Billboard’s R&B Up-And-Comer Joyce Wrice Learns to Get Out of Her Own Way on ‘MACHIKO’: ‘You Don’t Have to Be in the Trenches All the Time’
Categoria: Musica
The rising L.A. based singer-songwriter is Billboard's R&B Up & Comer for the Month of October.
Por Billboard | 26/10/2026
Joyce Wrice is a city girl, but not in the way you might think. The Los Angeles-based R&B singer, born in Chula Vista, California, to a Japanese mother and a Black father, is entering a new chapter with MACHIKO , her long-awaited sophomore album and a project that reflects how much she’s grown since releasing her 2021 debut, Overgrown, before seemingly going ghost. Named after her middle name, which translates to “city girl,” the album finds Wrice embracing more of herself, both personally and creatively. When I met Wrice, I went into our conversation having already heard the unreleased album, but I wasn’t just interested in discussing the music. I wanted to understand the story behind her three-and-a-half-year absence. Where had she been? Why hadn’t she posted to YouTube since 2022? And what did it take to bring her sophomore album MACHIKO to life? What I didn’t expect was to meet an artist who seemed more sure of herself than ever. There’s a newfound ease in the way she talks about her music, her relationships and the woman she’s becoming. After the success of Overgrown , a collaboration with Kaytranada, a Grammy credit for “Falling in Love” with Lucky Daye, and a memorable Tiny Desk performance, she had plenty of reasons to keep pushing forward. Instead, she took time to reflect on what she’d already accomplished and figure out what she wanted to say next. I realized I was looking for the wrong answers. This wasn’t just a story about an artist taking time away to make another album. It was about what happens when you give yourself the space to figure out who you are, what you want and what you have to say, especially as a young women growing up in the spotlight. That process took three and a half years and more than 100 songs. But the journey to MACHIKO wasn’t just about finding the right music. Through songwriting, Wrice began confronting her avoidant tendencies in relationships, learning to ease up on her own self-criticism and finding the confidence to let herself be seen in ways she hadn’t before. She’s no longer approaching love from the same place of heartbreak, and she’s more comfortable embracing the parts of herself that make her who she is. “I would say just growing into myself more and letting go, loosening up and not being too hard on myself,” she tells Billboard when asked what has changed since she began making the album. “It’s about having a better understanding of who I am, what I want, what I need and how I want to uplift others and make an impact in regard to my purpose, to be an artist for peace and inspiration.” That clarity is at the heart of MACHIKO . As Wrice puts it, she’s gaining a better understanding of her role in this lifetime. And with the album’s more confident perspective, including the flirtatious “Break Me In,” she’s making room for a version of herself that’s less guarded, more playful and ready to embrace what comes next. In the conversation below, Billboard’s October R&B Up-and-Comer opens up about