From Sound on Sound: Joy Oladokun is Casually Extraordinary

As only the second performer to take the Sound on Sound stage this year, Joy Oladokun had a lot going against her: The mud and cloudy weather had dampened the general mood, festival goers were still trickling in due to the three hour rain delayed start, and the crowd was hardly warmed up for the night of music at only 4:00 in the afternoon when she went on. But despite this, Oladokun’s charisma and prodigious musical talent won over the crowd, all before the artist even finished her first song.

For those unfamiliar with Oladokun, the folk-pop artist draws on her experience as a first-generation daughter of Nigerian immigrants and proud queer Black person to create lyrically powerful and musically resonant songs. She has already released four studio albums, her most recent being “Proof of Life,” which came out in April.

True to her humble demeanor, the artist began her set with a nonchalant entrance; the drummer onstage started up a simple beat and Oladokun simply walked on and began to perform. Donning a Nirvana shirt and one of her own “Keep Hope Alive” hats, Oladokun let her talent speak for itself, beginning her set with “Keeping The Light On,” the first track off her recent album. Immediately the crowd was enraptured by her voice: soft but impressively strong, nasal but incredibly clear.

“I’m Joy Oladokun and I get stoned in my attic and I write stuff,” Oladokun said after her first piece, in what would soon become a clear pattern of the artist singing a song, delivering a casually hilarious one-liner, and then singing again. This simple formula allowed the audience to pick up on both her musical talent and witty personality within the first few minutes of the show, endearing the artist to the crowd immediately.

Other notable one-line transitions from the show include: “this one’s about how I hate change,” “this one’s about how no one came to my eighth birthday party,” and “I was listening to Weezer and thinking about death.” Each interlude seemed to work well for the Sound on Sound crowd, with audience members constantly nudging one another and giving nods of approval as Oladokun continued to shine on stage.

In the acoustic section of the set, the band left Oladokun alone on the stage to perform some solo pieces, in what she called “a moment of meditation.” Her performance of “Sweet Symphony” displayed Oladokun at her most intimate: eyes half closed, lips grazing the microphone, completely immersed in her work. Even the raucous cheers from the attentive audience didn’t break her spell, as the artist proceeded to sing a few covers blended with her originals, including a stunning transition from “Sunday” to a cover of Joan Osborne’s “One Of Us” that brought chills to even the furthest in the GA section. a lively rendition of elton john’s classic “rocketman” was again elevated through oladokun’s unique vocals.

Just as the artist began to sing her last chorus, the sun finally peaked through the overcast sky that had been dimly lighting the entire festival thus far. With that serendipitous turn, Oladokun got the shining spotlight that she deserved to close out her set.

—Staff writer Stella A. Gilbert can be reached at stella.gilbert@thecrimson.com.