Nashville-based artist Joy Oladokun went through an intense period of questioning her place in the music industry and the world at large after finishing work on her last album, 2023's Proof of Life. She even thought about quitting, but ended up being spurred into creating a whole new body of work that she says she hopes can help her to "close the gap" she's felt "between love for my art and love for me, the artist."

Arriving on 18 October as a joint release between Amigo Records, Verve Forecast, and Republic Records, Observations From a Crowded Room signals a break with the past for Oladokun, who wrote, played, and produced the whole album almost entirely by herself – something she says she needed to do in order to "create unfiltered and raw expressions of what the past few years have been like for me." In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, she added:

"when i was writing this album i was thinking of the thousands of marginalized voices whose contributions to the culture are dimmed or forgotten over time. cannibalized by those who will stop at nothing for another hit or sale. i thought about james baldwin. betty taylor. mary clayton. big sister rosetta tharpe. nina simone. bill withers. big mama thornton. barbara lynn. i could be one of them. i am one of them."

To preview the album, Oladokun has released what she describes as the two singles that best represent the album. "I'D MISS THE BIRDS" is a song she describes as being about "running into what some will say is my impending irrelevancy with peace," while "NO COUNTRY" addresses the ugly realities of war and genocide. Dedicating the song to Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria and "the displaced children of countries foolish and selfish people came and ruined for their own gain," Oladokun reminds us that religions and nationalities "don't erase the fact that we have a moral responsibility to protect each other."

Listen to both tracks below:

She also thanks Aaron Sterling and Maren Morris for their contibutions to the two new songs, "and for not laughing at me as a producer." In a press release accompanying the album announcement, Oladokun added:

“This album became a way for me to write things, feel things, process things. Because, as the producer, I just had to sit with these songs for so long. It became really healing in a sense of, ‘I made this. I’m listening to an album that I genuinely love. All the sounds and bits and bobs came from me with the help of just an engineer.’ It was transformative. So, it started out as, ‘I quit,’ and it has ended up as a fresh start.” 

Observations From a Crowded Room tracklist:

1. LETTER FROM A BLACKBIRD
2. AM I?
3. OBSERVATION #1
4. STRONG ONES
5. DRUGS
6. QUESTIONS, CHAOS & FAITH
7. NO COUNTRY
8. OBSERVATION #2
9. HOLLYWOOD
10. flowers
11. DUST/DIVINITY
12. GOOD ENOUGH
13. OBSERVATION #3
14. I’D MISS THE BIRDS
15. GOODBYE

"QUESTIONS, CHAOS & FAITH" and "DRUGS" were released earlier this year.

Oladokun has a few US festival dates lined up for September, followed by two shows in South Africa and an Australia and New Zealand tour opening for Hozier.

09/15 Asbury Park, NJ @ Sea.Hear.Now Festival
09/21 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Farm Aid
09/22 Richmond, VA @ Iron Blossom Music Festival
09/28 Johannesburg, South Africa @ Marabi Club
10/03 Cape Town, South Africa @ Rocking the Daisies
11/05 Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena *
11/08 Adelaide, Australia @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre *
11/12 Melbourne, Australia @ Sydney Myer Music Bowl *
11/13 Melbourne, Australia @ Sydney Myer Music Bowl *
11/15 Sydney, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena *
11/18 Brisbane, Australia @ Riverstage Brisbane *
11/20 Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena *
11/22 Christchurch, New Zealand @ Wolfbrook Arena *
11/23 Christchurch, New Zealand @ Wolfbrook Arena *

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