Lyric Deep Dive: Jazzbalaya

Two things shape a song once it is released to the world. The historical context in which it is released and how the artist defines the lyrics. Today I am doing that with my song Jazzbalaya.

This song has gone through so many REVISIONS…. The original title was Jazzbalaya. It had a brief stint named Joy in My Soul but I couldn’t let go of my original idea. A combination of Jazz and Jambalaya. I wanted to make a song that sounded as good as Jambalaya tastes and it stuck.

The first draft of the song was written in 2022 and it was a jazz and hip hop fusion. My husband rapped about black joy and black excellence and I sang about the joy of seeing various shades of melanin around my family dinner table. I ended the song scatting, a call back to the Harlem Renaissance and the Chitlin circuit which birthed some of the most amazing black jazz artists of the 20th century. The song remained in this state until June 2024.

I had just started getting back into the swing of performing live after a two year break, during which my husband and I saved for and purchased a house. I got the opportunity to perform at an event hosted by Pen meets Paper (a group of even hosts local to Columbia, SC). I decided to take the leap and let the audience be my guinea pigs.

The event manager and fellow artist (Tameka Terrel) asked me to sing a few songs at the Summer Bash. As I started crafting a set list I picked up my songwriting journal to see if I had anything I could use to get people moving. I had already settled on singing a cover of Ain’t nobody by Chaka Khan but I wanted to round out the experience. While looking through my journal and with less than 72 hours before the show I took the bones of Jazzbalaya, the themes, the instrumentation and I gave it a new shape. I tossed out the old lyrics and I wrote a song about how good music makes me feel.

Picture it.

Downtown Columbia, SC

In a room above the Ambrosia restaurant I told the audience I wanted to sing them a song that sounded as good as Jambalaya tastes. And they loved it! I was even able to get a few people to dance with me while I sang the song, it was a beautiful night.

Now that I had this new second draft it was time to record the vocals.

My husband and I worked on and off for a few months to get everything ironed out. We fleshed out harmonies, created ad libs and brought in even more instruments. By mid September 2024 the song was complete. The lyrics of the chorus are what stand out, that joy is what people are connecting with the song.

Joy in My Soul.

An sonic expression of my love affair with music and what happens in my body as a result.

I feel the rhythm and my soul can’t help but sing

I mix these melodies for times of Jubilee

Grab somebody's hand and shuffle up this way

Just move your hips and let the rhythm make you sway

In the first verse you can hear my motives. My music is an expression of the state of my soul and my body follows suit, hips swing, my chest moves, everything in me feels alive.

Cause I’ve got Joy in My Soul

I’ve got Joy in My Soul

My joy is intrinsic. The music is simply the mechanism I am using to bring it to the surface. Which is what I want to happen to every person as they listen to the chorus.

The second verse was inspired by a poem performed at the Bounce TV Trumpet Awards in 2019. Theresa the SONGBIRD eloquently describes the black experience.

“You so black

You so black when you smile the stars come out

You so black when you born the god come out…”

So as I penned the second verse of Joy in my soul I wrote,

My heart is full and you can see it on my face

And when I smile I make the stars come out to play

And then I dive back into the chorus. Giving people space to express their joy.

What do you do to express your joy? What helps you tap into the joy in your soul?

Until Next Time,

Orianna Joy