Interview: Josie Man
Having followed Orpington pop sensation Josie Man for some time now, ‘cene Magazine felt it was high time we got to know her a bit better (all be it via a Zoom call).
Josie Man
Her personal, colloquial lyrics, paired with styles fitted somewhere between the 90s colour brilliance of the Spice Girls and the wavy 70s Kate Bush narratives, mean that if you have seen or heard of Josie Man, you won’t forget her.
On top of that, Josie has picked up a happy habit of releasing compulsive pop tracks; but don’t be fooled, there’s no bubblegum about it. It has edge.
With new single ‘Grow’ still playing on repeat in our dreams, we got in touch to hear how the 22-year-old former Farringtons student has stayed true to herself, crafted her sound, been signed to Columbia Records and been remixed by the likes of Jarreau Vandal.
Hi Josie, are e talking to you in Orpington?
Well it’s closer to Chislehurst but has an Orpington postcode. Yes, I’ve lived here for about 20 years now. My Dad is from Hong Kong but grew up in Forest Hill and my mum is from Catford. They met had kids and we moved here.
Is music a family thing then?
My mum and Dad are not musical at all. My sisters and I all love singing, but I’m not from a musical family or anything like that really.
You have a very unique style with dreamy, pop artwork and videos, it reminds us of very 70s style… where does that influence come from?
I don’t know what it is. I just prefer that dreamy look, rather than harsh. And I think that just reflects my personality a bit. My sisters say that when they touch me they feel like im going to break. I’m very soft and gentle. And I feel like that’s why it all comes across that way [in the artwork].
You have a softer pop sound, but the words in your songs can be quite combative, like in Grow (“Ive been burned, lessons learned” etc.), where does that come from?
It comes from a place of hurt but growing from it. Like, looking at a sad or hard time in a positive light, now that I have come out of it. When I write sad songs, I always want them to be sad but with a positive feel. They aren’t heartbreak songs, they are ‘you can get through this’ songs.
Do you feel as thought you’ve found your identity as a musician in the past couple of years?
From a young a young age, I was always the odd one out compared to my sisters. So that was normal, and it felt easy to find myself. I felt that I begun to discover myself younger than usual, I guess.
And what was the process to find your sound? Did you try lots of different things before you came across this Josie Man sound?
When I did a song, I would just know that it wouldn’t feel right doing it. With music I get really excited, and if I can dance and move to it, then I know it’s right.
But before that, a producer would say ‘oh, why don’t you sing it like this..’, but I think that actually helped me to understand what I don’t like. And that helped me see what I do like.
Do you have a style that you refer to yourself as?
No. I don’t think so. Whatever makes me feel like im releasing emotion is what pulls me towards a song. It’s about how it makes me feel. I actually like songs that make me feel sad. Because I can release an emotion. The music is just about how it makes me feel.
So other people’s songs do that for you too?
Yeah. Do you know Jhené Aiko? Her songs, I always feel like there is a spiritual meaning behind it because of all the healing frequencies she uses. It makes me want to sing really loud, at the top of my voice. And that’s what I love about music, when you can just sing, and have a great time and feel like you sound good.
It’s not always easy to compare artists, but you remind us a bit of early Lily Allen, and you have this colloquial sound. Is that fair?
Yeah. It’s funny because I didn’t t listen to a lot of Lily Allen growing up. But I loved her song ’Smile’. So it’s not a bad thing [to be compared to her] at all.
Where are you right now in terms of your musical career?
So, I signed last October to Columbia. So I'm working towards an album. But, I don’t want to force anything. With me, its more about taking my time to do things and releasing when it feels right.
I think, before I do an album, I want to put a bit more music out, instead of it being this massive dramatic album, with people saying ‘who is that?’.
I want lots of ears to hear something that I work hard on. And I've got more singles to go. Ive got another single coming out after ‘Grow’, which I'm excited for.
What was the moment like when you signed for Columbia Records?
Before that, I never thought about signing a deal. It wasn’t something I was working towards. But when the opportunity came up….
It was a bit like ‘where did that come from?’, it all happened really quickly. I only started writing music last April (2019), on my own. So, I try and go with the flow, but it is quite difficult to adapt to music being your job.
Is it difficult to channel creativity into a 9-5 timetable…?
Yeah, it feels like it doesn’t stop. There’s no set hours. And I found that hard, knowing when to switch off and when it’s okay to switch off. But I now know when to have a little break and not go on my phone or anything.
It it tough handling ‘Brand Josie’, with all the social media and stuff as well?
Yeah, it can be really busy, and you can get carried away with everyone’s comments and stuff and replying to everyone. And you realise that you aren’t living in the ’now’ and living online instead.
I would be sitting with my family and they’d all be talking, but I have no idea what they’re saying because I’m too busy on my phone. And that’s when I realised I shouldn’t be going on there so much. And I was missing out on thing right in front of me.
And those life moments would be the things you would possibly write about as well…
Yeah, I felt like I didn’t know what to write about because I was so busy on my phone. I had nothing to talk about!
The traction that you are picking up for your new music, just on Spotify alone, has been huge. ‘Colours’ has nearly two million plays now…
I know! When I first released my music, I thought my team would say ‘err, no one's listening to you!’.
Even when it got to one million, I thought ‘is that a joke?’. It’s mad.
On your Spotify we also saw the remix by producer Jarreau Vandal! How did that come about?
Remixes are good because it brings in a new audience, who like a different kind of music. My team were just like ’there’s a guy ho wants to do a remix’. I listened and thought it was great. It was nice to have a dance version of my song.
There are elements of 70s and Kate Bush in your videos and shoots.Do you style yourself and your videos?
If I have an editorial then I’ve had stylists there, but I style myself. Or for the music videos, I will come up with the treatments as well, and the styling references so they can order clothes.
When it comes to wearing clothes I feel like I have to be comfortable in them otherwise I can’t be myself. It’s my way of expressing myself.
We are seeing so many bands and artists refraining to move to London at the moment. Is there a reason you decided to stay in Kent?
I’m just. Really family-orientated person. I also love being around green spaces and spaces where I feel I can breathe. So I think that’s what puts me off going to London, it’s busy and there’s fumes everywhere and I don’t think my body could take it! I like to look outside and it’s green. Its what im used to. I think central London would be too busy for my head.
Other than your album, what does 2021 hold for you?
I just hope I'm doing more live things! I really love singing live. It just brings a whole different energy to it. It’s totally different to listening on your phone or through a speaker. And I love singing on a microphone. It’s so fun.