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

Joy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve known I wanted to be a composer and performer since I was 5 years old! I was constantly running in circles around the yard, making up songs, and then recording them on my Casio keyboard. Music was a source of pure joy for me. At the time, I assumed that everyone wrote music, and I didn’t see it as a special talent. It actually wasn’t until college that I started to pursue it seriously!

Joy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! I am a singer-songwriter, music producer, and film/media composer originally from Olympia, WA. I’ve been writing songs and playing the piano since I was 5 years old. It’s safe to say that my career in music chose me, as when I’m not engaged in music, I don’t feel like myself!

My album, “Midnight,” was included in the 2019 first-round GRAMMY ballot. I’ve also toured across the United States, performing at festivals like SXSW, and I’ve sold out shows in LA including the iconic Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. This year, I’ve recorded and produced two new albums: a Nirvana homage titled “Come As You Are––A Tribute To Nirvana in Olympia,” and “Rainy Sunday,” an acoustic indie-pop album scheduled for release on November 14th. Currently, I’m also composing music for an upcoming animated film and various other media projects. I love collaborating with directors, producers, and other creatives!

In addition to my musical pursuits, I’m passionate about mentoring middle school and high school female composers, music producers, and songwriters. Representation matters and I want them to feel empowered in fields like composition and production that are male dominated. I love it and it’s extremely rewarding!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, being an artist is all about connecting with others and making personal experiences relatable to everyone. It’s an amazing journey, but it’s not without its challenges. As artists, we dig deep, confront painful moments, and turn that pain into beauty.

I recently released a new song, “Beautiful,” from my upcoming album, “Rainy Sunday.” This song is my most personal work yet. It’s about my journey toward self-acceptance. Like many artists, I can be really hard on myself, and after a tough year, I realized I needed to be kinder to myself. There is beauty in self-acceptance, in discovering that our worth is intrinsically attached to who we are, and nothing more.

When I released “Beautiful,” I woke up to a flood of messages from fans and even close friends who wanted to share their own struggles with self-doubt, disappointments, and unfulfilled dreams. I spent the whole day on the couch crying because I was just so touched. Several people told me that they’d never seen themselves as beautiful, but my song gave them hope that they could one day see their own beauty.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, I want to help normalize female composers and producers! As a young singer-songwriter in Hollywood, I found working with male music producers challenging. They couldn’t relate to what I was singing about. When I wanted to make changes to my own music, instead of listening to me, they would gaslight me saying things like, “Joy, how many Grammy nominations do you have?” (Ironically I’ve now had an album on the first round Grammy ballot). I tried to find a female producer, and was shocked when I couldn’t find a single one. Fortunately that is changing. Representation matters. Diversity in the arts matters. Think of how many voices we haven’t gotten to hear from? I hope to be a part of the change!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joyautumn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyautumnmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyautumnmusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joyautumnmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/joyautumnmusic

Image Credits
All photos by Katrina Camille Manaligod except: Press Photo 4 by Justin Higuchi Joy Autumn Performance by Lyd & Mo Photography Studio