Hailing from a family of musicians in the Bronx with roots in gospel, Joy began her journey with jazz at age 17, winning Best Vocalist honors at Lincoln Center’s “Essentially Ellington” competition. Within two years she was a star student of piano legend Barry Harris and bowled over a panel including Christian McBride, Jane Monheit, and Dee Dee Bridgewater to win the 2021 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.

Since then, Joy’s profile has risen exponentially through the release of her self-titled debut in 2021 and winning Best New Artist in 2021’s JazzTimes Critics Poll. She has introduced legions of young fans to the Great American Songbook through her TikTok account and released Linger Awhile to rapturous acclaim.

It’s not an accident that Joy was signed to Verve Records — the label built specifically around Ella Fitzgerald — since the young singer is clearly on the path to continue the tradition of the First Lady of Song and conquer new worlds along the way.