Joesef

Joesef, based in Glasgow, merges enduring soul conventions with present-day sensibilities in the manner of Sam Smith. Sleek and lustrous production values shaped by R&B, electro, and indie pop combine with introspective songwriting to define his approach, qualities already apparent on the 2019 debut EP Play Me Something Nice and the 2022 first full-length effort Permanent Damage.

As a youngster Joesef absorbed music spanning Al Green to the Cure, yet he took up an instrument only in his teens. He began learning guitar in hopes of impressing a girl by asking her for lessons. Although the relationship stayed platonic, he continued playing in private. His first public appearance came during an open mic night when he delivered “California Dreaming,” a moment possibly aided by alcohol that set him on a professional path inaugurated by a concert at Glasgow’s King Tut’s early in 2019.

Recordings followed promptly. All three tracks—“Limbo,” “Loverboy,” and “Don’t Give In”—stemmed from the heartbreak of his first romance with a man, surfaced in 2019, and were gathered on the EP Play Me Something Nice released that October. Over the ensuing months the songs enlarged his online audience. The singles “Think That I Don’t Need Your Love,” “The Sun Is Up Forever,” and “I Wonder Why” appeared throughout 2020 and were assembled on the next EP Does It Make You Feel Good? “Everything Belongs to You,” another song from the EP, was reworked as “Everything Belongs to You - A Colors Encore” in 2021. Two years later, Joesef released his first long-player, Permanent Damage.