HOLLYWOOD—The music industry has undergone huge changes over the years. One thing that hasn’t changed is talent. Joshua Okeefe is a young singer-songwriter from
England who is set to take the world by storm with his vocal styling. Here is an exclusive interview with Canyon News.
CN: I read that you were coming out with new music; can you tell us about your debut album and your favorite song?
JK: Of course! I will be releasing my first E.P pretty soon. Over the last 2 years I have been putting my original songs up on YouTube for free and I was pretty shocked by the great response to them. I have racked up over 200,000 views. I realized it was time that I should put something out which people can actually buy and can keep forever. This E.P will consist of 4 songs, 2 songs which my fans have already listened to and two brand new songs. It is a Country E.P and has an acoustic, easy listening vibe to it! My favorite song on the E.P is a song I wrote called ”Ëœ
Indiana’. This is one of my favorite songs of mine because it has a very detailed story throughout which is a true story so I obviously hold it very close to me.
CN: Tell us what’s it like to sing country music in
England?
JK: It’s awesome to sing Country music everywhere. Obviously
England doesn’t have a huge market but when I come home to
England I always stand up and sing without a microphone in pubs and bars and people always love hearing it. Country music is very different for English people but they do love Johnny Cash.
CN: What inspires your songwriting and did you have a difficult time narrowing down the selection in the process?
JK: Every day life inspires me to write songs. I feel like I live and breathe songs. All my idols including Don Williams, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban inspire me to write, I always listen to their music for inspiration. It’s always difficult to select songs to record because you fall in love with all the good ones but I’m lucky to have a great team around me that help me in the selection process.
CN: What goals would you like to achieve as you emerge into the business as a new artist?
JK: My goals are to play as many shows as I can and really build on my fan base. I want to keep writing the best music I possibly can whilst enjoying myself at the same time!
CN: Are you planning a tour in the
US anytime soon, tell us about your present schedule, with that said, any plans on heading to
Nashville?
JK: I always dream of touring the
U.S. As a kid I toured in a band for years and played all over the
UK. They were some of the greatest moments of my life, so I am always wanting to get back on the road. I have a lot of US fans that want me to play in their town, so I would love to make that happen for them! I am currently in the
UK playing shows and recording in
London with some awesome songwriters and I am having a great time. I am hoping to get back to
Nashville in the near future and being there more permanently, it’s my favorite place in the world and it’s so inspiring. It is so amazing being surrounded by outstanding talent on a daily basis.
CN: What do you find to be the greatest challenge that you have faced so far in your career?
JK: The greatest challenge was probably to break into the music industry. It took years of hard work, practicing, writing lots of terrible songs and knocking on every music person’s door possible. It’s difficult because you send emails out or leave messages on peoples phones and you never get a call back. I always knew if I worked hard enough I could make something happen. When I was at music school, I made myself work until I couldn’t open my eyes any more as I knew if I was working when other people weren’t it would give me the advantage!
CN: Who and what inspired you and your great love for country music?
JK: My Dad, he used to play country music constantly on the way to school, so I have grown up with Country Music for years. I am so glad he did that!
Rose’s Scoop: The Oscars on March 2 will be filled with surprises and musical talent including Bette Midler and Pink among others.
