Drawing on a lifetime of experience, Joy Jefford’s debut EP Woman offers depth, clarity, and heartfelt songwriting.

Joy Jefford is a female singer-songwriter who has come to releasing music later in life and this is reflected in the maturity of the songwriting, subject matter and musical arrangement. Her debut EP ‘Woman’ will be released on the 22nd September. Each song is sung with focus, dedication, and a lifetime of experience which is something that can perhaps be lost in younger artists’ early releases and makes the EP a refreshing listen, dealing with subject matters often overlooked by other singer-songwriters. 

Joy grew up in Hong Kong, Shoreham, York and Sunderland which is certainly an eclectic mix of places. I feel this combined with her qualifications as a mindfulness meditation practitioner and experience working in the charity and voluntary sector are evident in her well-rounded songwriting and her ability to bring spiritual and esoteric subject matters to life. This is particularly evident in the first track ‘Living Is A Work of Art’ where serene bird song and gongs swell into a hypnotic finger-picked guitar riff which sets a meditative backdrop for her voice to sing an anthem celebrating the joys and mystery of life.

Joy is  clearly a big Joni Mitchell fan - track 3 ‘Full Circle’ is a homage to Joni’s classic ‘The Circle Game’. In ‘Full Circle’ Joy skillfully echoes elements of Mitchell’s song but with a change of protagonist and original new melodies and chords. It creates an exciting twist to the original which will be intriguing to all the Joni Mitchell fans out there. Joy’s EP was produced by Jake Skinner of Echopine Music, whose experience includes working with award-winning violinist Nigel Kennedy and Sam Ryder of Eurovision fame. His expertise is reflected in the professional sound, as well as the sensitive and well-considered arrangements.

Overall, ‘Woman’ is an impressive debut release and goes to show it’s never too late to start releasing music. The five tracks work well together and feel complete as an EP but it will be exciting to hear a full length album from Joy Jefford when the time comes.

Joy Jefford’s debut EP, Woman, is available to listen to and purchase (CD/download) here

Celebrate its release with her at the EP launch on Monday 22nd September, joined by Andrew Stuart-Buttle at the Folklore Rooms in Brighton.

Grab your tickets here

Discover more about Joy Jefford and her music at joyjefford.com