About Joy

Joy Ellis is a pianist, singer and composer based in London. Joy has toured all over the UK supported by the Arts Council, England and Help Musicians UK performing her original music. Performance highlights include Manchester, Cheltenham and London Jazz Festivals, the Roundhouse in Camden and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. As a leader, Joy has released three critically acclaimed albums of her original compositions.

Joy is excited to release her fourth studio album entitled One Hundred Years in December 2026. Her new compositions expand her established sound as a jazz piano-vocalist into a richer, orchestral context in collaboration with contemporary ensemble Engines Orchestra. Winner of ‘Best Ensemble’ UK Parliamentary Jazz Award, Engines Orchestra are directed by saxophonist, Phil Meadows, whose experience as a producer, conductor and arranger working with groups such as Metropole Orkest, the Latvian Radio Big Band and BBC Concert Orchestra brought essential expertise to the compositional and recording process. The album was also co-produced by Tim Garland, who mentored Joy throughout the compositional phase of the project.

Joy’s music fuses jazz harmony and improvisation with classical and groove-based influences, continuing her exploration of song-based contemporary jazz. Joy is heavily influenced by artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Camila Meza and Joni Mitchell.