Tag: Chris Stapleton

GLOW Artist Joy Oladokun Embraces the Beauty in the Unexpected

April 25, 2023

Joy Oladokun is one of those self-proclaimed “rare birds” who didn’t set out to become a professional musician. The fact that Joy now gets to write, record, and perform music for themself and other Black queers like them is still nothing less than magic. “Maybe it’s my religious trauma, but I feel this responsibility as an artist—and not in a heavy way, in a truthful way—that if I’m going to ask people to listen to me, I want to say things that matter,” the 31-year-old, Nashville-based songwriter told For the Record. “I want to make work that builds a bridge.”

While living in LA after college, Joy found a job singing background vocals for a rock artist, and from there began to write music for low-budget videographers. The work snowballed into a viral gig, and eventually, a publishing deal. A few albums, plenty of singles, and an enviable number of high profile collaborations later, Joy is now preparing to release a new album and then go on tour with collaborator Noah Kahan. To top it off, she was just named Spotify’s latest GLOW artist. 

GLOW is our global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. We’ll support Joy on-platform with a dedicated hub and flagship GLOW playlist, and off-platform via billboards and other takeovers. The visibility, to her, is crucial—online as well as in real life. 

“Nashville reminds me of the small town that I grew up in, in rural Arizona. And it’s really interesting being so Black and so queer in a place that, at least on the outside, wants to pretend that you don’t exist. I think that there’s this real ownership and identity for me that has happened here. Yes, it’s a country music town, and I’m not a country musician, but I feel just as at home writing songs and making music here.”

Joy always believed in the power of storytelling and songwriting, and now, they have the opportunity and the audience to tell their own stories. 

“As a songwriter, I got to a place where I could have written a song for an Ariana Grande or a Carrie Underwood and that could have been gratifying. But I also was looking around the playing field and not seeing anybody like me and not seeing anybody telling stories like mine in a way that I resonated with,” they said. “There are obviously queer artists, there are obviously Black queer artists—thank God for Lil Nas X—but I think for the kids who grew up watching too much Star Wars and listening to Paul Simon and geeking out to the harmonies in Crosby, Stills, and Nash records, and also lying on the floor and listening to Linkin Park’s Meteora because it’s the best thing ever, I think I fill that gap. And I get to remind people that Blackness and queerness and womanhood and gender are not monoliths.”

Listen to her tracks “sunday” or “jordan” and you might just hear a 21st-century Tracy Chapman with hints of Bob Marley, Phil Collins, and Peter Gabriel. “They used a lot of West African music and rhythms in what they did. My family is from Nigeria and West Africa, and their music feels like home. They reached out and created a bridge, musically, between a synth and a talking drum.” 

Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, Nirvana, Paramore, and Metallica also made a big impact on the artist as a young person. “Music is the weirdest thing we do. We just make noise out into the void, hoping it connects with somebody. I can listen to a Johnny Cash record and be like, ‘I relate to this.’ But if Johnny Cash and I sat down to dinner, it would just be awkward.” 

Maybe, but there’s also a broad range of artists Joy has already been able to work and record with, including Manchester Orchestra, Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan, and Chris Stapleton. “When Chris said he would sing ‘Sweet Symphony’ with me, I think I said, ‘Are you sure?’” Joy has a photo of herself crying after listening to their track together for the first time. “Everyone has been so cool and so open to this sort of weird world that I’m building.” 

Joy refers to their work and live shows as a sandbox at a playground—a place where lesbians dressed like truck drivers stand and sing their songs next to actual truck drivers. But it’s not always a day in the sun. “I did this benefit concert in Tennessee because there’s been a lot of anti-LGBTQ legislation here. And we were like, ‘Hey, queer people live here! Imagine.’” One of the songs on the new record is about how nobody came to Joy’s eighth birthday party, but when it comes to the mood, “It sounds as if Radiohead and the Beach Boys had a baby. So I have a serious, innate desire to make beauty out of difficulty.”

