Joy Ike finds her own unconventional way
Who is Joy Ike?
She admits her music probably best fits in the folk genre, but her keyboards demolish the image of the prototypical folk singer. Because of her ethnicity, people expect she's into soul or R&B or hip hop.
She's not.
So what does Ike sound like⢠"Talented" might be the word that fits best, with "idiosyncratic" and "original" close behind.
"My (musical) history is very limited, so I've learned to create things on my own," says Ike, who releases her new album, "Rumors," Sunday at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside.
Ike, 26, is often compared to performers like Regina Spektor or Fiona Apple. But the Squirrel Hill resident trends more toward artists like Sufjan Stevens, Death Cab for Cutie and Brooke Wagoner.
"I don't know why, but I've always loved listening to modern folk or modern pop music," Ike says. "It's really drastically influenced how I write over the last few years."
Such is Ike's musical naivete that she didn't realize that there was another album -- and a quite famous one -- with the same title as hers. Friends urged her to change it to something else, but Ike resisted.
"I was adamant about it," she says, noting the song of the same name on the record. "It's funny, because Fleetwood Mac is not in my history at all. I actually never listened to any of their music, and never heard that album."
That headstrong approach works because of Ike's buoyant vocals -- she alternates between a wistful dreaminess and determined confidence -- combined with a natural aptitude for composing songs that have divergent twists and turns. On "Rumors" there are quiet tracks gilded with elegant orchestration, such as "Untitled" and "Give Me Truth," and songs, including "Sweeter," that show Ike's penchant for unconventional arrangements and chord structures
"I think from day one, I've always felt a little different from the average singer-songwriter," Ike says.
Ike took piano lessons as a child, and sang in church youth groups. While studying communications at the University of Pittsburgh, she started to dabble in songwriting. But a job with a publishing company prevented her from pursuing music full-time until two years ago, when she resigned two weeks after an older brother, Blessing Ike, slipped into a coma after battling cancer for four years.
"It was one of those life-changing moments," she says. "I felt if I could just take time to work on this, to spend my energy on this, that I could probably develop into something."
Ike allows that she's still learning about some of the minutia of songwriting, that, after forgoing piano lessons for years, she sometimes "stumbles around" when it comes to composition and other technicalities.
But her strengths far outweigh any supposed weaknesses. In a crowded field of singer-songwriters, Joy Ike stands out because of her determined stance and approach.
"When people see me, they don't expect me to sound like I do, or talk like I do," Ike says. "But that's who I am."
Additional Information:
Joy Ike CD release and potluck dinner
With: Heather Kropf
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Admission: Free with dish for potluck dinner: $5-$10 donation without
Where: Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 6300 Fifth Ave., Shadyside
Details: 412-361-0455 or website
