In all of my endeavors, whether it be coming in at the tail end of Lucy Pearl to help finish out their tour, and to help continue to promote with Raphael and Ali-Shaheed. Of course, I’m not on the album. I literally came in at the end to finish up tours and to do TV with them because they had been nominated for awards. The machine was still going and Dawn has decided to step away and pursue some solo endeavors. Raphael asked me to come in, and even with that, it was like “this will be good because it will put my name on the lips of people who otherwise would not know what I do”. It’s more of a straight-ahead R&B vibe, and more people who listen to me are more cross-genre based. It’s not really just an R&B, Soul, or Hip-Hop experience. It’s a lot of different things. It’s classical, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Folk, Imo, Funk, and everything every time with every project. It’s because I’m fluid, and fluent in so many musical languages. I have to be able to express those with the work I do, and it’s afforded me the opportunity to work in a lot of different fields of music and have a lot of different experiences with different kinds of artists and producers.
and fuck with you. In terms of how it affected my creativity and execution, I don’t know that it has at all. I just continue to do what I do and honor the natural state of my own evolution. I just do what I do. I can’t worry about the state of the industry because the industry has never supported me anyway. It’s really more of an after-thought. I don’t really think about it from that perspective. I think about it from the perspective of “it’s time”.
U.G. Digital Mag: You mention the fact that the industry has never supported you and for that reason alone, I love that you can still be your own artist and do what’s in your heart.
Joi Gilliam: I’m truly unbought and unbossed, like Shirley Chisholm. I truly am. There’s no corporate influence here, and none to satisfy. That’s a big blessing, that regardless of how thin, tight, or tough things become, I can always stand firm in it all being on my own time, and in my own doing.
U.G. Digital Mag: As far as S.I.R. Rebekkah Holylove. We’ve gotten “Stare at Me”. Is the album fully indicative of that sound?
Joi Gilliam: No, not necessarily, because as I stated, my projects are comprised of all things. “Stare at Me” is one type of offering. I will say this; it is more visually based than projects in the past.
U.G. Digital Mag: That’s what people love so much. I watch the video of Stare at Me and listen to the track, and the first thing that hits me is the variety of sounds within the track. We’re getting some of everything, and that’s what I love about it. I grew up around music, and was introduced to a lot as a child. I can really get into it all, so I appreciate the artists who make their music inclusive of it all.
Joi Gilliam: Thank you. I don’t see another way to create. Sometimes, I can be more specific and focused on one thing, but if it’s me working on a Joi project, it’s going to be all things.
U.G. Digital Mag: The industry changed so much over the years, and you know that very well. How have the changes affected your process of organizing a project, and specifically this project?
Joi Gilliam: I would say not a lot, in terms of how I put them together. It may affect the time frame I decide to release something, or maybe other approaches with assembling a team. These days, you can put your own team together, develop your own template and figure it out, and get it out to the people that support you