Joy Oladokun

by

Summerfest

Humbly tenacious, Joy Oladokun’s song “Drugs” opens to vulnerability: “The drugs don’t work, I can’t get high. Seems like I gotta find a new way to survive.” Black and gay, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Her folk songs ramp up to easy grooves even when staring down difficult themes. After her recent album Observations from a Crowded Room was released, Oladokun was unceremoniously dropped from her record label.