Tennessee roots rock fave Valerie June is back with an uplifting new song called “Joy, Joy!” the first taste of her upcoming sixth LP. The record will be called Owls, Omens, and Oracles, it was produced by M. Ward and features guest appearances by Norah Jones and Blind Boys of Alabama, and it comes out April 11th on Concord Records.
The song is a feast for the ears, springboarding from roots into pop with elegant Beatles-esque strings scoring the background. Its music video, directed by Taylor Washington and dressed up in a kaleidoscope of bright colors and fast movement, is a dazzling visual encapsulation of its mission statement.
Says June in a press release: “Everyone has felt moments of darkness, depression, anxiety, stress, ailments, or pain. Some say it takes mud to have a lotus flower. This song reflects on the hard times we might face: to fail, to fall, to lose, to be held down, to be silenced, to be shut out yet still hold onto a purely innocent and childlike joy. I come from a heritage of ancestors who lived this truth by inventing blues music. Generations after they’ve gone, the inner joy they instilled in us radiates and lifts cultures throughout the world. From the world to home, what would a city council focused on inspiring inner joy for all of a town’s citizens look like? As the times are changing across the planet, what would it look like to collectively activate our superpowers of joy”
Watch the music video for the song below, and find the full dates for Valerie June’s 2025 tour, which kicks off in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the Majestic Theater on March 27th before coming to Philadelphia April 15th at World Cafe Live. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at WXPN’s Concert Calendar.