Stream the first two songs from our “Listen For A Moment" album:
Listen For A Moment: a punchy edgy surf rocker featuring Rob's driving lead vox and Joy's best Ronnie Spector.
Anew: Joy sings of taking ownership of her part of the pain of a past relationship.
Our Story
Joy Okoye’s powerfully liberating vocals bring an urgent vibe to the musical explorations of The Beagles. In her early years in Kansas, Joy’s vocal gifts moved congregants to feel the Holy Spirit - both as a soloist and with gospel and worship bands. Moving East, Joy explored new spiritual and secular worlds and found her calling as a dance leader, improvising rhythmic evocations to movement and channeling soothing vocal vibrations. In the JourneyDance community Joy became the “Evangelist of the Dance Floor,” inspiring flowing throngs into explosions of expression then bringing them to a soft landing in a healing space. Beagles-founder Rob Freeman, saw the potential for Joy to reach a wider audience by merging her wide ranging vocal artistry into interaction with an improvisational electric and eclectic band. Joy’s spark ignites The Beagles on a journey beyond the harmony hooks, sultry seductions and power pop packaging of their Lon Van Eaton-produced debut Bed of Roses - to the passionate point where Blues meets Blue-Eyed Soul and is sure to set your Soul On Fire.
In Spring 2026 the band released the first two singles from their upcoming August 2026 album Listen For A Moment.
Listen For A Moment - the title track and first single with Rob's driving lead vox – meeting the desperation of abandonment with the swagger of faith in destiny while Joy raises the temperature with wordless emotive vox that channel Ronnie Spector, kicking off the tune and punctuating the breaks. 12 string lead licks, Farfisa driven choruses and a surf rock break down add to the urgency that always gets folks moving on this hit to be.
Anew builds on the passion and excitement of the material from their 2025 album Soul on Fire (Love Songs For Grown Ups), while moving the band in a more introspective and psychedelic direction. Joy's lyrics tell a tale of tells of a woman taking ownership of her contribution to the pain of a past relationship, freeing herself from those wounds to offer herself anew - as a cup of liquid to fill the senses, soothe the body, and cleanse the soul. Rob's music and The Beagles' arrangement create an expansive sonic journey with layers of acoustic, electric, lap steel and 12 string guitars drifting alongside grounded rhythms to create a sound that feels both intimate and wide open.
Read more about Anew in an article about an earlier live-to-video version of the song at:
- https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=makin-waves-song-of-the-week-anew-by-the-beagles
Read an interview with Joy and Rob at:
Check out the accolades two of our singles have received at:
- Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Soul on Fire" by The Beagles with Joy
- Makin Waves Song of the Week: "We’re All Alone" by The Beagles with Joy