Written by Sophie Wyatt
At the tender age of just 16, Flowerovlove (aka Joyce) is making a huge splash in the music industry. The flower child is nothing short of genius when it comes to combining her loves of nature, fashion and music. She uses the symbolism of a flower to touch people’s heart, take over their headphones, and draw attention to sustainability and the importance of preserving the earth around us. We were lucky enough to chat to Joyce following the release of her debut EP ‘Think Flower’, to look back at her musical journey, her inspiration and the exciting future ahead of her.
Continuing to develop and grow even now, Joyce started off our conversation by explaining that music has always been a huge part of her life. Growing up with music around her constantly, it’s no surprise that she is so head over heals with the art now. She took a trip down memory lane as she described her first memories of music.
‘Music has always been on around my house. My mum has an amazing singing voice, my older brother makes music. So I guess I have vivid memories of that. But honestly I was the biggest One Direction and Justin Bieber fan, had serious Bieber fever. So a lot of that main stream pop has given me a lot of inspiration, especially being such a fan girl I go to a bunch of different concerts. Hearing their voices and the way it made me feel made me want to make music, to make others feel the way I felt.‘
Being such a young art has not been a hinderance to Joyce, but rather an advantage. She explained how exciting it is jumping into the music industry while she is still learning to understand the world around her. Although it may seem scary to some, she is having the time of her life.
‘I think it’s really fun, and it’s super cool to experience because you are growing up and at the same time doing something you love. Which is amazing, because you as a person change as your sound changes and people will be able to hear that. It’s really cool to grow up with the artist and see the development. With me, every song has got better and better, and especially with the EP, it has a different sound but it’s the same vibe. So it shows growth within me and my music, it’s really exciting.‘
Genre is not as we once knew it. Although the term still exists, the meaning is far from what it once was. This is due to the fact that artists all around the world are using sounds and inspiration from multiple genres to create their own unique blend. We asked Joyce to describe her sound in a few sentences.
‘I’d say that it’s pretty mellow, chill and very flowery. A bit gittery but also like in your face, and also quite rockish. I really really like rock music. I mean it’s pretty blissful. Culture is important to me, so I always try to add anything that I can into it. So within ‘Fat Wave‘, the actual drums and bongos that are in it represent my African heritage. I’m always finding ways of trying to branch it in as much as I can.‘
The past year has been tough for everyone work wise, however the creative industry has found it particularly challenging to adapt. However, when we asked Joyce how she had found jumping into the music scene, she had only good vibes (as predicted).
‘Being an artist over this time has been really fun, because I’m welcoming people into my universe which is super interesting. Some advantages… I have really enjoyed listening to thing back when they were just an idea and then a finished piece, it’s like watching your baby grow up. A proud mother moment’, she laughed.
Photo by Erin Hambl (@erinhamblh)
Aside from fashion and sustainability, one of Joyce’s other passions in life is fashion. Styling herself in bright, colourful and gorgeously put together fits, the artist stands out in any crowd. We asked her what it is about fashion that she holds so dear.
‘So here’s something I really like; it’s not about what you’re wearing, it’s about you. Because when you wear it, that’s the fit. I mean fashion is important, when I first meet people the first thing I look at is either their eyes or their outfit. It shows so much about you. For me, it’s really important to be comfortable. A little fun fact, I don’t wear jackets unless their part of the outfit. Even if it’s raining, or cold because I care about the fit.‘
Young artists are sometimes/very regularly disregarded by a wide range of audiences because of their age. Some people tend to think that singer-songwriters in particular cannot accurately write tracks if they haven’t had enough life experience yet. Oh how wrong they are. Joyce’s age does not undermine her, but rather gives her a whole new perspective of the world and the people in it. She explained to us what inspires to create her unique and refreshing tunes.
‘Literally life. The first few songs are about my realising you don’t need friends to be happy to or do things, you can do things on your own. Because sometimes it is more fun to experience things on your own, to have a completely different perspective. No one else’s energy or opinion is impacting the way you are feeling in that particular moment. So things that are going on around me, things I see outside, things I see in people.‘
Yesterday (May 14th) saw the release of Joyce’s debut EP ‘Think Flower’. The collection of five tracks shows a huge amount of growth within Joyce’s sound as well as her outlook on life. We asked her what makes this project so special.
‘There’s music videos, but for every song and they’re really good. All directed by me and shot with my family members. It’s really fun to do DIY stuff. It’s such a calm environment, because there’s no pressure. I love the comforting environment and the love that goes into it.‘
Finally, we asked Joyce what the future looks like for Flowerovlove and her music. Although she could not give us many specifics right now, we were left on tenderhooks after asking what we have to look forward to.
‘Well, lots and lots,‘ she laughed. ‘I’m just gonna say, be excited because there’s some super fun things happening and I’m really excited.‘
Head over to Flowerovlove’s Spotify page to hear more of her ethereal tunes, including her brand new EP ‘Think Flower‘.