Josh Ross

Hailing from Canada, Josh Ross crafts deliberate country-pop that blends reflective ballads such as “First Taste of Gone” with high-spirited anthems like “Tall Boys.” His radio-focused country sound incorporates subtle R&B grooves and a restrained electronic gloss, while his lyrics offer grounded depictions of romance, labor, and the lure of weekend freedom. Ross first built a following across Canada through his 2020 EP Do What You Love, and the 2023 single “Trouble,” taken from the 2024 album Complicated, established him as a rising presence south of the border.

Born in Waterdown, Ontario, Ross devoted his teenage years to sports and later enrolled at Western University in London, Ontario, aiming for a career in professional football. A string of injuries ended those prospects, prompting him to pick up the guitar and dive into country music, a style he had admired since childhood. While holding a construction-management job, he maintained a steady schedule of live performances that eventually secured him a slot on the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Boots and Hearts Festival. That opportunity led him to Nashville in 2019, where he intended to pursue songwriting full-time; he departed just as a tornado approached his hometown. Although the COVID-19 pandemic compelled an early return to Canada, Ross pressed on with writing and recording sessions. After securing initial success as a songwriter, he issued his debut single “If You Were a Song,” quickly followed in 2020 by “Born with a Boyfriend,” “Chevy,” and “Love Never Looked Like Us.” These tracks, along with additional material, were collected on the EP Do What You Love later that year.

Streaming platforms began rotating “Tall Boys” regularly in 2021, and the independent ballad “First Taste of Gone” arrived in February 2022. As the song gained traction in Canada, Ross signed with Universal Music Canada, which assumed promotional duties; the single climbed to number five on the Canadian Country Charts, and its successor, “On a Different Night,” improved on that peak by reaching number four. Rising visibility brought support slots alongside Lee Brice, Chase Rice, Brantley Gilbert, and Nickelback, plus a halftime appearance at the 2022 Grey Cup championship game alongside Jordan Davis and Tyler Hubbard. The chart-topping single “Trouble” extended his reach internationally throughout 2023. Early 2024 saw the release of “Truck Girl” and “Single Again,” the latter entering the Top Ten of Canada’s Digital Singles chart. Both songs appeared on the 2024 album Complicated, which entered Canada’s Top 100 and peaked at number 11 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Ross closed the year with the November single “Movin’ On.”