The Spotify playlist "Making Waves featuring music from the Gulf Coast" shares some of the amazing music being made from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle. Have a listen while you read the second article in the series showcasing one of its songwriters!
https://open.spotify.com/user/1227151884/playlist/5iz5WSw4rC6TUgpACZPyI5
Today the spotlight is on Joshua Stephen Ward. He has shared three tracks from his debut album, Becoming, on the Making Waves playlist, each distinctly sharing insights from his personal journey to becoming an authentic individual.
Joshua Stephen Ward is a groundbreaking recording artist on a mission to create music that inspires both authenticity and individuality in the world today.
Music has always been a form of therapy for the Mobile,AL native. At age 13 he began to play guitar and drums which led him down a road of creativity he never looked back on. This ultimately led him to study classical guitar and composition at the University of South Alabama.
Upon graduating, Joshua entered a time of self-discovery and spiritual renovation. During this period he entered a season of transformation that would ultimately produce his debut album Becoming.
Becoming finds Joshua drawing from varied influences new and old to create what he considers his own personal sub-genre of pop/rock.
The writing process for Becoming visited over a thousand ideas and only twelve were made into tracks. The album was written, produced, and performed almost entirely by Joshua with the help of engineer Matt Damico at Day 6 Entertainment Studios in Mobile, AL.
Joshua has performed throughout the South-East United States and hopes to continue his personal journey in becoming one of the hottest new artists in music today.
Like many contemporary musicians, Joshua was impressed by video game music at a young age.
"I can remember as a kid the first time ever trying to be creative with music was after playing Nintendo for a long time and my mom made me go outside and get some exercise. I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to write a video game song. I can remember the energy of an idea appearing in my head with a Beat that lend itself just some type of Melody. After about 5 minutes I stopped. Little did I know I would walk down that creative path later in life."
Joshua describes his musical style as "as the sum total of everything I enjoy in music. Mostly memorable melodies with a blend of different styles. I call it MMA . Mixed Musical Art. Although the genre of the music on my first record is pretty much in the pop rock subgenre."
An early art concept for Becoming was a partially completed jigsaw puzzle, as each song expresses a form of self-actualization in its own way just as each puzzle piece fits into an overall image in its own unique way,
"Armageddon being probably the most deep and somewhat cryptic in it's personal relevance. I was very proud of the music video I made for it that gives the listener a little more insight into my psychology of that song and the inner spiritual battles we all face regarding our identity." Check out the video here:
"Be Me is a little more angst driven yet also mature in not being purely angry. To me this song sets the tone for the whole album and really communicates the atmosphere in which this whole album was produced.
Baby Doll is somewhat of a happy take on self-actualization and how our relationships are dependent on us cultivating the identity/roles we want to have in relation to the people we are romantically attracted to."
The album release party is coming up at the Listening Room in Mobile, AL, on June 9th. Joshua will perform the entire album in an intimate acoustic setting and the audience will receive physical copies of the CD as well. Limited seating, so call to reserve seats!
Joshua performs live in solo, duo, and band projects. "Currently I am performing as a Duo in the southeast with local artist Todd Fulmer. We do creative versions of different cover songs. I'm also working with members of a band called Board of Trustees to help promote my album with a full band." Joshua is performing biweekly at Windjammers in Navarre this summer.
With multiple projects on the drawing board, "I'm in the process of mapping out several new projects that will hopefully be released late this year or early next year. I want to make a simplified singer songwriter album and possibly a volume II of Becoming. A lot of music was written these past few years.."
Ultimately, Joshua aims to "reach the top of my artistic dominance hierarchy in being an uplifting, fresh voice of optimism that many different people enjoy and admire. To headline Coachella would be pretty cool too." Indeed!
Follow Joshua Stephen Ward Music on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date. His music and newsletter are available through his website https://www.joshuastephenwardmusic.com/ and his music is also available through online outlets.
Cheers and happy listening!
by
Rhonda Huete
https://www.facebook.com/rhondahuetemusic
http://www.rhondahuete.com