Biography

“If I can come up with the melody and words at the same time, that’s when I know it’s going to be a really good song,” says Joelle James about the intuitive writing practice that led to her first Grammy win for Ella Mai’s 2019 mind-blowing hit “Boo’d Up”. An accomplished songwriter, artist & label owner, James began writing songs in 2014, but her journey to Recording Academy prestige began when she was a child. From Showtime at the Apollo to performing for Ray Charles at the age of 10, the Murrietta, CA native’s striking voice led her to perform on stages that would train and ultimately poise her for success in the music industry. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, James was discovered by Chris Brown in 2010, and offered a label deal. To this day, she credits what she learned in sessions with Brown as the core of her songwriting practice. Alongside “Boo’d Up”, James has written songs for Tamar Braxton, Justine Skye, and JoJo. She roots the differentiation and brilliance of her new music in the challenges of not being able to tell her own story for so long. With her new album, iScream, James is ready to finally tell a story that’s hers. Her debut offering as a solo artist is a sweet note during sour times, and a testament to the premonitory power of her intuitive practice. “I know I wrote this really big love song that many have said helped bring real R&B back, but I think my real purpose is bringing healing, unity & love to a hurting and divided world through my music.”