Born in Seoul, South Korea, Joyce Kwon moved to the United States when she was eight years old and discovered that she was speechless. Her silence was partly due to her limited English, but mostly due to a fear of sounding incompetent. It wasn't until nearly two years later, when her family moved to California that she decided to stop being "the mute girl" and started using her voice.

Though she grew up playing piano, it was not until Joyce attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) that she became passionate about music. The student director of the award-winning LACHSA Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Joyce studied gospel and jazz voice under the loving guidance of Pat Bass and jazz composition & arranging with Jason Goldman until she graduated and entered the University of California, Berkeley.

Initially, Joyce was uncertain of her plans to pursue music and considered a variety of career options ranging from pharmaceuticals to truck driving to selling puca shell bracelets on the beach. After much soul-searching, she is now sure that music is her calling, and is excited to integrate her other interests, from learning about Korean politics to pretending to speak Portuguese, in her music.

In her years at Berkeley, Joyce began to find her own unique voice, integrating everything from her love of Brazilian music to her ethnic identity, with encouragement from many wonderful mentors. Pianist/composer, Myra Melford, introduced her to the fun world of contemporary improvisation and continues to inspire her to explore innovative ways to use her voice. Composer/extended technique vocalist, Ken Ueno and jazz saxophonist/flutist, Dann Zinn, also have influenced Joyce to use her voice in unconventional ways.

From refusing to speak to singing out loud, Joyce Kwon has learned to fully express herself through her voice.