SideHustle Radio 3-21-21 ( Kim Joyce)

Every once in a while you've got to recreate yourself. Just ask singer-songwriter, Kim Joyce. During her college years at Ohio State, she played a prominent role on the women's basketball team and was a stellar student in the university's economics program. But after graduation she had a change of heart – or rather, her heart changed her. Joyce put aside her degree, packed her bags and moved to Atlanta to pursue her true passion: music. 

“Music made me feel something new,” she explained. “I could touch and connect with other people in a new way. I was becoming freer. It definitely was a calling.” 

Relocating to A-Town proved to be a good move for the R&B/soul/hip-hop artist. She's released one full-length album called Eleven, two EPs, and is on course to releasing her third, titled Earth. An effort that'll feature her viral hit “Crowd Pleaser” – a track that's garnered over 130k views on YouTube – the EP is a culmination of past influences ranging from childhood to present day. 

Raised in Detroit, music has always been a major component of Joyce's life. As a child, she sang regularly at her father's Baptist church and grew up on a steady diet of gospel hymns and jazz. Even with basketball at the forefront of her life at OSU, she managed to join an alternative hip hop group called La Quest. Earth is the EP that ties everything together. 

Acoustic guitars, hip-hop-infused beats, soulful vocals with a powerful message, Earth is a self-produced offering that's bold and audacious. It's a product of not only her journey but also of all her musical influences; Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Tupac, Bob Marley, Kirk Cobain, Marvin Gaye and so many more. The emphasis of the record isn't based on an image or a superficial appearance, but on the songcraft itself – Joyce's personal lyrics layered with metaphors and politically-charged undertones. 

“I remember this saying: Leave everyone you meet with something good, or give them something, even if its a smile. Well, I take that approach with my music. I feel like you're gonna take away and get something good out of it. Whether its good music that speaks to you, a great show… or how I'm so 'fuck them, imma live this life my way.  You're gonna take away the most beautiful, most intimate, intricate, and vulnerable parts of me.'