Artist Interview// JoSHH talks about his album "Getaway Island", performing at SXSW, and A

Location: Laurel, MD. Young and gifted. Two words that describe the talented man Joshua Gail. Known by his artist name JoSHH, he has been winning the hearts of many with his amazing melodies and vocals. A mix of R&B, Rap, Hip-Hop, and modern styles, JoSHH's music consists of beats, harmonies, and melodies that will uplift your mood, get you dancing, bobbing your head, or will simply make your day better. As the artist states in our interview, he makes "FEEL GOOD MUSIC" to spread positivity & encouragement and it is no doubt why he is quickly becoming a crowd favorite.

Just this year, he released his album "Getaway Island" in which he brings his groovy style into a project that is reflective of his situations, lifestyle, and accomplishments. The album has been a success for him, with only two songs from the album accounting for 17K of the total plays.

His unique style of music has quickly attracted listeners and artists that want to work with him, which has gained him spots in shows such as SXSW and Afropunk 2017. In this interview, the artist speaks on what his artistic career has been so far, as well to what he has in store for 2017. We have been granted exclusive access to one of the new singles he will be releasing at the beginning of the year, and let us say , he has "GOOD MUSIC" coming!

Enjoy the interview!

Tell us about yourself, what's your name? Where are you from, and what is it like growing up in your neighborhood?

What's good! Thank you for taking the time. My name is Joshua Gail, and of course my artist name is JoSHHH. I' from Laurel, Maryland where I spent the majority of my life growing up and learning about life. My neighborhood now is nothing like it was when I was growing up. Honestly, I grew up in a very nice, middle-classed townhouse in a community named Russett that was brand new when my family moved there, when I was three years old. Over time there was gentrification; liquor stores on every entrance to the community, the basketball courts began being used for drug activity so the kids stopped having a place to grow. Overall it just became a different environment. That's just a brief description of the place I grew up in.

Is there any particular story that contributed to you pursuing a music career?

The story that contributed to me pursuing a music career all lies within the music career my older brother began about 2 years prior to me starting. This is a very long story, but all in all, he was locked up for a situation that could've been avoided and that halted his music career. I became so motivated to continue his legacy that I started my own.

That's dope. The musical talent lies in the family, haha! What kind of music do you consider yourself to make?

I make FEEL GOOD MUSIC. That's the honest best way I can describe it. My songs may sound nothing like what you're accustomed to overall, but I can guarantee a fresh sound, relatable lyrics, a lot of harmonies & melodies, as well as catchy vibes that will make you bump your head. I've categorized my lane to be known as Groove Music.

Who, or what influenced such type of style?

I will say my biggest influences from music I've listened to are Earth, Wind, & Fire, Pharell, N.E.R.D, T.I, LE$, and Logic.

Nice. You just recently released the project "Getaway Island", can you tell us how it is that you came up with the songs, and album? Was it something you saw, heard, or just came about while in the studio?

Okay, so how I came up with that project was very unique in my opinion. The first song I ever recorded in the history of my life is ironically the Outro (Do you mind) to the project. Although the vocals aren't where I wanted them to be in my verse, the message in that song was special to me. It set the tone that I wanted; that I was making music to spread positivity and encouragement. After that, I made track 3 'Heaven of a Day". Now, that song became special to me because it put a twist on the ideology of it being a "Hell of a Day", which if you think about it is an oxymoron, but the general feel for that song was just so uplifting it gave me the direction I needed for the project and confidence that I could create songs that people could enjoy. The next song I recorded, which is the Intro to the project, really set the tone for what the project would be named. The title of the beat I got from the producer was "Getaway Island" and the sounds and vibe of the track went perfect with the title. I then recorded the track and recognized that the song was hot but just a little bit too slow for anything other than the intro, so that's what set the tone for the whole idea of the project. Starting with the Intro "Getaway Island", then working its way to the Outro for the main message. I needed people to leave with if they gave the project a fair listen. The songs in between were all reflections upon the time, between starting my rap career to two weeks before the album finished because I had the release date set for my mother's birthday- June 26, 2016. I wanted it to be a gift to her.

That's dope. She got a really special birthday gift! Awesome video to the song "Get it Over Here" by the way. Where did this take place? Looks fun!

So after I finished the project I knew it would be a good idea to drop a video. There were so many ideas and so many songs I wanted a visual representation for, but one of the main things that happened is that most of the people I featured on my project began to show signs of envy. I had to disassociate quickly from that, which meant I could only do a video for a song that only I was on, and Get it Over Here was my best choice for that. I actually shot the video at my apartment in Columbia, Maryland. But as you can see, my energy was where it needed to be and the videographer was able to get some good scenes and worked with what he had. The experience was priceless. Just knowing how to approach my next video, what to expect.

Are there any other projects coming up for 2017?

For 2017 I will definitely be releasing a project on my birthday, that is on February 15, 2017 and it'll probably be a 5 song EP of my favorite tracks that I've been recording and hiding in the vault. That project is a landmark, milestone project that I'm putting out for myself as a progress reminder and it will be a major progression from the last project. My main goal is to release singles in 2017 though. I've become more acclimated with my sound and the songs I make that my fans enjoy, so I want to give them plenty of those before having them digest another project. It will be a big year for me guaranteed just as far as the moves I'll be making and the major progression and improvement in a small period of time.

That's wassup bro! Keep up the hard work, it's already starting to pay off. Is there anything you would like to say to your supporters?

I would like to say, I'm a person that you can rely on. I take pride in the art and also being the best person I can be day in and day out. It's not all about the fame, or the money, or my own image. I want to simply use the resources I will work to gain to then create positive change wherever I can while I am here on this Earth. Give me a chance and watch how I help you. Give me a chance and watch me propel you! Mind over Matter.

Also, some things for the people who are tuned in are the following:

*SXSW in March. I will be in attendance, performing, and networking with my boy Da Kid K (signed with K.Camp's Management and Marketing team WERK)

*Afropunk 2017, I will be in attendance, performing and networking.

*Me and my boy King Ant (former member of the group 4ey and writer of their hit song Scoot Ova) have an EP worth of tracks we may be releasing as a mixtape, but definitely will be shooting videos for and releasing before SXSW in March.

*I will be branding and introducing new merch in March 2017

*Website coming June 2017

*Linked up with a new producer named Kojo and we have been creating a lot of great music. OTW 2017.

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Keep an eye out for JosHHH, his perseverance, dedication, ambition, work ethic, humility, and talent are the ingredients to success. Stay connected with him on Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter. Be tuned for his upcoming work.

And don't forget to support local artists!

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