by tiffany arunarsirakul
photo by nathan dunphy
Joesef is an artist who speaks from his soul, which is honesty. His life is his source of inspiration where everything you hear has happened to him directly. Joesef mentions how "it's sort of about how difficult life is but it's always right in the end." Joesef is going on tour in January and March this year, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for this talent!
Can you explain what new soul means to you?
Joesef: “Not sure really, soul to me has always sort of meant the truth. Do I believe whatever it is someone is singing or writing about? Soul to me means honesty in that context.”
Permanent Damage, your debut album, released on January 13th. How were you feeling leading up to the release?
Joesef: “Probably a perfect combo of excitement and completely shitting myself. I only get to release my debut album once, so I'm trying to take it all in as it's happening and not become passive amongst the madness of it all.”
How did you come up with the name Permanent Damage for the album, considering how “Caught in an Endless Sunday” was a potential name prior?
Joesef: “‘Caught in an Endless Sunday was a bit of a placeholder to be honest. I saw the words ‘permanent damage’ on a cigarette packet at an after party in Hackney. I was a bit fucked at the time but had written it down in my notes. I think it perfectly sums up the themes of the album, and fits the darkness in some of the sonics on the record. I wanted something that was instantaneous and held up this idea of something changing you indefinitely, like I was by the relationship that inspired the album.”
How do you find the inspiration for your lyrics and music?
Joesef: “My life has always been the source of my inspiration, or my shite love life to be precise. Everything you hear has happened to me directly, I've always just used it as my outlet to exercise parts of myself that I have difficulty articulating day to day. I think reading a lot inspires me also, writers like Douglas Stuart and Patti Smith are people whose work I've kept close to me during the process of making the record. I'd encourage anyone getting into songwriting or having difficulty with it to read as much as possible. I fucking love reading.”
What can we expect while listening to Permanent Damage?
Joesef: “It's definitely a bigger sound than anything I've put out before. I think it sounds quite lush at times. It's probably quite dark too, I honestly don't know what to tell anyone. I think they just have to listen and make their own mind up.”
Was music something you wanted to pursue since your childhood?
Joesef: “Not at all. I always loved to sing but being from the east end of Glasgow it never felt like something I'd ever be able to make a career out of, it was so far removed from the reality of growing up in a deprived working class area. I sort of fell into music after going to an open mic night with my mate who's now my manager. I'd roasted about eight pints and went up and sang for a laugh but off the back of that he wanted to try to manage me. I spent like a year trying to write music before I found my lane, it was such a mad time. I really can't believe where it's taken me too sometimes.”
How do you find a balance between your personal life and your professional life?
Joesef: “I find it really difficult actually, because the music is so autobiographical it feels like there are no boundaries at times. Everything feels personal to me, it's hard to look at things objectively when it's your own experiences that are the subject matter.”
Which song from Permanent Damage do you resonate with the most?
Joesef: “I feel like such a different person compared to who I was when I'd written the album. I'm pretty happy at the moment and hopeful that it stays that way, so I guess ‘All Good’ is the most relevant right now. It's sort of about how difficult life is but it's always alright in the end, it has to be.”
Being from Glasgow, how does it feel to have a fanbase nationwide?
Joesef: “I don't really think about it much, but I really love meeting people who like the tunes. It’s fucking crazy. I got recognized in-and-out when I was in LA. I was like HERE? How the fuck does someone know me here. People are always so lovely to me, and it really is such a beautiful thing that I never took into consideration when getting into music, how open and honest everyone is with me. I love it a lot.”
With your tours in January and March, how do you prepare yourself?
Joesef: “I try to just get good rehearsals in, make sure I don't overdo it too. You need to be like a fucking athele to sustain yourself for a whole tour, everyone get's sick at the same time ‘cause you're always breathing in each others breath in a tour bus, but it's sort of inevitable. I always try to prioritize a bit of alone time on tour as well, even if it is just taking a whole day to go and get my washing done.”
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
Joesef: “Don't think so, everyone enjoy the album, bye x x x x.”