Calliope Presents An Evening with Joy Clark (5/9 at 7:30PM)

Clark is charting her own path with her debut album Tell It to the Wind. As the youngest of five children born into a tight-knit, deeply religious family just outside of New Orleans, her release is both a declaration of her independence and a love letter to the traditions that shaped her.

The album marks Clark’s arrival on the national stage as a proud, queer, Black woman blending the social consciousness of folk, the rhythms of Southeast Louisiana, and the soul-centered music she grew up with.

Joy’s songcraft, paired with sophisticated progressions and themes of freedom, love, and self-acceptance, gained her notice on the national folk and Americana scenes just a few years ago with appearances at Americanafest. She caught the attention of Grammy-winner Allison Russell and was offered a regular spot in her backing band, The Rainbow Coalition, earning her the chance to jam with superstars Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls. Talking to The Tennessean, Russell described Joy as “a brilliant artist, writer, and singer.”