Starting her career in house music via an advert in the Village Voice newspaper, Joi Cardwell supplied the vocals for Lil’ Louis’ seminal Journey With The Lonely in 1992.
She went on to release eight artist albums, worked with Kenny Dope, David Harness, Honey Dijon, Blaze, Kraak & Smaak, Ron Carroll, George Morel, Lenny Fontana and many more, put out music on Eightball, Tribal, King Street Sounds, Nervous, Quantize and has been a constant, soulful presence in house music ever since.
A singer equally at home with club stormers, gospel-influenced soulful house or meditative ballads, hers is a voice that has graced many a club anthem over the years. In recent years Joi, who holds certifications in yoga, meditation and as a holistic life coach has also launched her Jump For Joi wellness initiative. We spoke with Joi about her career, her songwriting process and the reality of life for singers working in dance music.
First, for our readers who might not know, please tell us who you are and what you do.
I’m Joi Cardwell and I am a singer/songwriter/publisher/producer and label owner. I’ve been in the dance game since 1992.
How has your lockdown been?
My lockdown has been eventful. A time for study, creativity, rest, and reset. I also managed to slip in some travel (safely of course), contribute to a book on Black yogis and create some new music as well. I have been truly blessed.
Singers in dance music have never been made a priority by the male producers that have dominated the scene. I’d like to think I remain relevant, but as a singer, I’m certainly not dependent upon other creatives to determine my role.
So tell us about your beginnings as a singer.
I always loved to sing and was encouraged to do so by my family. Early favorite singers were Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. My parents took me to many concerts and exposed me to jazz, opera, salsa, R&B, disco, and classical. I really loved the lyrical and musical sensitivities of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. Along with Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald. I am a big fan of timing and elocution.
You were born and raised in New York city — do you think where you grew up has affected your musical style?
Sure. Frankie Crocker ruled WBLS in NY, our main R&B radio station and the broad spectrum of musical styles he introduced were paramount in my development. It also didn’t hurt to live in an international city where on any night you could be influenced by Caribbean, Latin, African, Asian and Western music. Then of course as I came of age, dance music was really popping too. While I was in college I would get to the Garage, Palladium, Loft and crazy other scenes, including Hip Hop which I’m secretly a fan of and a part of in history too.
How and when did you start to sing professionally?
I guess I would say professionally I began as an amateur at the Apollo, where I won five times and became a part of the Apollo family. This led to my first paid touring dates, and an appearance on the pilot episode of Showtime at the Apollo. From that moment, I was offered record deals by Kashif and Clive Davis on Arista Records, and, following a change in musical styles from bubblegum to more gritty urban styles, a release from my girl group deal. Within two months I was working with Lil’ Louis on the Journey With The Lonely album, helping him along the way with melodic contributions, personnel, and of course my voice.
“Saved My Life” was recorded before “Club Lonely,” if I remember correctly. Basically, once Louis hired me on a Monday, by Thursday I had already written “Dancing In My Sleep” and was off to Chicago to record. It all happened very quickly. The first record “Club Lonely” went to Number 1. The rest as they say is history.
I am at a place where I decided I would be very early in my career. In fact, my goal was to have a discography as long as Ella’s. I am extremely grateful for the gift of voice and for what it has done for me, but I am also very pleased that people liked what I have done.
You worked as a backing singer for The Pointer Sisters, Melba Moore and others — how did you get into working as a backing singer?
Kashif was working with these singers as a producer, and he pretty much had me in training to be a star. Part of that training was putting in work and learning from amazing legacy artists.
So how does the songwriting process actually work for you? How do you go about communicating your emotions through music?
The songwriting process at this point usually starts with a track someone sends me. From there I hum a lot [laughs], attempting to come up with a melody. From there the melody starts to form consonants and sounds which usually lend themselves into a phrase. This usually develops into a rough sketch. From there the phrase becomes a theme, and through a couple iterations a song is born. I don’t worry about how to communicate emotions, I feel I just speak to them.
And how much of yourself do you put into your songs? Are they confessional?
Some songs are deeply personal and others are observations. Sometimes they are just songs written according to the producers idea.
Do the lyrics need to be “real” for the vocal to sound authentic? Or can a singer make any lyrics sound emotive?
Absolutely for me the song mustn’t be nonsensical. I can’t speak for other singers as I generally have control over the narrative, but I’ve never liked meaningless lyrics and for the most part have avoided the issue.
Songs and singers have been central in the development and continued success of dance music. Do you think singers and songwriters get the respect and credit they deserve?
NOPE. I think that singers in dance music have never been made a priority by the male producers that have dominated the scene, same for the DJs. Often the importance of a great hook, and the tangible emotional experience people attribute to the DJ is literally what was conveyed by the artist, and now cheer-led by the DJ. I’d like to think I remain relevant, but as a singer I’m certainly not dependent upon other creatives to determine my role. First and foremost, I sing because I am gifted to do so and because I love it. Since I generally own my material, that financial incentive doesn’t hurt either.
Do you have coming up musically in the next few months?
Well, I’m supposed to be retired, yet “they keep pulling me back in,” haha! Anyhoo, apparently I have new mixes of “Be Yourself” out now, and coming soon is a very different kind of track with David Morales “Plastic Feelings.” The rest of what is forthcoming will actually be some chillout music that is being crafted to support my wellness practice.
And finally, you have a substantial body of work. What do you feel looking back at all the songs you’ve written and sung on?
I am at a place where I decided I would be very early in my career. In fact, my goal was to have a discography as long as Ella’s. I am extremely grateful for the gift of voice and for what it has done for me, but I am also very pleased that people liked what I have done.
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