joyia is a toronto-based r&b singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and dj. after joining choir at 6, she grew up taking classical piano and vocal lessons, before finally teaching herself music production and djing in her teens. she played her first show at toronto’s once legendary club, the guvernment, when she was 18, and has since gone on to play venues like the drake underground, adelaide hall, longboat hall, and a sold out phoenix concert theatre.
While her brief turn towards electronic music taught her fundamental elements of production, she refined her musical style about two years ago when she returned to her early soul, jazz, and r&b influences. with a sound that is sultry, yet raw with emotion, people have compared her to the likes of aaliyah, h.e.r., and sabrina claudio, but somehow still place her in her own distinct category. her most recent ep, baptism, has garnered support from complex, ladygunn magazine, and euphoria. her song what she deserves was featured on the spotify’s notable releases billboard in yonge-dundas square in 2021. the ep’s other lead single meu amor held a top spot on one of spotify’s largest r&b playlists, chilled r&b, amassing over 1.5 million streams and counting. joyia currently holds dj and live music residencies at casa madera, soluna, chotto matte, and soho house toronto, all while writing and producing her own music, as well as with both local and international artists. supported by boom records, she is currently gearing up for a long list of releases in 2023.