From Gainesville to Greatness: An Interview with Up-and-Coming Singer-Songwriter Nolia Joy
Nolia Joy is a charismatic 20-year-old singer-songwriter with roots in bluegrass and Americana. She blends her own experiences into her songs, making them unlike any melody you’ve heard before. She released her first EP, “Pretty Dress,” last year, and has much more in store for us. After her most recent gig with Breaking Sound in Orlando on November 22 – the biggest show she’s played to date – I had the opportunity to sit down with her and discuss her music career. She talked about her music journey, her experience with this gig and her plans for the future.
UPTIGHT: I just wanted to start off today by getting all of your background information and how you first got into music.
NOLIA JOY: My name is Nolia Joy, I am 20 years old and [I’m] from Gainesville, Florida. I’ve always been around music – my dad has been in a bluegrass band since the ’90s and practices in the house every Thursday night. Along with that, he has gigs every second Friday of the month.
UPTIGHT: That’s so cool! When was it that you first showed any interest in pursuing music yourself?
JOY: I wrote my first song when I was four with my dad and uncle. It was called “Baby Drives the Car.” It was very simple but very fun. And I’ve been performing with my dad since I was six, so it’s always been something in the back of my mind. I was writing all the time after that “Baby Drives the Car” song.
UPTIGHT: When did you realize that you wanted to pursue music seriously?
JOY: Around the age of 16. I would sing with my dad on his breaks at his gigs and I was getting better at guitar and didn’t need my dad to help me as much. The manager of the restaurant asked me if I wanted to have my own gig; a three-hour set. So I said yes, then COVID hit and delayed it. But it gave me more time to write a three-hour setlist and by the time COVID ended, I got to do that gig. Then in my junior year of high school, I started a band called Breakfast 4 Dinner. We have an EP out on all platforms. After all of that, I realized this was my passion and that I wanted to pursue music in college. So now I’m at Rollins College studying music on the contemporary commercial music track.
UPTIGHT: That sounds like a great opportunity. You mentioned you recently played the biggest gig you’ve had to date – can you talk about that?
JOY: Yeah, it was my first gig where someone reached out and asked for me to play for them. It was through Breaking Sound, they’re based in LA and they had a place in Orlando for some artists to play.
UPTIGHT: Was your preparation any different for this gig versus the others you’ve played?
JOY: Prior to them reaching out to me, I had started posting more about my music on social media. I’ve found consistency is key for getting discovered, and then once they reached out to me I started posting more about the gig just trying to get people to come out. It was interesting to see the difference in turnout when I marketed myself compared to prior gigs when I wasn’t really marketing.
UPTIGHT: Did performing a bigger-scale gig feel any different than the smaller-scale ones you’ve performed?
JOY: Not really, it was kind of the same process as far as practicing my tunes. I guess I practiced a bit of what I would say in between songs and stuff. Usually I just wing it. I had people play with me this time though. I had Simon Ramos on drums and Thomas Todia on fiddle. We want to add my buddy Buddha who plays blues guitar and make it a thing. We’re going to be called Nolia Joy and The Ramblers.
UPTIGHT: That’s so exciting, I can’t wait to see what you guys end up doing! Were there any standout moments from this gig for you?
JOY: Oh my gosh yes. So we’re all music majors and we get hounded with tons of homework. So on the day of the gig, we found time to rehearse the full set for a bit, and creativity just sparked. We’re playing a song called “Jeanette,” which is about my great-great aunt who died by getting hit by a train. I’m a seventh-generation Floridian, so some of my songs are about family history with that. Right before the bridge, Thomas had the idea to play in double time before it breaks. And then in the last chorus, Simon decided to hit on the upbeat instead of the downbeat. It gave it a really cool sound and I think the audience noticed it too, so that was pretty cool.
UPTIGHT: That’s really cool that you connected with the audience like that. Do you think the gig changed your outlook on your career as a musician?
JOY: Yeah, being reached out to by a company really boosted my confidence. Over the summer I wasn’t really gigging or writing much, and I was in a bit of a rut. I bawled my eyes out one night and wrote a song called “Strings,” which helped me get my kick back. But I think definitely being seen by someone was something that really validated me and squashed any doubt about if I even belong in the music world.
UPTIGHT: Do you have a dream event or venue you want to play in the future?
JOY: My dream is to just play one of those hippie fields like somebody Fleetwood Mac-esque would play. Not necessarily a stadium, but just having fun playing some jam band music for a bunch of hippies.
UPTIGHT: Lastly, what would you say to younger musicians wanting to be where you are? Or maybe what would you tell your younger self who maybe didn’t know where she would be at this point?
JOY: Consistency is key. Post and write your music consistently, even if you think it sucks. I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to writing, but I’ve learned to just get everything out, even if it’s cheesy. Without bad writing, you can’t find your good stuff, just like you’re not going to have happy moments if all the moments are good. And don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. We’re all here for a reason and if your reason is to make music, no one can tell you it’s not.
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