Cherokee Artist Ken Pomeroy Drops New Album ‘Cruel Joke’, Books Major Festival Appearances

Ken Pomeroy, a 22-year-old Native American singer-songwriter from Moore, Oklahoma, is gaining national attention with the release of her new album Cruel Joke, which dropped on May 16. The 12-track record blends country and folk influences with intimate storytelling and elements drawn from her Cherokee heritage, using themes of nature, animals, and human vulnerability.

"Dakota and I began recording 'Cicadas' back in February 2023. That marked the beginning of our long two-year journey, and so much has happened since we started. The oldest song was written when I was 13 years old; the most recent was added only a few months ago, just before we finished recording. For almost two years, we dedicated nearly every waking moment to working on Cruel Joke," Pomeroy shared.

Pomeroy's articulate honesty in her songwriting, often about trauma, resilience, and self-examination, has really found a home with listeners. Songs like "Days Getting Darker" speak to a sense of social disillusionment and grief, and are informed by her family's challenges with health and addiction. She says her songs are not solely emotional reflections but also have the ability to be companions, and they can "sit" with people in their experience of loneliness.

Placement opportunities on big projects have only added to her growing presence in the music realm. Two songs, "Cicadas" and "Pareidolia," were featured in FX's acclaimed series Reservation Dogs, while her cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "Wall of Death" will appear in the soundtrack for the upcoming summer blockbuster Twisters.

To mark the album's release, Pomeroy is set to perform in Nashville, Brooklyn, and Tulsa, and she will join lineups at renowned events, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Newport Folk Festival. A European tour is also in the works.

While she never set out to have a music career, Pomeroy acknowledges that her gut feeling — and the music of people like John Denver — helped her enjoy that journey. While her sound is always changing, she has remained highly driven by the same mission: conveying raw emotion and providing comfort to others who are not feeling so isolated.