Blessing Jolie: Five Essential Albums

Women's history is world history, but care is taken in March to elevate the message and mission of Women's History Month. We've asked some of the women we love — including Blessing Jolie and  Ellur — to write about their Five Essential Albums for FUV.

Earlier in March, riding high thanks to her breakout single, "20teens," Blessing Jolie released her much-praised debut album, 20nothing, in early March — and at the age of 23, it's an auspicious start for the Katy, Texas singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She's already landed on the shortlist of emerging artists to watch in 2026 (NME 100, Atwood Magazine) and like so many of her Gen Z sisters, Jolie taps into a potent dichotomy of raw vulnerability and rage.

The youngest of five siblings in a Nigerian-American family, Jolie's pointed lyricism is whiplashed with the wiry candor of a woman who has come of age in a fraught, unforgiving world, raised on screens and chasing her dreams. Blessing Jolie surprises with every turn of 20nothing: the chopped and screwed scream of "Regular Schmegular Girl" and the folk snarl of "Software Developer," stand side-by-side with the ruminative and luminous lope of "The Lone Star State," without question, one of this exceptional debut's striking highlights.

WFUV asking Blessing Jolie to write about her list of "Five Essential Albums," a mirror of what she grew up hearing — and where she'd like to land as she continues to run towards her destiny.

Blessing Jolie: Five Essential Albums

Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water
I remember hearing "Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)" for the first time as The Undertaker’s "Biker Taker" entrance song in WWE. It was game over after that. This album broke every rule for me and became the bridge between rap and rock. Once I found this record, I felt free to enjoy heavy rock music while still loving the hardest rap.

Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP
If anyone ever compliments me on my honesty, I have The Marshall Mathers LP to thank. I remember hearing it in full for the first time in the gym and just pausing in disbelief. I thought, "... he didn’t say that." Oh, he did—and that’s what I respect about this record: he said exactly what was on his mind, without fear of sounding crazy. Though my own thoughts may not be as extreme, you can see how that kind of fearlessness helps develop the candor needed in smaller matters.

Destiny’s Child, Survivor
When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up and be a member of Destiny’s Child. They carried themselves with so much confidence, and the lyrics they sang reflected that. Survivor is the definition of courage and self-assurance—something I still tap into on leg days as I become the woman I’m meant to be.

Central Cee, CAN'T RUSH GREATNESS
This record is super motivational for me. The title alone reminds me that if I want the level of skill on this album, I have to keep working day after day. I “can’t rush greatness.”

Alicia Keys, As I Am
This album really opened my eyes to what it means to be a singer-songwriter. It showed me how to tell an illustrative story in a way I felt my writing had been missing. As I Am helped shape me into a true singer-songwriter.

- Blessing Jolie
March 2026