Joya Mooi

Hailing from South Africa and the Netherlands, singer-songwriter Joya Mooi brings a warm, flowing vocal approach that first took shape in jazz before growing to embrace alternative R&B, electronic pop, and trap. Her earliest projects stayed firmly aligned with those jazz beginnings, whereas the later releases The Ease of Others in 2019, What’s Around the Corner in 2023, and the Open Hearts EP in 2024 moved toward polished pop, R&B, and hip-hop textures while still highlighting her introspective, soulful writing.

Amsterdam is where she was born and raised, and during those early years she absorbed her parents’ extensive record collection spanning jazz standards, bebop, bossa nova, and Angolan semba. Over time her listening gravitated toward contemporary pop, with Georgia Anne Muldrow, Beach House, Janet Jackson, Jazmine Sullivan, and Nigerian singer Tems emerging as key touchstones.

Hard Melk from 2010 and Crystal Growth from 2013 both foregrounded her jazz leanings. A shift toward a more refined, pop- and R&B-centered sound arrived with 2019’s The Ease of Others, an approach she refined further on the 2021 hit singles “My Favorite” and “Most Frail.” Her third album, 2023’s What’s Around the Corner, maintained that direction while introducing noticeable trap influences and centering narratives around identity, heritage, and spirituality. The 2024 Open Hearts EP delivered a collection of emotionally charged tracks, among them the streaming success “Don’t Answer,” all grounded in vulnerability, resilience, and personal growth.