I’ve been listening to ‘Ain’t Gonna Stay’ on loop recently. It’s one of Josh Hearmon’s recent releases, blending a mix of hip hop, rap and pop. This is what Josh describes as his sound, with hints of reggae, indie rock and soul in there too. He’s inspired by Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn, Loyle Carner and (in the early days) Ed Sheeran. We agreed that Britain’s favourite ginger was at his peak when he named his albums after math symbols. But what no one can deny is the artist’s musical adaptability. This is something I’ve noticed in Josh’s recent releases – he is happy outside of the box and creating what feels good for him. A journey through his Spotify reveals this trait, featuring acoustic guitar numbers against more upbeat hip hop tracks.
Josh has been writing music for as long as he can remember. Both his parents are musical, and passed their love on to him when he grew up. It all started kicking off when Josh reached the cusp of 16 and 17. He did a session with the BBC, and performed live at Groove de Lecq and the Cider Festival. He even went as far as playing at Weekender, which at the time was still the Jersey Live we all knew and loved. He likes to joke that his performance was the reason they rebranded, despite the fact they’ve asked him back on more than one occasion. His performance there this summer will be one of his first in a few years, after he took a step back from the live performance scene.
Moving to university put Josh’s music career on pause. Whilst he never stopped writing lyrics, he fell out of love with the technical side of music production. He said “seeing how much there was to discover, and how much better you want to be, puts things on the back foot in terms of creative inspiration. I felt like there was a lot that I needed to learn and know”. In addition to this, he felt like he needed to go and live the experiences behind his songs. It wasn’t until after covid that Josh relighted his spark for music creation, after four years of scenarios, relationships and friendships. The people that he met exposed him to a wider pool of music, which ultimately influenced what his sound became. Another benefit of taking his head out of the game was it gave him plenty of time to focus on basketball. Breaking free from the pressures of the music industry led him to the JBBA, where he currently runs the second division.
In between shooting hoops and working as a videographer, Josh’s music career is seeing the start of something new. What he found overwhelming at 18 doesn’t intimidate him at 25. Whereas before he couldn’t see a future without a label or contact, he’s now using what’s available to him to start making moves on his own. He records his songs in his bedroom, pulling the layers together with software on his laptop. He told me that whilst a decade or so ago, a one man band wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, technology has made the music industry a lot more accessible. You’ve got social media and streaming platforms, which lead you to your audience. Music artists have blown up overnight after their songs trended on TikTok. When I asked Josh whether he had branched into this platform, his response said it all: “I’m so scared of TikTok. So scared”. He added “everyone I speak to is like, man, you’ve got to get on TikTok because of the organic reach and the way the algorithm pushes you to people”. He admitted “I’ve been sticking to the Stone Age with Instagram and Facebook”, whilst expanding his audience through Groover, blog writers and radio producers. He assured me that “there are ways of getting the music out there, and I’m probably going to rinse every single one of them before I get to TikTok”. This is not due to social media snobbery, but rather a desire to distance himself from the temptation to doom scroll. He, like the rest of us, feels he spends enough time on his phone, and really wishes he could be free from that world.
Whilst Josh joked that he has songs in his Notes app that he “wouldn’t touch with a 50-foot barge pole”, he’s got some 2024 releases that he’s decided to show the light of day. He’s already released his indie pop track ‘Angel’, which gained BBC Track of the Week status back in May. ‘Ain’t Gonna Stay’ has more of a hip hop and rap vibe. It’s about a breaking down relationship and, well, whether you’re going to stay in it. ‘Over Again’ is the third track, which was released late July. It is a pretty special track, because Josh recorded it with his dad, a 67 year old dude who’s always played guitar. In the last year, he’s developed a condition in his hands that has affected his guitar playing. Josh said “it’s really nice for me having this track, that features some lovely guitar from my dad”. He added, “he’s still incredible, even with the issues with his hands”. The fourth and final track of Josh’s debut EP will be released at some point in August.
If you want to hear Josh live, and can’t wait until Weekender, you can see him early at the Battle of Flowers this year. Marti Pellow is performing at Lower Park, and handpicked Josh from a group of local artists as his special guest. Keep August 11th free to go and soak up Josh’s music. Feel it in your fingers, and in your toes. It’s gonna be love all around.
Instagram: @joshhearmon
Feature photo: Miguel Loureiro
