Joy Oladokun has long been considered to be folk music’s most promising act. Since their 2021 studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness, Oladokun has been a fixture on the road.
Despite the public favor, behind the scenes, Oladokun battled with several industry-related pressures. In a letter available here, Oladokun opened up about those private battles.
Now having purged their team and inking a deal with a new label (Concord Records), Oladokun’s latest single, “Nothing Comes Easy,” was a result of that cathartic release.
On the beautifully raw record, Oladokun poetically outlines that difficult time in their life.
“You let your dreams go / Out there on the road / Running with eyes closed / Trying to survive / What can a friend / Do, To try and convince you / That troubles the cost of being alive / Don’t take it heavy / On your good shoulders / We circle back round the sun every day / Don’t take it on you / It’s just the cold truth / Nothing comes easy / Except for pain,” sings Joy.
When discussing how they landed at Concord Records, in their letter, Oladokun wrote: “None of this helped the fact that— no tea, no shade to me— I was technically in my flop era (dropped by label and some of friends that came with it). I took some time at the end of the last year to see if I could rebuild a team or if I should consider other work.”
Oladokun continued: “Right before the holidays, I signed a new record deal. A smaller team with greater trust in me. Before the ink dried, I asked if we could put this new song out as soon as possible. I didn’t want the song out because I think it’s gonna change my life or be the “hit” everybody’s ass is so itchy for me to have.”
Listen to Joy Oladokun’s debut Concord Records single “Nothing Comes Easy” below.
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