Raised in Casa Grande, Arizona, as the first-generation child of Nigerian immigrants, indie-pop and folk-rock singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun was immersed in country and folk sounds alongside gospel in her childhood church. At age 10, inspired by a Tracy Chapman video, she began learning guitar—a creative impulse that would shape her artistic voice and inform her signature blend of folk, R&B, rock, and pop.
Fast forward to today, and Oladokun has released five studio albums and spends as many as 100 days a year traveling and playing music. For her, being on the road is a necessary—albeit challenging—part of life as a creative artist. “There’s this Woody Guthrie quote that I actually have on my guitar, and it says ‘you write what you see,’” she notes. “I think that’s why being on the road is so inspiring to me. You become a sponge of information and experience, and I think that that really fuels my creativity.”
Growing up, she balanced country and folk influences with powerful voices like Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill, and she often references soul icons such as Bill Withers, applying another layer of rich traditions to her own work. Her most recent album, 2024’s “Observations From a Crowded Room,” explores a sonic blending of folk, electronic, and psychedelic elements and even includes spoken-word interludes featuring a James Baldwin quote.
As a proud queer Black woman, Joy aims to uplift marginalized voices, and her background as a first-generation Nigerian-American infuses her work with themes of race, identity, and belonging. Over the course of her musical career, she’s gone from a Kickstarter-funded debut album in 2016 to collaborations with Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, and Mt. Joy to opening for the likes of Hozier, Tyler Childers, John Mayer, Jason Isbell, and Brandi Carlile.
To say Oladokun stays busy would be an understatement, but we were lucky enough to catch up with her between performances in Los Angeles. She cruises along Mulholland Drive in a 2025 Toyota 4Runner, taking in the views and playing some acoustic tunes before heading to a canyon hideaway in the Hollywood Hills for some quiet time to write and reflect. After a quick stop at the Troubador, she heads to SiriusXM’s LA Garage Studio to set up for a live performance of “All My Time.”
What’s next for Oladokun? She’s continuing to headline tours, perform at festivals, and advocate for queer and Black communities through her music. And while that schedule keeps her on the move, she’s grateful for the unexpected gifts it brings. “Being a touring musician and someone who has to travel and create at this pretty constant rate, it’s opened me up to a lot of really beautiful and inspiring things, and experiences that I just wouldn’t have had if I was sitting on the couch back in Nashville,” she says.
Sounds of the Road showcases behind-the-scenes moments and candid conversations with some of the country’s most exciting new artists. In Season 6, we explore three iconic destinations with three emerging artists: Austin with husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty; Los Angeles with indie-pop-meets-folk-rock singer Joy Oladokun; and Chicago with Latin Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ela Taubert.
