Joi Carter: The Power of One

Day 5 | Black Futures Cypher – The Power of One

For Joi Carter, music is not just sound—it is a shared experience, a catalyst for joy, and a spark that turns strangers into community. A genre-fluid vocalist and powerhouse performer, Joi is known for immersive, joy-driven live shows that captivate audiences and invite full presence. From stages across the United States to international performances in China, Dubai, and Mexico, her work resonates across cultures, creating moments where emotion leads and connection becomes transformative.

Joi’s artistry is rooted in energy and intention. Each performance is designed as a living exchange—where vulnerability, celebration, and collective power meet. In these spaces, music becomes more than entertainment; it becomes a reminder of who we are and what we can build together.

The Power of One

To Joi Carter, The Power of One is the understanding that everything begins with a single choice to show up. One person deciding to create. One person pressing play. One person gathering others. As an artist, it is trusting her voice enough to take up space and set the tone—even before anyone else joins in. As a community member, it is knowing that one person’s energy can shift an entire room.

“I don’t need permission to start,” Joi says. “I just start—and the rest builds from there.” That belief fuels her performances and her presence, turning individual action into collective momentum.

Joy, Presence, and Shifting Futures

Joi moves through music across genres and generations, making each sound distinctly her own—fierce, alive, and uncontainable. Her art centers joy as sacred and connection as electric. By showing up fully and unapologetically, she invites others to do the same, reminding audiences of their own power.

In Joi’s world, Black futures are shaped through presence and fire—through moments that affirm aliveness and possibility. That energy, she believes, is how narratives shift and futures open.

The Black Futures Cypher Contribution

Her contribution to the Black Futures Cypher is a true collective creation, developed alongside Eze Jackson and Lamont Silver. Every beat, lyric, and movement reflects shared vision and spirit. Joi hopes listeners feel connected and alive—and walk away knowing that the future is something we build together: bold, fierce, and unstoppable.

Lyrics like “Each one, teach one / Love one, reach one” echo her core message—that power grows when it’s shared, and that rising together is both a choice and a practice.

Roots, Stages, and Creative Influence

Joi credits Baltimore’s poetry scene and open mics with giving her first home—and her first courage. Those early spaces taught her to take risks and trust her voice, leading to performances with Mainstream and the Miles Brothers at The Black Lily in Philadelphia, touring with the Go-Go band Mambo Sauce opening for Grammy Award-winning group SOJA, and international tours with the Pocket Band through Jamaica, Mexico, and China.

Every stage since, she says, has been an opportunity to bring joy, ignite energy, and connect deeply. “It’s bigger than myself,” Joi reflects. “It’s about creating moments that leave a mark and remind us all of what’s possible.”

One Action Toward Collective Change

Joi’s call to action is simple and powerful: lift others as you rise. Share your voice. Amplify those who go unheard. Turn every moment into connection. Change, she reminds us, is not distant—it grows from the courage, joy, and energy we give one another every single day.

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About the Series: 28 Days of Black Futures

This artist profile is part of 28 Days of Black Futures, a month-long cultural offering presented by CLLCTIVLY, a Baltimore-rooted ecosystem cultivating collective imagination, narrative power, and resource mobilization for Black futures.

Throughout February, the award-winning Black Futures Cypher—architected by Jamye Wooten and produced under the creative direction of Von Vargas—features 28 artists, one each day, sharing original work inspired by this year’s theme, The Power of One.

A new artist feature is released daily during Black History Month. Learn more and support the ecosystem behind this work at cllctivly.org.