By Kierstyn Pryor
Musical artists, regardless of their individual talents, always have a team of equally talented creatives behind them. Whether it be for their live shows, videos, or even their songs, sometimes it takes a proverbial village to execute every idea to the fullest degree. With that being said, songwriters play a huge role in singers’ creativity as well. Anyone can sell the story with their voice, but can they develop and build the story? This creative has proved that she absolutely can!
Meet Jozzy! Born and raised in Memphis, she is one of the many songwriters that contributed to many of the biggest hits of the past several years. From writing Billboard-charting songs for Latto, Jacques, Summer Walker, Don Toliver, Mary J. Blige, Lil Nas X, and many more to performing on the Billboard Music Awards, the songwriter is making her city proud. She began her career being mentored by two of the greatest songwriters in the game, Missy Elliot and Timbaland. She always speaks highly of the two and remains grateful to them for believing in her and her gift. Using the many tips and connections they provided her to move forth, Jozzy has become one of popular music’s most sough after writers for some of the greatest artists in the industry.
Although she had already achieved a high level of success in the music world, Lil Nas X’s viral hit song “Old Town Road” sent Jozzy into a new stratosphere, presenting a whole new world of opportunities. The song’s catchy country and R&B twist spent 17 weeks on the Billboard charts as the Number 1 song in the U.S. From clubs to classrooms to TikTok, the song became one of the biggest viral hits in history.
In addition to “Old Town Road,” Jozzy has written numerous hits for singer Summer Walker, whose album held the top spot of R&B streams by a female artist for the longest period since Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” in 2016. Jozzy is credited as the writer for the songs “ Body” and “Off of You”. While receiving her credit for the album, the songwriter was already onto her next big project which included working on Beyoncé’s Lion King project and Mary J. Blige’s 14th studio album. In the midst of it all, Jozzy also contributed to building new artist careers as she has written music for Zhavia Ward, who is a recent contestant of a hit contest television show “The Four.”
After navigating her way through the industry as a songwriter, Jozzy decided to develop her own career as an artist. Through songs like “ Pleasantville“ and “Let You Down Let You Go,” she was able to show that she could be great behind the mic as well. As an artist, she received features from both Lil Wayne and Dave East. This shows just how versatile and talented she is as both an artist and a songwriter!
Just recently, Jozzy received a deal with Diddy, which opened up the opportunity for her to perform at the Billboard Music Awards. In the near future, you will be able to continue to enjoy her talents as she produces music under Diddy’s newest label, Love Records. The label was created by Diddy in hopes of bringing back authentic R&B music and artists who truly understand the elements of timeless songs.
While you have more than likely already supported her music (whether you knew it or not), we encourage you to continue to do so as we patiently wait for Jozzy to make her next move in the music scene!
You might also be interested in: Live from the Kitchen: Conversations with Memphis Music Legends
