is a writer and performer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, currently based in New York City. Through performing in the Church, he realized that music can surpass a sonic experience and touch the minds and hearts of people, no matter who they are and where they come from. 

 

Joriah is entirely self-taught and started teaching himself piano when he was about nine years old, using his old Casio keyboard and its demo songs as the first pieces of music he would learn to play (Think” Fur Elise” and “Crocodile Rock”). Soon, Joriah was writing original neo-soul/R&B music and released his first mixtape when he was 12. He started opening up for mainstream artists at the Kalamazoo State Theater and performing in various festivals and open mics nationwide. All the while, he was diving deeper into other worlds of music, performing in his school choirs and plays.

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When he was 13, Joriah decided to write his first original musical, a fictionalized depiction of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott’s love story, DREAM: A New Musical. With the support of his family, he mounted a production at the Little Theater in Kalamazoo, MI. It featured a wide array of students from the community, most of whom had never done theater before, and Joriah quickly realized that he had found his calling.  By the time he was a sophomore in college, where he studied Musical Theater Performance, he had written over six full-length musicals, penning the music, book, and lyrics entirely himself. In addition, Joriah wrote hundreds of stand-alone and pop songs, ranging in genre.

 

Joriah’s life changed in 2019 when he submitted for Taylor Louderman’s WRITE OUT LOUD competition during his senior year of college. From the scrappy folder of songs emerged a light-hearted song about a questioning perfectionist, “Little Miss Perfect.”  He had no idea how massive the fanbase and universe of the title would become, with millions of views online and people worldwide using it as an anthem for their favorite characters or their personal sense of self-acceptance. This was followed up by a “sequel” called “Ordinary,” which also grossed millions of views online. Soon, Joriah found himself online with a platform of thousands of subscribers on YouTube and millions of people singing his music. In 2020, Joriah participated in the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project, where he was mentored by Andrew Lippa, Craig Carnelia, Lindy Robbins, and Stephen Bray. Shortly after, he was signed by Kobalt Music and moved to New York City to pursue a songwriting career. He penned the music for a production of TWELFTH NIGHT at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; He had his shows workshopped at various theaters around the country and eventually got the opportunity to collaborate with EGOT winners Pasek and Paul on the Sony Picture Film, “Lyle Lyle Crocodile.” Shawn Mendes performed the song he co-wrote, and “Top Of The World” was the key music used for all the commercials and promotional material (it’s even featured on Just Dance 2023!) His work has been performed at Broadway Cabarets like 54 Below and in concerts worldwide. His music is often a touchstone of contemporary musical theater emerging post-pandemic, but he has only just begun…

 

Joriah is knee-deep in musical projects ranging in genre and story, including a musical inspired by his first hit, LITTLE MISS PERFECT, coming to stages in 2025 and TROLLS JR. with Dreamworks Theatricals, MTI & iTheatrics. He is also working on various projects with artists like Debbie Allen (FAME),  Stephen Bray (THE COLOR PURPLE), Lena Waithe (“The Chi”), Siedah Garrett (Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”), Marcus Gardley (THE COLOR PURPLE), Camille Brown (ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, HELL’s KITCHEN), & Lauren Gunderson (SILENT SKY, I & YOU).

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Joriah’s mission statement is to widen the representation and inclusion in the theater community while bringing a modern sensibility that acknowledges our respected traditions and emerging pop cultures.