About Me
Joy Solomon
Songwriter/Singer/Artist
Hi and welcome to the website. Let me explain the opening image of the site. I cannot play an instrument but that is my late mother’s keyboard in my office where I can pick out notes and know what they are to verify a melody. Of course, I have to have a lovely cup of tea nearby,I’m English! Thanks to the miracle of the internet my collaborators on the journey have been from all over the world and we have been able to be creative together, but I have not left my desk at home. A wonderful way to keep interested and engaged throughout the pandemic and beyond. So, I am a mature London based lyricist who creates the words, concept and vision for my songs. I work in partnership with many people but particularly an excellent American producer and singer and together we make wonderful music. This website shows that there are no chronological time limits to creativity and new directions, this is my ‘encore career’ and each of us who leave traditional employment with trepidation have this or other opportunities.
When I started working part time in a record shop at the age of 14, I said I'd like to write lyrics for a song one day. I have been fascinated by the history of contemporary music in all genres all my life. It has only taken me a few decades to let my ideas fly out of my head; it is never too late to learn! As a career I worked in further and adult education, teaching and management. I am still involved in 1-1 coaching and if you want advice and help with planning your encore career please be in touch. Now, and in the pandemic, I also used my musical nostalgia to work with other friends and enrich a Facebook group providing support, resilience and humour inputs for friends called ‘Reach Out and Connect’. I also met my husband at a young age when he was trying, with a friend, to buy ‘The House of the Rising Sun’ in the record shop where I worked, so music has really affected my life.
My songs are contemporary and have a retro feel, some are personal, and family based or about global issues or for children. The genres vary from pop to bluegrass country or RnB or Hip Hop experimental whatever suits the lyrics. I also have instrumental versions created by my producer to provide flexibility The music is driven by passion, emotion and poetry, each production is like giving birth!
Three songs to date have been written in collaboration and I am grateful for Amir and Ian for their patience and ability in developing those songs.
The songs have been played widely, particularly in the USA on ‘Women of Substance’ and other radio stations. They can be found on Soundcloud under Joy Helena Solomon, This process has been a journey of self-discovery, reminding me that I am a creative, emotional and nostalgic person but I don’t think that I am alone in that. There are not many obvious niches for new mature lyricists but this website in part is meant to crack a thick glass ceiling and be more widely visible. Enjoy the songs and be in touch.
Joy
joyedwinsolomon@gmail.com
My team
Heather Taylor
Primary Singer
Studio vocalist & multi-instrumentalist, Heather Taylor was classically trained at The Crane School of Music. The North Carolina resident draws elements of blues, folk, jazz, Americana, and rock into her original songwriting and recording work. Her voice has been quoted to be "timeless", "powerful", "believable" and "passionate". Her original music has won first place in local songwriting competitions, has been recognized as one of the best lyrics in WNC, and pre-pandemic, Taylor toured as a solo act and was featured at prominent festivals around WNC. Post-pandemic, Heather has spent her time developing her production skills and has worked with producers across the U.S. and overseas. Heather recently has won a spot in Crucial Music Library, an artist-friendly company dedicated to placing music in blockbuster films, Emmy winning shows and big brand spots.
Paul Conkling
Producer
A performer in rock and roll bands for 30+ years, Paul became interested in the recording and engineering process early on in his recording career. Now a Nashville trained producer, he spends a great deal of his time bringing other artists' work to life in the studio. He serves as his own session musician on guitar, bass and backing vocals, and has a network of real and virtual artists to round out his productions. He will also assist in a co-write as needed.
Ian Mcatee
co-writer and singer
Ian grew up in a musical household, everyone sang and played an instrument. He had piano lessons aged 10 and learnt to play the trumpet as a teenager. His brother and sister both learnt to play the guitar and Ian desperately wanted to as well but, being left handed, he couldn’t get to grips with playing right handed as his siblings did. Aged 30 he was given a guitar he could restring and his journey to singing and performing had really begun.
His singing was inspired by starring in school productions such as “Half A Sixpence”, “West Side Story” and “The Gondoliers”.
Ian wrote his first song in 1976, aged 18, and wrote sporadically for the next 12 years. It was when he could play the guitar that his writing became more frequent, some three or four songs a year. He spent a year at The Songwriting Academy, starting in October 2020, and since then has been writing more or less full time, enjoying collaborations with many talented songwriters. With a current catalogue of nearly 100 songs, Ian is looking forward to spending his retirement years writing and performing his own music.
What is my mission, vision and goals?
Mission: to leave a worthwhile legacy that makes my children and grandchildren proud
To do this against the odds as an old Jewish grandma!
To get more songs written and produced at least to the current standard
To develop a narrative for the current songs perhaps for an EP or mini musical
To sort out my identity and brand better
Ideally to Sync some of my material by submitting to licencing opportunities
To earn something from the music being played or distributed from PRS or a licencee or boutique library.
To set up manageable social media and website
To get some media coverage about a successful, assuming it is, ‘encore career’
To get some artwork and possibly videos and animation to link to the songs
To brand myself, as a non singer, as a virtual conductor of my music.
For the music always to be authentic and reflect my voice.
To develop my fan base by getting people looking at the website listening to the songs.
To acquire more mentors and advocates along the journey
To improve my technical skills and knowledge about music and media
To have a graphically attractive logo that could conceivably be used for merch, although this is unlikely for a non performer
Be brave, take risks, hard for a fundamentally shy person
Enrich my musical core and believe in my capability as a songwriter
Be a source of inspiration and role modelling for my family and others
Use this journey as a means to reach out and reinforce valued friendships that might have been lost along the way.
Develop a thick skin to cope with rejection.
Treat everyone that I am in contact with on this journey with utmost respect
Enjoy myself!
Joy