About the Artist...
Valerie Joi’s song delivery is as fluid and focused as her life. She is a minister extraordinaire and her message of unconditional love and acceptance is clear, strong and uncompromising. Listening to her sing, play or direct is an artistic and healing journey in itself.
Valerie, whose early musical influences were Earth,Wind & Fire, Andrae Crouch and Stevie Wonder, hails from the music rich city of Kansas City, where she grew up in a musical family. It was while singing and directing in her father’s Baptist church that her musical gift was first realized and she knew that her calling was to become a professional musician.
Valerie Joi has since gone on to study classical piano and jazz voice privately and at the collegiate level, while she pursued her undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition, she has been able to utilize both her skills, singing and playing the piano with numerous recording and production artists as a background vocalist, vocal coach, composer, arranger and producer, and as a member of various mass gospel choirs. Her classical, jazz and gospel influences are apparent in her CDs Rise Above and Singing the Sacred Yes, newly released by Sounds True. At the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival Valerie Joi was featured as one of Tim’s Top 10 Picks, the director’s favorite artists for the weekend. Valerie Joi was also the director of the choral ensemble of the 2005 San Jose Jazz Festival Orchestra featuring Geri Allen on piano.
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