Words by Josh Abraham.
Photography // Joe Brooks – press.
Having combined over 100 million combined streams in his career, Joe Brooks is an artist who knows how to create a narrative so addictive, he gets you hooked on every chorus. Although his music has been his first love since he was young, it’s also been challenging to figure out this industry we call, the music industry.
The U.K singer/songwriter has weaved his music into the hearts of many, so in this interview it was a pleasure to figure out life between two countries and his advice to those aspiring songwriters reading this.
It’s been four years since your last project ‘I Am Bones’, how good does it feel to release music again?
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m able to find this feeling of fulfillment anywhere else. It’s a mixture of relief and excitement. When I’m releasing music all my pent up anxiety and the bad habits that come with it disappear.
You’ve lived between L.A and the U.K for years, what is the main difference between the two countries that you have noticed?
Oooof, to save you from the boredom on a long politically charged answer, I’ll just say, I love the sunshine in Los Angeles 🙂 It helps keep me motivated and in a good mood, I went to the beach nearly every weekend this summer, it’s the ultimate selling point of California for me. Though, I miss my family and the nuances of British culture.
The new single ‘Pink Sky Moon’ provides melodic feels whilst keeping the poetic lyricism that fans know you for, what was the inspiration behind this latest single?
I wanted to create an intense visual of past love. We all have our own memories we look back on from time to time, for better or for worse. I trying to tap into those memories and allow people to feel nostalgic and reminisce for a few minutes.
You’ve been creating music for a while now – any advice for aspiring songwriters?
From a creative standpoint; I like to look at songs thematically, giving each one a strong identity. Try to find unique ways to talk about relatable emotions.
From a business standpoint; know your voice, what it is that you have to say. Know your skillset, what it is you do best. Then set yourself a tangible end target and a workflow that will allow you to both be effective and enjoy the journey at the same time. Then get to work! Get clever and focus on realistic day to day/week to week/month to month goals. Know that no one will care more about your career than you, no one will do it for you. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Finally, whilst we’ve been in this pandemic have you been binge-watching any shows to recommend to us?
Love to binge shows whilst accompanied by cookies and/or donuts and/or cake. I enjoyed The Morning Show, The Last Dance, Bad Boy Billionaires, Defending Jacob, and most recently, the new Borat movie…. AHAH. I’m also a massive fan of stand up, and Bill Burr’s latest special Paper Tiger is pretty hilarious.
