MEET : Saint Joshua
Saint Joshua’s music enchants you from the first chord that hits your ears and only further draws you in once the man himself starts singing. Hailing from London, Saint Joshua has always known music was for him, and it shows. From Amazing Grace at the age of eleven, to his latest release Love Is…, the artist’s silky lyrics set to an ethereal choir of dreamy harmonies and instrumental arrangements will leave you wanting more. Heading to the artist’s live version of his first release I Like will only blow you away further - this unfiltered take shows Saint Joshua’s talent in an intimate, stripped-back setting where all there is to do is focus on his flawless vocals.
Luckily, we had the chance to interview the man himself, and ask him all about how he got into music, his inspirations and how he crafts such a beautiful sound.
To start off with, could you please tell us where you’re based, how you started off being a musician and the first memory you have of playing live?
Sure, I’m based in London, England. I mainly got into music through high school where I had a community of people who enjoyed music as much as I did. I would go to the music room after school every day and learn a new cover song and that naturally progressed to me making my own music. I was 11 when I first ever performed and I sang Amazing Grace for my last school assembly. I remember trying my hardest not to look at the parents and kids in the audience and focussed on the back wall till it was over!
With your debut EP out in June you released your phenomenal debut single ‘I Like’ in March with live acoustic video – how did that feel to finally get them both out?
Thank you! It's really exciting to have 'I Like' and its live acoustic video out. It's been a long time coming as the song was written and recorded during summer 2020. I’m really proud of how everything has turned out. The response from listeners has been overwhelmingly positive, I'm so grateful for everyone that has engaged with the content. I recorded the live version because it was important for me to give a different dynamic to the softer studio version. I had the opportunity to work alongside some very talented musicians who made it an enjoyable experience.
Where did the inspiration for your 2nd single ‘Love Is…’ come from?
Similar to a romantic relationship, ‘Love Is…’ is the natural progression from ‘I Like'. I wanted to tell a story about love without any obstacles. Relationships can be dictated or influenced by many outside forces like ex-lovers, friends, family, social media etc. This song describes a whimsical world of a love enamoured. As a songwriter, I take inspiration from my favourite love songs and past experiences from myself or friends and I tried to capture that on the record.
We love the idea of having a live video to accompany your music releases – is this something you’ve always wanted to do?
I love live performances and considering the pandemic and its restrictions, it seemed even more appropriate to do live videos to accompany the releases on this project. I enjoyed reworking my songs for a live setting and showing a different side to myself.
We love the ‘Love Is...’ video, how did you get the idea for the aesthetic for the video?
So, the aim of ‘Love Is…” was to sonically capture the ethereal quality of love and I worked with the director, Tai Campbell, to translate the dream like vibe. Together, we worked on the aesthetic and took inspiration from music videos from Pink $weats, Giveon and Snoh Aalegra. We got talented individuals onboard to help us achieve our aesthetic like Spike Silverton, an awesome projectionist as well as Kareen Prince and Elayne Peddy who did a crazy job on the styling. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!
Do you have any future visions for how you want your music videos to turn out/match your songs?
Not yet! I definitely want to create visuals that echo the sentiment of my songs. I’m prepared to push myself out of my comfort zone as I work with more directors down the line.
How would you sum up your music in one sentence?
Music about love for singletons! (Laughs)
What are the three songs you couldn't live without?
Woah! What a tough question… At the moment, I have Wizkid’s Essence on repeat – I absolutely love that song right now. In terms of recent years, Drunk in Love by my parents, Beyonce and Jay Z, spring to mind and in terms of all-time favourite… I’d probably go with Prototype by Outkast, I wish I wrote that song.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
There are so many but I’d say it’s combination of R&B, Pop and Neo-Soul artists ranging from D’Angelo, Maxwell and Jill Scott to Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Usher.
The past year has been a bit of an anomaly for the music industry – how have you kept your musical inspiration going? Have you taken up any unexpected hobbies during lockdown
The past year has definitely been a crazy one. Thankfully for me, it was a reminder of how much I love music. At the start of quarantine, I made sure I bought all the equipment I needed to be self-sufficient at home and I learnt about music technology and vocal production, so that was an interesting experience. If I’m honest, I didn’t need any new hobbies as this project has been my lockdown baby!
When live music is back up and running (soon come!) do you have a specific venue you’d love to play in?
I would love to perform at Royal Albert Hall one day but I also want to play more intimate venues, I love the freedom of interacting with the audience.
And what’s a gig memory of yours that’s stuck with you to this day?
I don’t actually have a gig memory that’s like etched in my brain yet; thankfully, I don’t have any embarrassing moments either!
What would your dream collab be?
I’m manifesting a Saint Joshua X Solange collab. I’ve been saying this for years, but we are friends in my head.
We’re really excited to see what comes next for you – what does the future hold for Saint Joshua?
I’m excited too! Of course, I have the new single, love is…, which comes out May 14 on all streaming services and then the music video which comes out shortly after. We also have the EP just in time for the summer! Hopefully, I continue to grow and attract bigger and better opportunities
And finally…you’re on the Last Bus home after the first night out post lockdown…what are you listening to?
It’s gotta be Burna Boy and his African Giant album.
Do what’s good for you and get up to speed with Saint Joshua here