Joyce Hurley is a powerhouse vocalist whose sound is deeply rooted in gospel, soul and lived experience. From her early days singing in church to commanding intimate stages like Mesler at The Sophy Hotel, Hurley has turned her passion for music into a purpose-driven ministry. Her performances are more than entertainment—they’re healing experiences that blend faith, vulnerability and emotional storytelling.
What was the defining moment when you knew music was your purpose and not just a passion you were pursuing in high school?
Probably more so when I was a member of St. Sabina, and I remember doing my first-ever concert. It was 1995, because I was pregnant with my son. That was kind of the defining moment—like music ministry, actually someday recording, actually getting in front of people.
It’s different when you’re at church. Church Sundays are almost like Easter pageants—sing, baby, sing, baby. But when you go out and do an event specifically for your voice … selling tickets for that, putting a budget together, getting a band together, rehearsing for that—that’s a whole different thing. So I would say, specifically, it was 1995.
Your sound carries so much soul and emotion. Where does your passion for live music come from?
I think if I had to describe myself, I really would describe myself as a soul singer. I am very emotive because I started in gospel music. For so many years, I was a worship leader. When I’m in worship, I feel that connection with God. As a worship leader, the end goal is to take your connection with God and share it with those around you … so they can be connected to God.
Through that, I think it just creates a space for me to be purely transparent and emotive and emotional. I can feel people in the room. Sometimes you just want to speak to that. You want to let them know that it’s okay.
You were just featured at the All That Jazz music series at Mesler at the Sophy Hotel in Hyde Park. What does participating in this series mean to you personally and artistically?
Artistically—let me start there—because my preference, whenever we’re doing live music, is really small spaces. I love intimacy. I love when the lights can come down and the candles can come out. We can feel safe and delve into some music that creates a journey. Gigs like the Mesler create the opportunity to reach into people a little bit easier.
The week before … I just did a show at City Winery. That’s 300 or 400 people. That’s different. But the Mesler is intimate. I love intimate spaces. You can just read the room a little bit differently. In intimate spaces, you can do some different things in the room. So I really like that.
How do you connect with your audience during live performances? What role does that connection play?
It’s not unlike an experience when you’re trying to reach a crowd, say, like at the Mesler. When people come in, they’re coming from work. They’re troubled by things, they’re challenged by things. Our formula is, the band will play one or two instrumentals. The instrumentals allow me to watch the people and see how they’re responding. … But that speaks to me in a way. It tells me how we’re going to land in the room.
Are there any songs or moments in your set that you feel especially connected to or excited to perform?
I am a ballad person. So when we’re choosing music, I have to kind of siphon out and say, “Hey guys, we need more music.” I’m not picking anything up-tempo because I’m going to pick all ballads.
But there are certain songs that we just love to dig into, like Sailing. Joska has a tune called Jare May Cofassila. We do that, and we’ll run that into It’s Gonna Rain by The Time He’s. Just—create a different kind of experience. It’s a set that’ll make you cry. You go deeper, make you laugh, make you dance. We want to try to really hit all those emotions.
