He’s a soul artist who loves Earth Wind and Fire so much so that his performance wear ranges from bright silk shirts to sparkly jackets. Josue, a Sydney soul singer not only enjoys singing deep soul, funk & R&B music but he also likes to make his performance a memorable one.
Josue will be launching his self-titled EP due to drop soon, so Flavour Mag sat down with Josue to discuss what we can expect from his EP, his influences and why he matches his hat with his outfit.
You are about to launch an EP, tell us what we can expect?
The EP is derived by so many influences. Its main sound is closer to RnB/soul/funk. However there is a bit of Afro beat and jazz in there as well.
If you could blend 2 artists to describe you, who would it be and why?
D’angelo and Donny Hathaway. I’ve been a huge fan of D’angelo for a long time. My live shows are influenced much by his as well as the sounds and spirit of Donny. I’ve always felt a specific connection with Donny and his music.
You’ve been performing for a long time around Australia, any performances that particularly stick out to you?
I play guitar for one of the most respected soul musicians in Sydney, Doug Williams. We supported Boney M on their last tour and I brought my dad to one of the shows. It was memorable because I played one of my favourite venues, Enmore Theatre, to a packed audience and it was quite amusing to see my dad getting down to Boney M.
You perform with a band, what’s the experience like for you in comparison to performing solo?
I always much rather playing with my band as there is more of a comfort level. I love playing with people and arranging songs a certain way. I do however enjoy changing up songs on the fly as I do when I’m playing solo. There is more liberty.
Who are your influences?
My influences range largely from early jazz to folk to latin music. My main influences have always been bands like Earth Wind and Fire as well as various hip-hop artists such as MF Doom and J Dilla.
You clothes or costumes you wear when you perform are quite different, tell us what’s in your wardrobe.
I have always been influenced by the way Earth Wind and Fire used to look when they performed so naturally my wardrobe would consist of anything from bright silk shirts to sparkly jackets. I wear a lot of hats so usually something matching a hat.
If you weren’t holding a guitar, what other instrument would you use?
I also play keyboard so most probably a keyboard. I do however enjoy performing with no instrument as I am free to get the crowd involved.