Joy Oladokun to Headline at Denver’s Summit

Pouring poetry, pain, passion, and power into her songs, Joy Oladokun’s words arrive at a time when we need them the most.

Since her debut, the queer Nashville-based singer-songwriter has received critical acclaim from the likes of Vogue, NPR, and American Songwriter, and has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and CBS Saturday Morning. Uplifting, spanning many genres, and greatly influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color, Oladokun’s music will make you cry, think, and smile.

Last year, she released her debut album In Defense of My Own Happiness, and recently released her latest single, “Keeping the Light On.” Oladokun is currently embarking on her first-ever headlining tour, which will stop at Denver’s Summit on Wednesday, April 20.

Audiences can expect to see her again in August when she opens for My Morning Jacket’s two-night run at Red Rocks.

OFM caught up with Oladokun to talk more about her music, the tour, and her artistic passion.

Let me begin by asking, how does it feel to embark on your first-ever North American tour?

I am so excited! Obviously, it’s been a few years since we’ve been able to travel freely-ish, so to be able to do shows safely and for my shows to be headlining; I get to sort of set the tone and pace, that feels amazing. It’s an honor to be able to do that.

You will be headlining at Denver’s Summit on April 20. Is this your first time performing in the Mile High City?

No, I was there with Dermot Kennedy last year, but this is my first headlining solo show in Denver. I’ve done headlining shows in other places, but I think what’s special about this round is being able to just knock it all out at once.

We will see you again in August at Red Rocks opening for My Morning Jacket’s two-night run. Red Rocks is a bucket list venue for almost any musical artist. How excited are you?

I am so, so, so, so excited. And I love My Morning Jacket, so to be able to play at one of my favorite venues with one of my favorite bands is a dream come true.

What can one always expect from a Joy Oladokun show?

I think they can surprisingly expect to see me process my life in real time. I keep things pretty singer-songwriter/storyteller. Even though there’s a band on stage, I like to share the heart behind why I wrote this song and give people a little break from all the noise. It’s a really personal show, and I do think people get a sense of me as just a human, which is kind of cool.

You released your debut album last year, In Defense of My Own Happiness, to critical acclaim. What do you hope listeners take away from it?

Basically, I hope listeners take a moment to ponder about themselves. I think a lot of the record was written from a place where I was so enmeshed in religion and trauma, and I was trying to find a way out that was healthy and positive. I think it all boils down to that voice of shame in my head saying, “You don’t deserve it,’ especially as a queer person who grew up religious. It’s like, you can’t have this; “You can’t love this person”. All the things that we tell ourselves, I wanted to dismantle all that and be like, “I’m gay; I sometimes think about God, and I question authority.” There are all these things that exist inside me, and the record is about no longer apologizing for the things that are true.

Can you tell us more about the concept and inspiration behind your brand-new single, “Keeping the Light On?”

Yeah! I am writing a record right now about my wife in, I guess, very biographical terms, and “Keeping the Light On” was one of the first songs I wrote for it. I went into the studio with some friends, and I usually co-write alone, so it was already having some sort of movement. I had been thinking about the human tendency towards resilience, even though it sometimes seems life is treating us as if we’re inhospitable organisms, trying to shoot us out and discourage us, and I just wanted to write a song about how it’s hard to keep up hope and faith, but it’s worth it.

How has the track been received so far?

It has been received very well. It’s special that people are listening to anything I have to say, and I always think it’s some sort of a miracle (laughs). I think people feel like they can relate to the song, and they want to hear the message that we should keep up faith. It’s been a harsh couple of years.

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?

Most of my life, yes. When I was 10, I watched this video of Tracy Chapman, and it was the first time I had seen a Black woman play the guitar; someone like me baring their soul. I also grew up in a farming town, so there is a lot of country and folk music around me, and to see a Black woman with an acoustic guitar telling her story, it was very influential to me. I begged my parents for a guitar, and they bought me one. Then I started writing all my feelings and observations, and it hasn’t stopped since.

Can you talk about how your music is heavily influenced by your identity as a queer woman of color?

I’m making music because I kind of allude to this world and culture climate; it can’t be an accident that I’m a queer woman of color. So, I sort of have this opportunity to not only make something for people like me, but also present who I am and present a part of a culture that other people don’t always have access to. I live in Nashville, and there’s an LGBTQ community there, but it’s not massive.

When I play shows in Nashville and talk about my partner and stuff like that, people who maybe wouldn’t agree with my right to love another woman may suddenly realize we have a lot more common ground than they thought. I always like to keep my identity enmeshed in my work because I want people to see that this is a queer person making it, and if you relate to anything that I’m saying, you relate to a queer person. Maybe that should change how you treat them.

What are some future goals you hope to achieve as a musical artist?

You know, I’m just enjoying the ride. Everything that comes my way is genuinely a gift, so my goal and aspiration is to keep making music the way I have been, which is honest, from the heart, and with the intention of helping, enjoying, and engaging culture towards good things. Sure, I could play arenas and write songs with other people, but I just really love music, and I love how it helps people. So, my goal is to just keep doing it.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Oladokun by following her on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @joyoladokun, or visit her official website, joyoladokun.com. Click here to purchase tickets for her April 20 concert at Denver’s Summit.

Photos courtesy of Sophia Matinazad and Social Media