Joesef is a young soul with an old soul who’s mastered new soul. And he’s an artist who isn’t afraid of baring his soul.
Since shining through on the BBC’s Sound of 2020 poll only nine months after his first-ever gig, the golden-voiced Scottish singer-songwriter has released a brace of singles and EPs before dropping his brilliant debut album at the beginning of 2023.
On September 23rd, Joesef will play Place Bell in Laval, opening for fellow Brits, Jungle.
Ahead of the show we caught up with Joesef over Zoom to chat about the tour, his relationship with his mum and how he still misses Glasgow.
In your song, East End Coast, you mention about missing your hometown of Glasgow. You’re now living in London and touring the world. You still miss it?
I do miss Glasgow. I miss my family, my friends and… I just miss the people, I miss the shite, the way people talk to each other. But yeah, I do miss it, but once I get done with this tour, I’m gonna go back and see my friends and that for a bit.
You’re gonna be in Montreal (technically Laval) on Saturday with Jungle. Did you know the Jungle guys before this tour?
I worked with Lydia and Josh when I played America. I did a session with them, they had a house in LA that they were recording in, and I met them through that, so they kind of got chatting and stuff, and then… Yeah, they asked me if they wanted to be on the tour in America, and I was like, “Of course!” So yeah, I hadn’t met Tom, the other half of Jungle, but I met Lydia and Josh.
They’re an amazing bunch; they’re so kind, and being able to watch their show every night is unbelievable. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen; it’s just so seamless and airtight. They’re amazing on stage as well, so it’s like an education.
There’s a lot of people smoking weed in the crowd and stuff like that, I’m getting a contact high, but it’s been such a dream, I’ve got to play the forum in LA, which is unbelievable, and these kind of beautiful amphitheatres that are outside. I feel like I’m a long way from Glasgow, like being in some of these places, but yeah, it’s amazing.
Yeah, well you’ve come a long way from Glasgow, physically and metaphorically, I think, in the last four years. Everything seems to be going very, very well for you. Has it caught you by surprise?
Yeah, I mean, I feel like it’s always a surprise when things go well for some reason. I think it’s just the kind of bleakness of being from the East End, you just always assume the worst, but aye, it’s been amazing, man. I think because of where I’m from and how I grew up, I didn’t really grow up with anything; I come from a very working-class background, I’m always grateful, and I’m always very aware of the opportunities that I’m given and how different it could be, so I think everything’s always a plus for me. So I think it’s my outlook on life in general and my career has always been like, if I get anything, it’s amazing. So yeah, it seems to be going okay; I’m literally like, loving my childhood dream touring across America. We were in Chicago yesterday, I had a day off, and I was just like, I’m in Chicago; this is insane, but yeah, it’s been an amazing couple of years for me.
Have you been to Montreal before?
Nah, we did a show in Toronto, that was the only time I’ve ever been to Canada, that one in May, so it’s the first time in Montreal. I’m excited to see what it holds; everybody says it’s beautiful there, so I’m excited.
So you’ve played arenas for a while now because you played with the likes of Arlo Parks and Paolo Nutini and Rina Sawayama and now Jungle. Do you feel comfortable in arenas now?
Yeah man, I feel like there’s something about a bigger venue that gives you more space, I mean, obviously, I just mean like, if when you’re on stage, you have a bit more room to move and you’re so far away from everyone that you can’t really see them anyway, so there’s not really any nerves involved. I kind of just go up and pretend that I’m just rehearsing with my band and just try to have fun and make use of the space, throw myself about.
But I feel comfortable, man. I feel like every time I play at a massive big venue, it just gives me ideas about, hopefully, when we are able to do a venue like that. And I’m quite ambitious, really, with my setup and stuff like that. And I want to be able to put on an amazing light show, aesthetically, because a lot of my favourite artists do this, do that. And obviously, watching Jungle every night, they’re just, everything is just so polished and it’s very inspiring. So yeah, I feel like, send on the big venues.
You said before that you’ve felt lonely on tour. Do you still have moments where you feel like that?
I mean, I feel like everybody gets a bit lonely because you’re in an alien place, you’re far away from your friends and family and stuff like that. It can be quite a lonely experience. I think especially because in the past couple of years, I’ve been trying to not drink and stuff like that when I’m away. So I’ll just let everybody else go and party and I have to go back to my hotel room or go back to the bus. But I think that this tour has been the best tour I’ve been on, like, in terms of like mentally feeling okay. And I feel like my team that I’m with, we’re all like family, we’re all Scottish. I never feel that far away from home.
So I think if you ask any artist man, it’s like, it can be difficult. It’s kind of like a slog. And then the thing that you’re there for, you’re only on stage for half an hour, an hour. And the rest of it is just sitting in a car, sitting in a bus. I think I say that way, like, it is lonely, but I feel like the benefits and the positives far outweigh the small fraction of it that I feel lonely. And I’ve got quite a good personal life at the minute, so I don’t feel insecure or unhappy or anything like that. I know I’ve got stuff waiting for me when I get back. So it’s all good.
If your personal life is good and your musical career is going well, are you running out of things to write about?
(laughs) People keep saying this to me and at first, it was funny and I’m like, oh my God, like, what am I going to do?
I feel like there is an element of, all my music seems to come from quite a hazy place, but I think I’ve been kind of doing a bit of work by myself and looking at my life and stuff like that. I think I don’t need to make music that’s sad for it to mean something. The stuff I make doesn’t have to come from a place that’s going to upset me or talk to me because there’s no longevity in that. I don’t think I could continue to do it if it was like that. And I think maybe my next album might be a bit more of a celebration of the good stuff or just kind of taking a step back and being appreciative or having been grateful for it. The good stuff that’s in my life. But I think even in the sad stuff I’ve made, it’s always been a line of hope for it. I’d rather be happy than have to be sad to make another album again.
There’s a lovely sample of your mum speaking on the album. What would you say was the best advice you got from your mum?
The best advice that I got from my mum? Jesus, you’re going to make me cry. I was thinking of her.
I think just to not care too much about what other people think about you. But that’s definitely my mum. Me and my mum have had a special relationship since I was a kid. I could always be myself with my mum. There was never any sort of, I had to pretend or act a certain way. She’s just always unconditionally loving and affectionate. I’ve always been a bit of a sensitive boy if you can’t tell already. And she saw that in me. And Glasgow, like, they’ve got a bit of a target on your back if you have that disposition. So, yeah, she’s just kind of always instilled in me that I should be confident and it doesn’t matter what other people say about you. So I’ve tried to carry that and carry myself and how I treat other people.
But yeah, she’s a good woman.
Your career really developed in the last four years. What do you think you’ve learned about yourself in that time?
I’m capable of far more than I ever thought I was capable of for sure. I think when I got into the music industry and I felt very, I don’t know, man, I’ve always been quite confident. But I think it makes you question yourself a lot and a lot of your worth is tied into your success or how many people are looking at you and stuff. And I just think that you just got to leave all that behind and just try and make the most of the opportunities and stuff that you get. So I think it’s there’s been so many situations where I’ve been like, oh my God, I can’t do that. I can’t do that. It’s too scary. It’s too this, it’s too that. I’ve fucking done it!
Watch the full interview below:
Joesef plays Place Bell in Laval with Jungle on September 23.
