Faith at the root.
Music in every chapter.

Alexis Joi

Singer. Songwriter. A voice shaped by gospel, jazz, and a life of making music.

Alexis Joi Ham, known professionally as Alexis Joi, grew up in Gary, Indiana. In the a cappella tradition of her childhood church, she learned to listen closely: to harmony, to feeling, and to what a voice can carry on its own.

Finding her voice

At Emerson School for the Visual and Performing Arts, Alexis studied classical, operatic, and contemporary singing. She continued performing at Indiana University, singing with its African American Choral Ensemble and the smaller ensemble Sojourner while completing her degree in 2007.

Early songwriting and independent recordings gave her room to develop a personal sound. After college, music took her to Nashville, then Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Each city brought new stages, collaborators, and experience.

From local stages to international audiences

Her live gospel project Striving belongs to this early chapter. As a guest with The Glory Gospel Singers, Alexis toured Germany in 2013 and Japan in 2014. Those experiences deepened her connection to audiences beyond the United States. Watch selected appearances.

Royal Renditions: Hymns & Spirituals returned to the spiritual traditions at the center of her artistry. After moving to San Diego in 2016, Alexis developed her presence on the city’s jazz circuit, including performances with pianist Irving Flores and a residency at The Westgate Hotel.

New recordings, new listeners

In December 2018, her recording of “The River,” written by Brian Darnell and Mark Hattersley, appeared on CBS’s God Friended Me. The recording is also associated with Prime’s CROSS in her current catalog.

The 2019 album More Than Love brings together jazz standards and original material. Improvise followed in 2021, with later releases including “Here’s to Life” and “Chain Breakers” featuring Bryan Darnell.

The life within the music

Alexis’s personal and creative lives have long been connected. “Love, Please Never Go Away,” written for Isaiah, became part of their wedding story and an early music video. Her original website welcomed listeners into a “Royal Court”—a community built around music, encouragement, and a sense of shared dignity.

Today, that same desire to encourage others also finds expression in her vocal coaching and ministry work. Music remains the thread that connects the chapters.