Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to JOIE GREY. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, JOIE thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

For a long time, it felt like I was allergic to making money through my music. All of my live performances were simply for exposure and my music was not generating enough streams for me to see an actual profit. It wasn’t until my song, UNTITLED, went viral on TikTok that I actually saw any real monetary success. The song gained steam in May 2022, and I made more money in the three months after than I had in my entire career. Immediately, I used the money to take a much needed vacation to Disney World.

I’m still young (24) and hopefully have many more years in this industry, but finally generating income with my music is something I dreamt about since I was in high-school. Fame and fortune have never been my driving forces, but making money for doing the things you love is a great reason to continue doing those things. When people ask me how I got this modest level of success, I always tell them to simply remain patient. Being a creative is a much harder path than other professions, so it’s gonna take much more hard work, dedication and patience.

JOIE, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I’m not JOIE GREY, I’m just Jonathan. I was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and took music lessons from the day I could walk to the day I graduated high school. I originally wanted to go to college for engineering, but the music bug bit me during my freshman year, and I haven’t used my computer science degree since graduating in 2020. Instead, I kept working on my skills as a singer, producer, and performer.

Music is my full-time job. I song write and produce for other artists and commercial businesses. I also run a label with three other creatives on it, so I handle the majority of the music production, release, and promotion. The label is called O.O.T.W. or Opportunity Opens The World, and we focus on delivering cool and unique content. Our doors (and ears) are always open to talented creatives. I am very proud of the music I make and the brand that I’m building. Music affects people in ways you would never know, and I want to have a positive impact on others. Everyone should do what they do best and use it to help others, so I’m gonna keep making music.

Because I write, produce, and record all of my music, I can release music consistently. My new single, SILVER SURFER, dropped on Sept. 30th; It’s a feel-good banger, perfect for the end of Summer.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society should learn to just give creatives a voice and let them do what they do. We see what happens when society tries to interfere all the time. If a company finds a creative and wants to work with them, they shouldn’t also place absurd restrictions on them and compromise their art. The same thing goes for consumers. If you like an artist, support them and give them a platform, but don’t also try to tell them how and when to make music.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs, in my opinion, are not great. The idea of one-of-a-kind digital art is cool, but the way NFTs are being done is detrimental to art. Once a person buys an NFT, they don’t treasure it. They buy them mostly because of the potential resell value. I appreciate the fact that independent creators can make substantial money from selling their art as NFTs, but there are better ways to make money from your fans like merch, meet & greets, and brand deals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ootwent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joievision/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joie_grey
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jgmusicpage
• Other: https://linktr.ee/JOIEGREY

Image Credits
Madison Green