Joy aims to keep her diverse fan base in mind and deeply values creating art that allows anyone to come to the table to find themselves. 

“I want queer people to listen to my music and feel empowered to take up all the space that God made them to take up,” they said. “I want people to feel like they can be sad or frustrated at the state of the world, or the way they’re spoken to, and feel like they still have people who care about them and advocate for them. And I think music does that.” 

Listen to the singles from Joy’s upcoming album, Proof of Life, and look out for the release on April 28.

Spotify’s Flagship Country Playlist, Hot Country Launches with Original Video Content from Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, plus a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton

April 27, 2018

Country music may have gotten its start in Nashville, TN, but it has since expanded far beyond. For some time, country music fans around the world have been looking for a way to help them connect to the artists they love, discover new music, and share their love of the Country genre. With Spotify’s Hot Country Playlist—now enhanced with video—they may just find it.

Enhanced playlists, like the previously launched Rap Caviar and ¡Viva Latino!, combine music and video into a single view. This allows users to listen to their favorite audio tracks as well as watch interviews and music videos featuring their favorite artists. Enhanced playlists bring storytelling back to music discovery—a theme that country music emphasizes as well.

After enjoying the constantly refreshing playlist throughout the week, listeners can tune in every Friday to experience new and original country video interviews with an all-new Hot Country look and feel. First up: Grammy Award winner Keith Urban, who takes the wheel today with a feature cover story that coincides with the release of his new album, Graffiti U. On Hot Country, Keith gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his extensive guitar collection, discusses his love of playing in his new home studio, and dives into the inspiration behind his new album.

While reflecting on the Hot Country playlist, Keith Urban said; “Spotify has been an amazing partner, helping me to connect my music with people all over the planet. On their new Hot Country playlist people will not only hear Graffiti U, they’ll be able to come inside the studio with me and see a bit about the making of the album. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

According to Brittany Schaffer, Head of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify’s Nashville office, the country music audience has been slower to adopt streaming than audiences of other genres. But, “country artists have been craving the attention of the streaming services to help bring the country audience into streaming and craving a deeper ability to connect with and expand their audiences,” she says. “The enhancement of the Hot Country playlist is Spotify’s first significant step in helping artists do just that.”

Schaffer also notes that the enhanced playlist is only the beginning of Spotify’s collaboration with the country industry. “Spotify is serious about making an impact in country music, and the launch of the Hot Country enhanced playlist is only the first step in showing that commitment,” she says. “This opportunity is opening new doors for current and potential listeners of country music, in Nashville and around the world. Our commitment doesn’t start and end with the launch of Hot Country.”

Through Hot Country and upcoming Spotify partnerships, fans can look forward to behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with their favorite country artists such as Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, and Kenny Chesney. From a tour of Keith Urban’s new state-of-the-art home recording studio in Nashville and the making of Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour to video footage from Kacey Musgraves’ Fan-First high tea in London or Justin Timberlake x Chris Stapleton’s Spotify Premium event recording of “Say Something” at the Roundhouse in London, Spotify is dedicated to telling the stories of country’s biggest names.

To bring more Hot Country to its more than 4.5 million followers worldwide, the enhanced playlist feature will also launch in four additional markets outside the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Spain (in addition to the UK, Sweden, and Latin America). According to John Marks, Programming Head of Country Music at Spotify, the audience for country music will only keep growing. “There are multiple awakenings happening right now. Streaming is opening a global market. There’s been a hybridizing of other international music into the country playlists, which is opening people’s eyes and minds to country music in other countries. Launching in those markets—which have very active fan bases—will start to speed up the process.”

Marks, who has a long history working in Nashville with country industry and artists, is enthusiastic about the partnership—and he’s not the only one, he says. “The Nashville music industry and Nashville artists have really embraced this idea out of the shoot. We have some big stars on board with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, and there are plenty others on queue. It’s really been gratifying to see how quickly and how nimbly everyone in the industry has supported this idea of enhanced playlists and to see it all come together.”

Check out the new Hot Country playlist here.