Who Is Joy Oladokun, Maren Morris’s Collaborator on ‘Bigger Man’?
Sometimes you can tell a song will be a big hit the first time you hear it, and many who have heard the new song “Bigger Man” from Maren Morris and Joy Oladokun have a feeling it will gain popularity quickly. Morris is no stranger to chart-topping singles and albums, but this is the first time many people have heard the name and voice of Joy Oladokun. Learn more about who she is, her career so far, and the inspiration behind “Bigger Man” below.
Who is Joy Oladokun?
Joy Oladokun is a singer, songwriter, and producer who was born in Delaware to two Nigerian immigrants and was raised in Arizona. Oladokun grew up listening to her dad’s huge record collection that included Phil Collins, King Sunny, Johnny Cash, and much more. In her bio, she states:
“I grew up in Casa Grande, which is in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. I was surrounded by images of white dudes with guitars. I was programmed to believe people around me listened if somebody had a guitar… Seeing Tracy Chapman up there with a guitar in front of a full stadium was such an empowering moment. I ran into the next room and begged my parents to buy me a guitar for Christmas—which was six months away.”
Now living in Nashville, Oladokun has begun making a name for herself in the music industry after releasing her second album in 2020.
Joy Oladokun’s career
Oladokun began writing and playing her own songs after getting a guitar when she was just 10 years old. She worked as a guitar player for a local church for six years. Upon graduating from college in California, Oladokun moved to Los Angeles and later Nashville where she got a record deal with Prescription Records, per Nashville Scene.
She released her first studio album, Carry Me, and the project was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. She continued songwriting and performing, eventually releasing her second studio album, In Defense of My Own Happiness (Vol. 1), in 2020, and she gained recognition when NPR recognized “i see america” on its list of 100 Best Songs of 2020.
Her career may just be in its beginning stages, but it looks like Oladokun has a bright music career ahead of her in Nashville.
Oladokun and Morris collaborated on ‘Bigger Man’
Most people have some familiarity with Maren Morris, an American singer and songwriter who has experienced plenty of success in Country and other genres of music. Some of her most famous songs include “My Church”, “I Could Use a Love Song”, and “The Bones.”
She has written numerous songs for other artists, including Tim McGraw, Brothers Osborne, and Bridgit Mendler. Morris has been in the music industry since 2005 when she released her first studio album, Walk On, and she has won several prominent awards for her singles and albums.
Taste of Country reports that Oladokun and Morris wrote their new single, “Bigger Man“, on the first day they had met. Oladokun states that “We were bouncing ideas around the room, and I had this song idea that came to mind when I was meditating that morning.” She continues on to say:
“In my life, I sometimes experience being the youngest and the most inexperienced, and yet I have to conduct myself as though I am way above my years or my maturity. I think it’s an old feeling, especially for women and people of color, of having to be stronger, better, brighter and harder-working at everything just to get a shot. We wrote from that place and the song was born.”
The song was clearly written with plenty of heart, and Maren Morris fans are already hoping for more collaborations between these artists in the future.
