Raised in Casa Grande, a small rural community in Arizona, Oladokun began playing guitar when she was ten years old. Both of her parents are Nigerian immigrants to the United States. Her family regularly attended a Christian church, where Oladokun was chosen to lead worship. Later, Oladokun left the church because it limited her creativity.
Inspired by artists like Tracy Chapman, Lauryn Hill, Bob Marley, and singer/songwriters of the ‘70s, Oladokun began writing songs but initially had no intention of pursuing music as a career, preferring to perform for family and friends, sometimes writing them new tunes as gifts.
After completing college, Oladokun got a job and was planning to settle into her new position when a friend asked her what she would be doing if money were not a consideration. Oladokun replied writing songs and traveling, and her friend urged her to follow her muse before it was too late. She relocated to Los Angeles, and initially landed gigs as a backing vocalist while she honed her craft and played occasional solo shows.
In April 2015, Oladokun released a solo acoustic EP, Cathedrals, and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money to record a full-length album. She was able to raise more than her goal, and the album Carry, featuring backing from a full band, was released in April 2016. Full of personal, emotionally powerful songs, Carry helped Oladokun expand her audience, and she followed it up with touring in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Oladokun continued to record and release new material in a series of singles, with “Memphis” appearing in October 2016, “No Turning Back” in 2017, and “Sober” in 2018. She released the single "Sunday" in 2019, saying "'Sunday' is the song that 12-year-old Joy, seated in the back of church youth group, needed to hear. She needed to hear that you can be queer and happy. Queer and healthy. Queer and holy.”
In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter movement Oladokun released "Who Do I Turn To?", a ballad co-written with Natalie Hemby. Oladokun’s song "Mercy" follows in the same theme, describing her experience as a black person in the United States, while the single "I See America" criticizes systemic racism. NPR listed "I See America" on its 100 Best Songs of 2020.
On July 17, 2020, Oladokun released her second studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness (The Beginnings), with White Boy Records. Billboard described the album as a "stunningly emotional collection". Mitch Mosk, editor-in-chief of Atwood Magazine, called it a "a sweeping, soaring, and stunning sophomore record oozing heart and soul."
In 2021, Oladokun received a grant from YouTube's "#YouTubeBlack Voices Fund". The same year she signed with Amigo Records, Verve Forecast Records, and Republic Records. On June 4, 2021, she released her third studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness.
On February 17, 2023, Oladokun announced her fourth studio album, Proof of Life, along with the release of the first song off the album entitled "Changes". On March 16, 2023, Oladokun announced the next single off the album entitled "We're All Gonna Die", featuring Noah Kahan, and the lyric video of the song appeared on April 4.
On April 28, Oladokun released Proof of Life. The album features Mt. Joy (on the track "Friends"), Manchester Orchestra ("You At The Table"), Maxo Kream ("Revolution"), Chris Stapleton ("Sweet Symphony") and Noah Kahan ("We're All Gonna Die"). In October 2024, she released her fifth studio album, Observations From A Crowded Room.
Jordan
Joy Oladokun Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they tried to wash me clean
They got the stains out
But now it's too damn hard to breathe
They told me he's a good Lord
As they tied shackles to my feet
They drowned me in the Jordan
And then they walked away from me
I washed up on the shores alone
In a tattered wedding gown
Disillusioned and heart hardened
Everything I'd known had let me down, down, down
And that is where you found me
Grace and whiskey on your breath
You pulled me back on my feet
And taught me how to dance again
And now we're building our own promised land
On this new ground which we stand
God bless the work of our hands
And make good on our plans
'Cause now I've found love there's no turning back
oh, oh, oh, oh
I don't feel
So young now
Gave the best years of my life a way
I tried to build an institution
Instead of trying to keep the faith
But here in the wild
You Loved me though I was not lovely or deserving
You Kissed the curse from my lips
And taught them to rejoice again
And now we're building our own promised land
On this new ground which we stand
God bless the work of our hands
And make good on our plans
'Cause now I've found love there's no turning back
Now I've found love there's no turning back
In "Jordan," Joy Oladokun details her experience of feeling crushed and traumatized in a religious setting but then finding redemption in the form of love. The opening lines "They drowned me in the Jordan / When they tried to wash me clean" refer to the baptismal tradition in Christianity where the act of baptism symbolizes being washed of one's sins. The line "they got the stains out, but now it's too damn hard to breathe" suggests that the pressure to conform to a certain religious standard has left her feeling suffocated. The next line "they told me he's a good Lord / as they tied shackles to my feet" speaks to the hypocrisy she's encountered in religious leaders who preach love and acceptance but still promote prejudice and judgment.
