Joy Oladokun Finds Her Spotlight

It's been remarkable to watch singer-songwriter Joy Oladukun's professional success, despite the pandemic: Her music keeps showing up on popular scripted shows like Grey's Anatomy and This Is Us, leading to live performances on late night shows with Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert — all without really leaving her base of Nashville, Tenn.

On June 4, she released her third studio album, in defense of my own happiness, where she sings affectingly about her relationship with her father, identity as a queer Black woman and the process of grappling with religious trauma. It took her some time.

"I think if I had written about my experiences too close to them, I would have said things that I regret," she says, in an interview with All Things Considered's Ari Shapiro, "and I think that the distance helped that."

For the full interview, listen in the audio player above, and stream Joy Oladukun's latest album below. [Copyright 2021 NPR]