The Concert
At the SOB lounge in New York City, Jozzy walked on stage looking cooler than a fan. In a befitting aesthetic for the R&B artist, she wore a leather jacket, matching leather pants, sunglasses, and fresh cornrows! When the music started, a star was born. Jozzy performed with a tenacity like no other, choosing songs from her latest project, “Songs for Women, Free Game for N****s.” Her track “Commotion” reigns supreme as the champion performance of the setlist. Background dancers emerged from behind the makeshift stage and executed a high-energy performance.
Photographed by Kumo Shai
The Interview
Jozzy recently released a music video for “Commotion.” The exceptionality of this track is found within the chorus, where Jozzy details her ebbs and flows with a woman in her love life who lives for drama. “Songs for Women, Free Game for N”—it’s really my life. Everything I do, I do for women. Everything I do is to make a woman feel comfortable. This EP is me expressing how I feel about women. Frank Ocean is one of my favorite artists, and on his mixtape “Nostalgia, Ultra,” he had a song on there called “Songs for Women,” and it resonated with me. The free game for n is really for the homies on how to communicate with a woman because women just want to be reassured,” Jozzy said. This type of success isn’t born overnight, and Jozzy is proof that hard work will bring dreams to fruition.
This year will mark her 3rd anniversary with Diddy’s record label, Love Records. Every opportunity she gets, Jozzy shows love, gratitude, and respect for the path Diddy continues to clear for her ascension to R&B royalty. “I get to work with somebody who actually came from the era that I love. I’m a 90s baby, so I come from that sound of 112, Total, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, and Mary J. Blige. I love those artists. Puff has singlehandedly worked with everybody; those are his artists. To know that I’m on the right track, like when I play something for him and he’s nodding his head, I’m like yes,” she said. “He always says I’m one of the best voices he’s heard. I’m so shocked because he’s heard so many great voices. So for him to tell me that it’s just like I know what he means; he feels something, and it means so much to me. He’s really an icon, and I love that he lets me do me.”
Photographed by Obe Cuatro
Jozzy is a Grammy-winning and multi-platinum songwriter. Her hard work is found in most of the hit tracks we hear today. Her pen has played a role in the creation of tracks like Beyoncé’s “Virgo’s Groove” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.
“I’m just so happy that I’m a part of history; those two songs are historical, especially for unapologetically queer communities. At the end of the day, I’m a woman who loves women. I was really afraid of “Old Town Road” because it was so big. I thought it was going to eat me, Lil Nas X, and everybody up! I was like, man, they’re going to put us in a box, and they weren’t going to respect me as a songwriter. After “Old Town Road,” I worked on “Lemonade” and “Mr. Right Now,” and that brought me back to the culture,” she said. When “Virgo’s Groove” came out, I promise you that was all Beyoncé. I wrote it, but when I sent her that song, it had a different beat and a different way I sang it; I named it Right Here, Right Now. When I listened to it, she made it disco like her, and The Dream took it somewhere else. And I was like, I can really be myself, and Beyoncé can find beauty in who I am and make it hers. It was a beautiful masterpiece.
Jozzy prioritizes aligning herself with a brand that denounces heteronormativity and labels. Even during her concert, her shirt read, “Everything is unisex.” “It’s just me; I don’t even go into the world thinking of labels. Labels really try to stop our greatness, and I believe you can’t label greatness,” she said.
Photographed by Osa Mars
With years of experience, a lethal pen, and an arsenal of demos that huge artists would die for, Jozzy is a force. Moreover, her embracement of the same sex and self-awareness of her uniqueness makes her stand out amongst the crowd of over-saturated auto-tuned artists. “I’m going to go into the world as me because this is who I am. And everybody in the world who loves the same sex has been killing it. It’s the resilience and creativity we have. We are magic,” she said.
A Memphis, Tennessee, native, Jozzy credits her inspiration for the project to 90s and early 2000s R&B. She isn’t shy about her sensuality or sexuality, and her songs exude that energy. The “Nasty Interlude” is a perfect example of this; it’s a raw and uncut track featuring sexually promiscuous lingo and moans that make you look side to side in public, wondering if anyone can hear what you’re listening to. “I’m a very sexual person, and the girl on that track was a girl I was talking to. We recorded it in the studio upstairs at Diddy’s house. I kicked the homies out of the studio and I asked my girl if she could moan for me on the track,” she said. “I just remember listening to the Jodeci “Come and Talk to Me” remix and I just remember hearing the moans, and I was so intrigued by those sounds. I haven’t heard those sounds in a minute, and I wanted to bring that nostalgia back. I didn’t even list my girl’s name in the credits because she popping and got a name out here. But I’m just so glad she took it there.”
As of late, society has begun to adopt the concept of gender being a social construct. In agreement, Jozzy has made it her mission to seek out the throne and crown for King of R&B! Yes, the King, and with a pen like hers, this isn’t just an idea but more of a reality within her grasp! “I want to tap in with at least a million people. Not a million streams, I’ve done that. I want my name to be associated with great music, great R&B. I’m going to be the King of R&B soon, you know I love Usher but I’m coming. I don’t want queen, I want that king spot,” Jozzy said.
Photographed by Kvn Hrtlss
Jozzy has been here, and she will continue to stick around in this industry like a fly in a honey trap. Only this time, it’s her turn in the mainstream spotlight. And rightfully so. She’s fashionable, she’s a performer, and she writes with rare emotion. Most people struggle to find the words that correctly articulate their feelings, but not Jozzy, and her track “Alone” is proof of her ability to tap into vulnerability and transparency to share with her fans. “On “Alone,” I just wanted to show that even though I’m a masculine woman, I’m not trying to be the hardest. Nobody wants to be alone,” she said.
Her truth and her talent will only continue to push her further than the rest, and right now, she has a couple of fingers on that crown she’s so ready to snatch. So if I were an R&B artist vying for the same title, I’d recommend bowing out because Jozzy is determined, and the work will continue to speak for itself as she climbs to the top. Be on the lookout for her full album dropping later this year!
Jozzy’s EP “Songs for Women, Free Game for N******” is available for purchase and streaming on all platforms.
Follow MEFeater on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest for more.