Brotha Josh is as Birmingham as they come, which makes it surprising when you hear that the musician has only lived in the Magic City for a few years. Josh grew up in New Orleans before moving to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to attend college, then ended up in Alabama after deciding to move to his fiancée’s hometown in late 2019. The physical change coincided with a musical transition for Brotha Josh, with both categories having led to positive results. His latest release, “Miss Me”, came out on Friday, April 21st, and has already brought in a large following.
“I didn’t really get into singing and playing guitar until senior year of high school,” Brotha Josh shares of his musical upbringing, “My family’s not musically trained, but my mom and dad would play a lot of jazz, hip-hop, and stuff like that so that started my musical taste.” He had written songs for a few years, but didn’t have melodies for his friends to imagine when he showed them his lyrics. A guitar class in his final year of high school helped fix that problem.
Josh continued to practice after he moved to Hattiesburg and finally felt comfortable asking others to play with him after organizing an artist showcase with some friends. He would soon form a band - Brotha Josh and The Quickness - that would find a following throughout the Southeast. Following his move to Birmingham and COVID slowing down live shows, Josh embarked on a solo adventure that would also see him experiment with new sounds. “It’s sort of R&B but also sort of poppy and sort of indie,” the musician explains of his latest direction.
Brotha Josh laid low for a while when he first moved to the Magic City, but when he was ready to release songs he made sure they were note-worthy. He met the Birmingham band resort realism, which inspired Josh to create two EPs that were connected to each other. He decided on a radio station theme, with each project showing a different perspective. “The first one (The Operator) is what’s being played on the station and the second one (The Caller) is what the person calling in is asking for.” resort realism members Crawford King played a large role in the production of these EPs.
At first Brotha Josh thought he only wanted to record music while staying in Birmingham - but the live concert bug bit him just a couple months into the process. His first show in the Magic City was at Mom’s Basement and he’s become a common name on local lineups as well as concerts in surrounding cities like Huntsville and Atlanta. Josh has a good time on stage, and that isn’t accidental or taken for granted. “There’s a really great quote that I’ve always applied to my music,” he shares, “A friend told me ‘It’s important to take what you do seriously, but try not to take yourself too seriously.’ At shows, I’m kind of a goofball. If I market myself I’m kind of a goofball. I dress like I lean into the 90s dad aesthetic. I just want you to have a fun time. Sometimes musicians look like they want to be anywhere but on stage - they look miserable. I’m like “I’m just happy to be here and play songs for you guys.’”
Brotha Josh has once again found himself surrounded by a live band, and plans to have them be an essential part of the next record. Members include Kristen Porter on drums, Alexander Caroll Horn on bass, Tully Kay on saxophone, and Eamon Griffith on keyboards. In addition to live shows, the band submitted a video to the NPR Tiny Desk concert series, which gave Josh the rare chance (in recent months) to write a song for himself centered around being cautiously optimistic about the risk he’s taking in pursuing a music career instead of the typical pop anthems that have been consuming his time.
Collaborations with other singers and hip-hop artists have been a fun part of Josh’s approach to music. Birmingham artists like Suaze, Griff, and Mel. Crozby can be found on Brotha Josh tracks. “Usually the people I’m doing it with are friends of mine so it’s just fun,” the musician shares. This spirit of highlighting other creatives in the Magic City also takes place in Josh’s podcast, The City and The Sound, which aims to help connect and highlight artists. “I moved here and I saw a lot of musicians so I decided to do a podcast focusing on some of the bands and artists here. People like The Lie Within Callie, resort realism, Mel., Richard Daniel/Linnil. Just talking to them about music.”
While he enjoys the podcasts, Brotha Josh has not slowed down on making excellent music. “Miss Me”, which was produced by Price Pewitt with the video directed by duncan, is a catchy anthem that is relatable to many who’ve dealt with unnecessary stresses in recent memory. The video has already gathered over 7,000 views in just a few days, which is not surprising considering the work Josh puts into his craft.
Josh is firmly leaving his mark on the Magic City, and it feels right he’s doing it in a place that so quickly felt like home. “My fiancée’s from the Birmingham area. I remember initially I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was in Hattiesburg and wanted to move but I didn’t know where I wanted to go. She was like ‘Do you want to live in Birmingham?’ I remember I came here in December 2019 and went to the top of The Vulcan and saw the whole city and was like ‘I love this city.’ I had only been there for like six hours. Since I’ve moved here I’ve met some of the nicest people and the best musicians. I know there’s other towns like Nashville and Atlanta but I like how cool and chill Birmingham is - and there’s always something to do.”
The population got even nicer and the musicians got even better with the addition of Brotha Josh. We can’t wait to see what comes next for this rising artist.
Cover image from Johnny Page
