Brand Your Music: Interview Series with Joy Valencia

According to Joy, she has wanted to be a singer since age four. As a child, she would splice together parts of different songs to make her own mixes, and she’d record herself from tape to tape over and over again so it would sound like she had multiple voices. As she got older, her desire to explore the production side of music helped her hone a sound that is all her own—one that earned her the title of Stereofame.com’s “Artist of the Month” in September 2010. Her careful attention to the works of myriad artists before her helped Joy, along with her husband and co-producer at Elytron Productions, mastermind a music repertoire that is inimitable and fresh.

How would you describe the Joy Valencia brand?

Singer-songwriter-producer completing her first album with the juicy flavors of late-1960s psychedelic pop and a twist of cabaret.

Your music is heavily influenced by 60’s psychedelic pop, what is it about the music of the 60’s that inspires you so much?

I don’t know! LOL It just “does it” for me, & I can’t get enough of it.

Might have something to do with the freedom of it all. There was such creativity, musicality, sincerity & joy to the music. Many people were experimenting for the FUN of it. These are people who loved music and weren’t just using it as a tool for making money. They were true artists who seemed to have creative control.

What are some of your other musical influences?

My top 5 favorites regardless of era are Paul McCartney/Beatles, Harry Nilsson, Michael Jackson/J5, Stevie Wonder, & Joni Mitchell. But good music is good music, & I have a lot of influences that people might not expect… Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story), John Barry (James Bond), Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, early Barbara Streisand, The Andrews Sisters, ragtime, broadway, rockabilly, soul, Motown, big band, bluegrass…

Some of this I didn’t realize until it showed up in the songs I was writing! There was a whole world of music going on before we were born. We have a lot of catching up to do!

I want to get your thoughts on the current state of mainstream Pop music. Do you feel that the music is progressing creatively or do you feel its stagnated?

Hmm… I’m not so interested in listening to mainstream radio, I listen to K-Earth 101 (oldies), KLOS (classic rock), and Pandora Radio.

Sure mainstream pop songs have some redeeming qualities - jams that make you wanna dance, many beautifully punchy mixes, and hooks galore… but something about many them is not sinking in further with me. My soul wants more. And actually I think this is where music is heading… I’m starting to hear people get creative again and take chances. It’s so refreshing.

What’s the most important thing you want people to take away from your music?

A good feeling! This music is coming from a pure place. True passion from someone who loves music and wants to live inside it. So I hope some of that comes across & resonates.

Where can people go and get more information about Joy Valencia?

Oh come find me online, I’m friendly!

http://www.joyvalenciamusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/joyvalenciamusic
http://www.youtube.com/joyvalenciamusic
http://www.twitter.com/joyvalencia

Check out Joy Valencia’s latest video “Don’t Wake The Lion!”: