It was written and produced by Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony and recorded by Evans for R&B Divas (2012), a compilation album led by the singer which featured the first season stars of the same-titled TV One reality series.

[1] Evans described the song as "a great timeless R&B record" which puts her "in the mind of Gladys Knight meets Aretha Franklin.”[2] In an interview with CBS Local, she further elaborated that it took social networking service Twitter for her to arrange a collaboration with Kelly.

“Two weeks later, we were in the studio and he played me this song and I’m like, 'Oh my god this is amazing I need this record'.”[3] Speaking of its Grammy appeal, Evans commented, "Normally I wouldn’t say this, but I think I should be nominated.

[4] SoulCulture found that Evans' "voice sounds pretty damn divine on “Tears of Joy” – a soul-filled, emotional piano-led ballad.

"[5] The music video for "Tears of Joy" was directed by Erik White and filmed on September 25, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.