“Minnesota winters,” is what Joy Dragland credits as her first musical influence. “You couldn’t go anywhere, and it was so dark and quiet. For months on end, all I had to entertain myself was my own imagination.” Joy was born in Minnesota, studied English in Wisconsin and wrote her first albums-worth of songs by age 19. Her self-produced solo record, “Soften the Blow”, was released in 2010. Joy continues to write, produce and perform, based out of Brooklyn, NY and she’s currently working on a solo record to be released late 2012.