By Marilyn Miller
Joy Journey Davis can hardly remember when she wasn’t singing, dancing and making up songs to entertain her family and friends. One sweet recollection involves singing homemade songs on the way to daycare. ”Mom would always laugh at me and say, ‘Which one are we going to sing today?’”
“When I was a kid, I fell in love with musical theater…like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Dream Girls’,” Joy recalled. The first musical she performed in was actually “Singing in the Rain.”
She’s not a kid anymore and she’s come a long way in 22 years. She left her native Minden behind and flew out to the “Big Apple” on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, stronger than ever and vowing to never tolerate disrespect…a challenge for anyone in the entertainment industry.
In New York, the multi-talented vocalist, writer, pianist and dancer will live just a short train-ride away from the auditions, which will be lined up by her manager, Randi Rosen, a top entertainment talent manager for Ivy Artists Management. While she auditions, the search also continues for an agent, which would give her a definite leg up.
She plans to audition in many areas of entertainment, not just vocals, dance and piano. That is why she continues to hone her skills with acting classes, voice and dance lessons, modeling practice, and more. “You are never done growing,” she commented. “I’m excited! And rest is something that I find I take for granted. I’m more comfortable when I’m busy.”
Joy probably hasn’t rested since middle school. At Minden High School, she immersed herself in choir, cheer, speech, plays, and musicals. She sang the National Anthem on too many occasions to count. Then there were the community and church programs. Her mentor was music teacher Alicia DuBose. “She had a very positive influence on me. She encouraged me in music theory and got me involved in choir. I love her to bits. When she left at the end of my Junior year, I was crushed.”
She also writes songs, with accompaniment on the piano. “I’m not a great concert pianist by any means,” she added.
Joy’s Senior year at MHS was one for the record books, but there was disappointment, too, well imagined since COVID was raging through the USA. When the Young Women’s Service Club invited her to compete in the Miss Minden 2020 Pageant, she said “yes” for those little girls who would look up to her and see what was possible.
“When I won, I was surprised, yes, but I was excited and happy,” she said. “A lot of my plans fell through because of COVID.” She didn’t get to compete in the Miss Louisiana 2020 Pageant because of her school schedule and COVID.
Joy’s Senior year at Northwestern State University, where she earned her BA degree in Musical Theater in 2023, she auditioned via UPTA, the Unified Professional Theater Auditions, in Memphis, TN. She got 23 “call-backs,” which surprised her, because “apparently that’s a lot!” Also, during her Senior year, she got a “call-back” to audition for “Donna Summer: The Musical” aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines. She and her dad got permission from the school to fly to New York and “I was singing for them, and I stayed and danced for them for the ensemble.” During this time a lot of casting directors asked her why she wasn’t living in New York.
Long story, short, she turned down the job because she was going to be a “rehearsal swing” or understudy, which wouldn’t give her any live stage experience. “At age 20, that is not what I wanted,” she explained. For the next 10 months, she joined the Cumberland County Playhouse (her second family) near Nashville and built her resume by performing in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “All Shook Up,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “White Christmas,” and more. She met Randi Rosen and starting prepping her portfolio.
Then Norwegian called her back. And after another trip to NY and dancing, singing, and acting auditions AGAIN, Joy spent most of 2024 aboard the “Prema” performing “Donna Summer: The Musical.”
“It was an amazing experience,” Joy beamed. But it was also a lot of work. And she learned a lot about herself and what she will tolerate. It expanded her worldview. “I learned a lot more about my boundaries…what I won’t tolerate. I think sometimes we get so excited about accepting a job, we just jump and accept any kind of treatment.” She came back knowing how to advocate for herself.
This rising star has plenty of advocates for her, her biggest supporters being her parents, Valarie Davis and Tyrone Davis. Her siblings are Patience, Joshua, Jeziah, and Naryia.
As far as leaving Minden, Joy says that she “appreciates all the lessons I learned living here growing up. And I appreciate the people who molded me and encouraged me in everything I did. I’m still going to come back to visit – my whole family lives here!”