Bio
Thank you for taking the time to get to know a little more about me!
My name is Joia Soleil Hansen. I grew up a 90’s baby in the flourishing, progressive town of Santa Cruz, California—when it was still a well-kept secret, when housing was still affordable. I was raised by a 1st generation German immigrant and a 2nd generation French-Gypsy-New Yorker. Suffice it to say that diversity of language, culture, food, and thought was my norm for the most formative years of my childhood. My mother made it a point to take my two brothers and I camping all over the California coast: forests, deserts, and beaches were our second home. She also brought us to countries like Tahiti, Canada, Cuba, and Mexico and homeschooled us while we were out of school for months at a time. Primarily a builder, my father is also a multifaceted artist, who has successfully forged metal sculptures, created Jackson Pollock style paintings, generated unique works of digital art, has created many mixtapes from vinyl records, and also learned a handful of different instruments. To this day, I have vivid memories of hearing him wail on his saxophone on Saturday mornings when I was kid.
I grew up a highly sensitive and introspective individual. Lacking the ability to see properly until age four or five (before having glasses, and before the awareness that my eye sight wasn’t up to snuff), my internal world was the focus of much of my attention. I started keeping journals by seven or eight, and always naturally found myself drawn to the subtle and intangible things in life. Feelings, thoughts, words, sounds and colors were constantly in my spotlight. Early on, I became very curious about people, relationships, and communication. Seeing my parents divorce at six quickly caused me to wonder about the nature of love, commitment, and family.
In my pre-teen years, I went from abstract visual art as my main mode of expression, to music . At nine I began taking piano lessons, which quickly sparked a fiery passion for music. At 15, while studying abroad in Spain, I taught myself how to produce beats, and wrote rhymes to accompany them. When I came back, in my final year of high school, I switched to a different DAW (digital audio workstation) and continued expanding my repertoire of digital music, integrating my growing understanding of music theory into my productions. By the time I entered my first college in 2012, I had finished close to 100 beats. In college, I played piano in the jazz band and focused on expanding my musicianship. I tried on various different monikers, and explored different styles.
In 2014, I began a 5 year hiatus from music production while I took a deep dive into my intellectual curiosities. These saw their manifestation during my three year stint at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where I finished my undergraduate degree in Contemplative Psychology. My magnum opus as a student was my senior thesis, where I weaved together a study of linguistics and systems theory to generate a futuristic educational model which I called “Holeducation.” During this arduous yet rewarding process, I discovered (or created, depending on how you look at it) a philosophy which would soon come to define me and my purpose: Ymmediation. For a more in-depth look at what exactly that is, please see my offerings. Additionally, my thesis revealed to me the importance and urgency of leadership. So along with Ymmediation, I created a model for leadership I called “Emergent Leadership.” Such a model has been folded into my current work in a multitude of ways.
In 2016, I taught myself how to DJ, a passion and skill which has served me (and thousands of others) brilliantly. I have been DJing private parties and events since 2016, and over 75 corporate events and weddings since 2022.
I officially ended my music production hiatus in 2019, on the heels of my graduation from Naropa University. Since then, I have worked on and finished nearly a hundred other songs, including dozens for other vocalists and artists. If you’d like to take a look at my musical catalogue, please check out my discography on the main page.
In the Winter of 2022, I finished a year long certification course in Ableton from RRFC in a local Denver studio called Conway Sound. In this program, I elevated my skills and knowledge as a producer and also developed professionally as an audio engineer, learning how to efficiently and effectively record, mix, and master.
Since 2023, I have been teaching piano and music production through various different programs and schools including RRFC, Moon Magnet Music School, Lessons In Your Home, InHome Music Lessons and privately, in my own home studio.
I take pride in the many musical hats I wear, as a DJ, musician, producer, engineer, educator, and finally, as a facilitator of space, conversation, community, and introspection. Before and above all the rest of said identities, I am an Ymmediator. What might that mean to you? Reach out to me and let’s talk about it!
