Artist: Joy Ike

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Influences: Sara Groves, Corrine Bailey Rae, Norah Jones, Regina Spector, Sufjan Stevens, Amy Winehouse

Why You Should Know Joy Ike:

When you think of Pittsburgh, thoughts of blue-collar sweat, hard work, and the daily grind immediately come to mind. Known as “The Steel City,” Pittsburgh is not a city known for its burgeoning music scene, but as time rages on, the flood gates of various genres of music are beginning to spring forth and spill over in the region.

Joy Ike is one of the artists that will ultimately be responsible for placing Pittsburgh’s music scene firmly on the map. Her compelling voice and alluring sense of excitement has placed her at the zenith of the local music scene, and the time has come for her to elevate to the next level. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Nigerian parents (but raised in Pittsburgh), Joy grew up playing the piano with her two brothers and sister. Like most teenagers, she decided to rebel and not complete the training that was afforded her at such a young age. However, her musical roots would shadow her throughout her college life, and she would put those roots into good use.

In December 2006, Joy released her debut EP, titled Before These Words Were Ever Spoken... - an album deeply rooted in her devout faith in God, while tackling such issues as love, loneliness and the meaning of life. “The songs on the album are some of my earlier songs that I wrote coming out of college, reflecting on my faith and where I was.”  With musical inspirations such as Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae and Norah Jones, Joy successfully infused today’s neo-soul sound with jazz and pop influences to create a musical depth not heard in quite sometime. To her credit, Joy has performed at almost every major Pittsburgh venue, including the Hard Rock Café, the Rex Theater, Club Café and the Shadow Lounge.

Although she has been an active performer for only two years and a songwriter for three years, Joy has received a warm following, and her fan base is waiting in the wings for more. “I ran into a lady at one of my shows, and she said she had a dream. She had a dream of heaven, and she heard all of these angels singing. She said that my voice was the closest representation to the sound that she had heard.” While compliments such as these are commonplace for Joy, it makes her more appreciative of her gift and drives her to make music her top priority.

While she doubles as a publicist for a major publishing company, Joy is quietly preparing for the release of her first full-length album, which has yet to be titled. The album is slated for release in early 2008, and rest assured it will be Joy’s most anointed work to date.  Upon the release of the album, she has aspirations of relocating to Nashville, TN, where open doors and opportunities are destined to be made available to her. 

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and would like to see Joy perform live, please visit http://www.joyike.com for dates and times, or visit http://www.myspace.com/joyike to hear samples of her music and to get her random thoughts of the day.