PA—Ardmore Music Hall
May 7—Pittsburgh, PA—Thunderbird Music Hall
May 9—Washington, DC—Union Stage
May 10—Durham, NC—Motorco Music Hall
May 11—Asheville, NC—The Grey Eagle
May 13—Atlanta, GA—Terminal West
May 14—Nashville, TN—The Basement East
