Joy Oladokun Proof of Life 2LP

Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2023 - Rated 15/50!

Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of 2023 - Rated 61/100!

Nigerian-American musician, songwriter and producer Joy Oladokun's third original full-length album vividly captures the human experience with a profound simplicity, celebrating the little details and simple pleasures of being alive, while giving voice to some of life's most complex experiences in a way only she can.

"This album is evidence of how I live," Oladokun shares. "I hope these are helpful anthems. I started making music because I wasn't hearing from the 'everyday human being' on the radio. I hope this resonates with anybody who feels normal and needs a little musical boost to get through the day. I'm average. I do this job because I love what I do. I put so much care, craft, and intention into it. I'm making music to live to."

The album boasts feats from Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy, Manchester Orchestra and Maxo Kream.

Her name is both prescient and redundant. She oozes energy that shifts a room's center of gravity and makes you happy for it. It is charisma and she has it in spades. It's the way she approaches her craft too.

Joy Oladokun has the kind of voice that pulls you closer, making even the most grandiose sentiment feel personal. It's a vibe she embraces throughout her uplifting fourth full-length album, 2023's Proof of Life. As a Black queer woman raised in Arizona by Christian Nigerian immigrant parents, Oladokun has a lot to write about....she has matured and embraced a mixture of indie rock and alternative singer/songwriter influences. On Proof of Life, she continues to expand this approach....Cuts like 'Changes,' 'Taking Things for Granted,' and 'Purple Haze' (a bold reference to Jimi Hendrix that purposefully sounds nothing like his song) are lyrical anthems that marry confessional lyrics with big, effusive pop melodies in the tradition of artists like Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman. Elsewhere, as on the breezy, groove-oriented 'Friends,' her music achieves an almost perfect amalgam of the old and new, combining the emo- and hip-hop-informed style of artists like Blackbear and Mike Posner with the singer/songwriter folk of Joni Mitchell. ...While she never shies away from explicitly dealing with tough issues on Proof of Life, her writing is always relatable and curative, like a friend bringing you in with a smile and a hand on your back.