R&B singer-songwriter Joyce Wrice is truly seizing the moment. Praised by Rolling Stone and Teen VOGUE as “a major new voice in R&B” who is “poised to become R&B royalty“, the current Proud Family: Louder and Prouder theme song vocalist is fresh off the release of her upbeat, dance Motive EP produced primarily by multiple GRAMMY Award winner KAYTRANADA.
The six-song Tiny Desk setlist opens with Overgrown fan favorite “Chandler” and is followed by the bouncy, Lucky Daye-assisted “Falling in Love” as well as the effortlessly smooth Masego collab “Must Be Nice” and breakout hit single “On One” with Freddie Gibbs before transitioning to new Motive standout “Bittersweet Goodbyes'' and finishing off with her latest KAYTRANADA-produced anthem “Iced Tea.”
Supported by background vocalists Astyn Turrentine and D'anna Stewart and a backing band featuring record-breaking, GRAMMY Award-winning musician and songwriter/producer D'Mile (Silk Sonic, H.E.R., The Carters) – Overgrown Executive Producer and winner of the highly coveted 2022 GRAMMY Awards for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” – as well as guitarist Christian Carey, drummer Branden Akinyele, and Joyce’s frequent collaborator and rising R&B singer-songwriter Mack Keane on keys who co-wrote and co-produced Motive singles “Iced Tea” and “Bittersweet Goodbyes”, the latter of which debuted on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist upon release.
"In between coming off of my debut album and brainstorming ideas for my sophomore album, I was motivated to create an EP that the world could dance to,” shared Joyce Wrice on the release of her new project Motive. “This new project is experimental, fun, carefree, and sexy. After ‘Overgrown,’ I was inspired to be free-spirited and to let loose and during this process I was consistently asking myself, ‘what’s your motive?’”
On her Tiny Desk Concert, NPR Music's Ashley Pointer adds, “Warning: It’s hard to keep still when listening to the infectious music of effervescent R&B powerhouse Joyce Wrice. Side effects may include an intense head bop, the occasional stank face and a mean two-step. Wrice’s Tiny Desk concert is a stunning display of her talents, showing us where the San Diego bred, Los Angeles based singer has been and where she’s going next. Clad in all white and backed by a band wearing matching black Nike tracksuits and sneakers, they exude a vibe reminiscent of a family.”
Motive finds Wrice expanding the range and depths of her sound while reuniting with multiple GRAMMY Award winner KAYTRANADA — who produced three of the project’s five songs— in addition to contributions from multi-platinum producer Kaelin Ellis (Lupe Fiasco, Sango, KAYTRANADA), hitmaking Nigerian producer Osinachi (Ciara, Tinashe, Pussycat Dolls), and rising R&B artist Mack Keane (UMI, ESTA, Destin Conrad). Joyce contributes her signature sweet songwriting to each of the EP’s tracks and has enlisted a who's who roster of R&B’s finest co-writers such as Trey Campbell (Giveon, H.E.R., John Legend), Miraa May (Jorja Smith, Rico Nasty, Mahalia), and Keane to round out the project.
Born to a Japanese mother and Black father, independent R&B singer-songwriter Joyce Wrice delivers a sound that resonates with this generation. Known for her sweet lyrics and distinct tone, the San Diego native’s breakout debut album Overgrown landed on numerous “Best R&B Albums of 2021” lists and solidified Wrice as one of the genre’s most promising stars.
Executive produced by record-breaking, GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter/producer D'Mile (Silk Sonic, H.E.R., The Carters) – winner of the highly coveted 2022 “Record of the Year” GRAMMY Award and the first artist in GRAMMY history to win "Song of the Year" two years consecutively – the star-studded Overgrown showcases Wrice’s range and versatility effortlessly alongside an impressive A-list roster of collaborators including Freddie Gibbs, Lucky Daye, KAYTRANADA, Masego, Westside Gunn, UMI, and Devin Morrison.
In support of the LP, Wrice gave electrifying live performances supporting multiple GRAMMY Award winner Lucky Daye on the entirety of his 26-date North American Candydrip Tour in addition to making her debut at numerous festivals across the U.S. and Europe including Day N Vegas, H.E.R.’s Lights On, Sol Blume, Broccoli City, Cross the Tracks, and Summer Walker’s annual A Hot Summer Night in LA at The Staples Center with Jazmine Sullivan, Ari Lennox, Saucy Santana, and Doechii.
Following in the footsteps of Solange and Destiny’s Child, Wrice can currently be heard as the current theme song vocalist for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder streaming now exclusively on Disney+.