At her lowest point, Joy sees herself "washed up on the shores alone / in a tattered wedding gown" representing the failed expectations of purity and righteousness. But this is where she meets someone who shows her "grace and whiskey on your breath" and helps her "learn how to dance again." The shift from "they" to "you" shows the power of a personal relationship over dogma in finding true spiritual fulfillment. Joy discovers a love that empowers her to "build [her] own promised land" rather than trying to fit into someone else's prescribed mold.
Overall, "Jordan" speaks to the healing power of love and the importance of being true to oneself rather than trying to meet external expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
They drowned me in the Jordan
I was forced into a baptism in the river Jordan
When they tried to wash me clean
They wanted to cleanse me of my sins through baptism
They got the stains out
The baptism cleansed me of my sins
But now it's too damn hard to breathe
The guilt and shame of my past sins are suffocating me
They told me he's a good Lord
They claimed that God was benevolent and kind
As they tied shackles to my feet
They enslaved me to their beliefs and practices
And then they walked away from me
After baptizing me, they abandoned me to deal with my struggles alone
I washed up on the shores alone
After being abandoned, I was left stranded and vulnerable
In a tattered wedding gown
The remnants of my past hopes and dreams were in shambles
Disillusioned and heart hardened
My heart became resentful and bitter
Everything I'd known had let me down, down, down
My previous beliefs and practices had failed me
And that is where you found me
In my darkest moment, you appeared in my life
Grace and whiskey on your breath
You brought kindness and love, as well as human flaws, into my life
You pulled me back on my feet
You helped me stand again, both physically and emotionally
And taught me how to dance again
You helped me find joy and passion in life again
And now we're building our own promised land
Together, we're creating a new life and future
On this new ground which we stand
We're starting fresh, both in our relationship and in our lives
God bless the work of our hands
We hope that our efforts will be fruitful and successful
And make good on our plans
We want our dreams and goals to come to fruition
'Cause now I've found love there's no turning back
Thanks to your love and support, I've found a new way of life and won't go back to my old ways
I don't feel
I no longer feel lost or without purpose
So young now
I feel rejuvenated and hopeful
Gave the best years of my life a way
I had wasted my prime years on unfulfilling pursuits
I tried to build an institution
I had attempted to form a successful career, but it was ultimately unsatisfying
Instead of trying to keep the faith
I had lost sight of my spiritual and emotional needs in the pursuit of material success
But here in the wild
In this new and unpredictable life I lead now
You Loved me though I was not lovely or deserving
You loved me unconditionally despite my faults and past mistakes
You Kissed the curse from my lips
You lifted my burden and helped me find happiness again
And taught them to rejoice again
You helped me find reasons to celebrate and be grateful again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Olubukola Oladokun
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michellejay2512
Heard Joy in Someone like you, and had to look them up. Gorgeous voice and person.❤❤❤❤❤
@shannonbaron2458
Love, love, love! Pure simple kind real love ⭐🙏🕊️ thank you!
@AhShahDreamsAwake
Wow. What? Wait. I love this song. ❤❤❤
@megcardoso8479
I love it ❤❤❤❤
@Babygalj
Amazing song
@tomasramos4585
Love her testimony... they not true shepherds
@ryliecyrus
as a queer person who grew up in a christian household, the religious guilt, trauma, and imagery in this song is heartbreakingly beautiful and healing. cried when i first heard it cause the lyrics spoke to me. felt so connected with the whole album as well. amazing work, joy.
@ellenskipper7888
Came out as bi to my Christian mom almost exactly a year before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not only did she accept me for who I am, but she became inspired to explore the community of LGBTQ artists, until she found this beautiful vocalist and made a playlist of hers and other like-music to sing and help her through chemo.
She made it, and she’s here with me, today, to thank family like myself and artists like Joy that helped her through this part of her life.
Joy, you brought us joy. Thank you so much! 🥹✨💜
@angelafaith5605
🙏🙏🙏🙏
@angelafaith5605
🔥🔥🔥🔥