Joy Autumn
Interview conducted on March 13, 2023
by Dan Locke
After a successful run releasing her last record, “Midnight,” where Joy found herself on the 2019 first-round GRAMMY ballot, selling out shows at the iconic Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, and featured in renowned publications such as LA Weekly, Autumn eventually packed her bags and moved home to Olympia, WA during the pandemic, leaving her the space to rediscover herself and revisit her sound. Joy leans into a communion with nature and her roots on her new projects––a warm, introspective, and honest rainy-day bedroom-pop album, and a moody, ethereal cover album, honoring her local WA songwriting hero, the late Kurt Cobain.
You were raised in Olympia WA. What was your upbringing like?
It was an adventure! I was raised without a TV or any devices, so my sister and I were always creating things. Maybe that’s why we both became artists even though our parents are both scientists. Music was a huge part of my life. I was always singing, playing
the piano, and writing songs.
How did you discover music?
My Grandma Dorris loved to play the piano, and really encouraged me musically. We had lots of instruments around the
house, and even as a young kid, I use to love to write songs, compose piano parts, and add Casio drum beats to everything I
created!
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
Yes! I got my first electric guitar, a blue Ibanez, for Christmas when I was 14. I was so excited, and it’s still at home in my
childhood bedroom.
What is your favorite guitar? Year, make and model and does she have a name?
My friend Henry has a vintage Gibson from the 50’s that is to die for. I’d love to get one myself some day.
Describe your music.
I write for film and TV, and also produce music, and sing and perform my own songs. My current sound is inspired by the
soundscape of my hometown of Olympia, WA. It’s extremely wet and there, and naturally I felt compelled to create a rainy day, introspective, bedroom pop record with a folksy flair.
What was your first performance like?
I sang “On the Good Ship Lollipop” at a concert when I was 5. I remember it being a gloriously good time!
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
The first original album I made was probably when I was in 1st grade. It was called “Look Who’s Talking” and featured a song
called “There’s Still Hope” which actually had a sick Casio keyboard beat! I do have a recording. I might need to release it
someday!
What ever happened to NPR Tiny Desk Contest 2016?
I was helping my friends get their videos in, and mine didn’t get uploaded till after midnight so I missed the deadline. Oh, well.
Next time
Tell me about the EP Midnight and the 61st Grammy awards?
I wrote Midnight about the dark side of making it as an artist in Hollywood during a really challenging time in my life. I was so
honored that it made the 2019 1st round grammy ballot. Attending the Grammys and celebrating with close friends Kara Connolly and Costas Dino was the best part. Kara and I have this saying about the brutal nature of being an artist, “we need to
celebrate every little win like it’s a Grammy” and this moment was one of those times where we just wanted to pinch ourselves.
Kara Connolly and Costas Dino are both amazing musicians in their own right, check out their individual artist projects!
What is the process of writing your music?
I produce my own music, so I love to either start by making an instrumental track and singing over it, or writing the old fashioned
way on the piano. My songs are like diary entries and I’m always trying to ask myself, “Is this true? Is this the most honest thing I
can say?” If I don’t believe it, then it’s not a song I can write.
Tell me about your new single “Cozy Love”?
“Cozy Love” is about my journey to appreciate the simple things in life. I use to think I needed to have extreme experiences or
relationships in order to be happy. I mistook excitement for contentment, but the slower pace of life during the pandemic
helped me change my priorities. I produced the song myself, and my talented friend Kara Connolly cowrote it with me.
What are you feeling about streaming music?
As an artist, streaming is the reality. Financially it is really challenging for indie artists, because the pay per stream is
fractions of a cent, and recording music is so expensive. I always tell people that if they can support an indie artist by buying their
merch or albums it makes a huge difference.
Do you feel that the music industry needs more diversity?
Yes! As a female composer, it was crazy to learn that female composers represent only 2 percent of the classical music being
performed. Now imagine that number for women of color. Representation matters, and I’m hopeful that we will get to hear from perspectives of those outside of mainstream culture more and more in coming years.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been
used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social
media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes
called a hashtag. Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Yes, they most definitely are
Digital vs. vinyl?
Vinyl. It just sounds so good!
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what does that song mean to you?
Something In The Way! I love Kurt Cobain. He’s my local songwriting hero. In fact, during the pandemic while living at home
in Olympia, I discovered he wrote about 75% of his catalogue a few miles from my childhood home. Growing up in a place like
Olympia, it didn’t feel like there were many musical opportunities.Just knowing that Nirvana had come from this same small, rainy
town gave me hope and pride. I truly can’t explain how much it meant to me.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like a playlist on the internet and opening slots for a
major band on tour.
Yes, sadly it is very much still a thing
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete
environment that you could interact with. Today holograms are already being used in a variety of way,
such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy
Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney
Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after
nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA it was with the help of George Lucas. If the cost was down to
the point, you could do it also, would you be willing to do Holographic concerts in our living room?
Sure, why not
How is Twitch working out?
I used to love performing concerts on the live streaming platform Periscope. It was such a beautiful community of people that truly
loved to support indie artists. I’ve only tried Twitch once and it’s really different. I’d love to have that sense of community back,
and I’m open to Twitch or any other online space that makes sense.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music, they found a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen
became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider
(Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Anything in a creative field would be great, especially if it’s in service of others. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy teaching!
What is your happy place?
Making a warm cup of tea, reading a good novel, and cuddling up on the couch with my kitty Alfie
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians
such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million) , Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall,
John Legend, ZZ Top and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog
for a reported $300 million. Neil Young sold 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song
catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the
mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson
brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike
commercial.The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. Do
you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is willing to buy everything, such as
all the rights to all your songs? Remember anything that you create forward will be 100% yours.
I don’t love that private equity companies are buying up musical catalogues. I’ll leave it at that!
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok either with something like a dance
challenge and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment.TikTok has become a great platform
for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artists to
earn revenue when people use their music. In many cases the daily promotion on TikTok has led to huge boosts on
other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.TikTok does this with the algorithm that generates a feed of content
for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at
guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch. Because a song can go viral because of this. Sony Music and
Warner Music Group, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing
agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will
you start using TikTok more?
I’m currently trying out TikTok! One thing I can say for certain is that nothing can replace performing for a live audience. Contekll-time
SiriusXM music channel going live this summer. The station
will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices. Some
of the on TikTok include Cassyette, YukoEXE, Ashinikko, Palaye Royale, Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots), Yungblud, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and Mick Jagger. The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary,Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
Absolutely.
Are you called the Cat Lady because of Alfie?
Yes! Alfie is such an amazing companion and a huge and happy part of my life. I can’t imagine not having pets. I’m a huge, huge
animal lover.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
I’m looking forward to releasing several new projects in the next year! I’ve got a rainy day, bedroom pop album coming out in the
fall along with a moody, folksy Nirvana cover EP influenced by the soundscape of my hometown of Olympia, WA. I pour my
heart and soul into my music, and it’s always an amazing feeling when my work is able to resonate with others. I’m so grateful to
everyone who streams my music or comes to a show. It truly means the world to me.
