More Proof of Life with Joy Oladokun

Photo credit: Remy Hernandez

Joy Oladokun brought her inspiring and light-hearted energy to More or Less and spoke to us about growth and her new deluxe album. They graced the stage as the opener for Noah Kahan and John Mayer earlier this year and faced an uphill battle. Given Joy’s infectious energy and laugh, you would never guess her struggles that can be heard in her new deluxe version of her album, “Proof of Life.”

Photo credit: Getty Images

There is Purpose Everywhere

When it comes to being a musician, Joy holds a rare, but enlightening point of view. “I don’t think I’m the greatest musician in the world, but I do think that I bring something to the table and to the conversation of the arts,” they stated pointing to the fact that most of her peers do not feel the same way as she does. Whether it’s being a musician, Zamboni driver, or a humanitarian, they quite literally will find the joy in what ever profession they take on.

“I feel capable enough to do the things that I know I can do,” she explained. “Music is just one way that I express myself on this planet and it just so works out that it’s currently my job.” Joy seems to have an easy-going and humorous perspective on the things that life throws her way - no matter how bizarre or uncharted it may be. “I’m here, so might as well make a little video game about it,” she joked. Truly, this perspective is hard to come by, but we think that everyone may need to take some notes on this one. Joy spoke about being grateful for the opportunities given and at the end of the day, she just wants to feel fulfilled. This comes along with the mindset of, “you are not what you do,” but rather you are how you feel, your actions in day-to-day life, and how you change and grow as a human each day.

Feeling present in the moment and content with where you are is a huge goal for most of us. Joy remains grounded by telling herself that no matter what, they will find a way to feel like they are living their truth and feeding their soul. Even if music doesn’t work out and she ends up working at a random gas station, she will embrace a positive outlook and a fully open mind.

Photo credit: Remy Hernandez

Success and Growth

Every artist may define success differently, which is a common theme we tackle on More or Less. The one thing that ties them all together, though, is the desire to be happy. It’s easy for us to continually search for that “happy” and “successful” end goal, but Joy pointed out the importance of focusing on your growth each day instead. As a plant nerd, they look to nature and their plants as examples of how time and patience can add so much beauty to life.

“Incremental growth is a sign of health.”

“Most of what you see in nature is slow, incremental growth,” they said. “Those plants and things tend to be the most fruitful and healthy. I try to think of my career in those terms.” Success to Joy means avoiding burnout, doing what she loves, and staying true to self. Joy’s growth can be seen with major stepping stones like taking accountability, to smaller accomplishments like improving their guitar skills with continual practice on and off stage.

They expressed that taking accountability had been a struggle for a long time, and they never recognized the importance of apologizing and putting their ego aside to resolve conflict. Today, she fully owns her humility and is always ready to admit when she was wrong. Recently, she has been making a strong effort to be clear and concise about issues that come up each day in the workplace - something she never realized was necessary to maintain a healthy environment. “Sometimes it’s healthier to go full force and just say the thing because I think clarity is really important,” she shared. “To be clear and to be caring is something that I’ve grown a lot in.” As a marginalized person in the music industry, it is even more imperative for Joy to set boundaries for herself and her team to ensure that everyone feels safe and protected by one another. She fully committed herself to caring for her staff by providing meals and essentials for tour, while leaving no room for unresolved conflict with one another.

Proof of Life

Joy’s deluxe album, “Proof of Life” just came out a few weeks ago and it truly packs a punch for the listener. And although she won’t admit that her major in college (it was English) had anything to do with it, we fully disagree. The lyricism on the album will make anyone go straight into their feelings. With lines like, “It’s never been my strength to see wildflowers waiting in the weeds. Life ain’t been friendly, I am the devil in my own damn suffering,” from her track, “Wild Enough,” we’re left with a full visual of finding a vibrant flower in a field full of weeds. Using music as her healing source throughout the past few months, Joy shares some difficult songs about death, her dog, and her leap of faith to follow her dreams. “‘Proof of Life’ is one of my favorite things I’ve ever been a part of and it’s cool that it’s my record,” Joy said.

Listen to our full conversation with Joy where we talk in-depth about religion, growing up, and the emotional tax that comes along with being a marginalized person performing as an opener on tour.

Be sure to keep up with Joy by following them on Instagram @joyoladokun