Joy Oladokun is an American singer-songwriter. Oladokun’s music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color. She has released three studio albums; Carry (2016), In Defense of My Own Happiness (The Beginnings) (2020), and In Defense of My Own Happiness (2021).

Oladokun 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. She needed to see married women kissing and playing with their kids.” The music video highlights people in LGBTQ relationships and has a predominantly queer cast.

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 (Vol. 1) 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.