Joy Damiani (she/they) is a writer, podcaster, and musician (latest release, Notes to Self and Others) whose songs skip around the sonic spectrum between snarky and sweet, with lyrics straddling the smudged line dividing comedy and tragedy. Recruited as a teenager into the U.S. Army out of hometown Syracuse, N.Y., months after 9/11, Joy spent six years as an enlisted public affairs specialist, emerging after two deployments to Iraq with an altered sense of patriotism, a darkened sense of humor, and a soon-to-be-discovered love of songwriting.

Joy learned to play the ukulele in 2011 and wrote/recorded debut album I’ve Got Your Folk Songs Right Here (2012)* followed by Folk In Your Face (2014)*. While planning a third album, a traumatic divorce led Joy to change names and channel the healing process into self-producing Notes to Self and Others (2020). Joy has toured the U.S. extensively and is currently based in Portland, Ore., with new music planned for release in late 2021.



*under former name Emily Yates