Recently, Josh Leibsohn AKA Joza (formerly known as Dream Journal,) has been building an empire with his pop music production. The 26-year-old from north Seattle has a longstanding relationship with music that led him to quit searching for a 9-5 to pursue music full-time within the last year. He’s since put out a handful of undeniably catchy tunes, most recently collaborating with Parisalexa on their second single together.
Joza may be the new name for his personal brand of music, but this grind has been a long time coming. The guy’s been producing since age 17, as well as playing guitar even before then. But now, life is changing quickly for him since diving into solely creative work. I had a chance to chat with Josh about his relationship with music, redefining his career, as well as what his future plans are for Joza.
Joza (Formerly Known As Dream Journal) Interview
Why The Name Change?
Josh gave me a firm affirmation that the name change was necessary to further his personal endeavors. He said after bailing on his job and diving into music that he felt he should take this opportunity “to build something that’s going to last.” The switch to Joza, he said, creates a better foundation for his brand. He also said his personal goal with his music revolves around creating
Was Going Completely Freelance A Hard Decision?
Josh immediately said “the decision was easy because it felt right.” He then told me about some of his academic background. Dude already has his masters in science from UW! With his extensive knowledge as a UX designer, as well as some digital marketing stuff he picked up in school, he’s been able to find steady income.
He told me he’s now collecting checks from freelance digital marketing, building websites, and yes, making sick beats for other people. Within a year Josh has made the transformation into a digital age hustler. It’s no surprise since he’s always had his hands dipped in a lot of different sauces.
Joza
How Has Your Sound Developed With The Music You Make?
Josh told me a story about when he began DJ’ing at age 16. This naturally led him to finding his way into producing the next year. He then began experimenting with producing electro-house for three years before switching it up to hip-hop, then trying out more down-tempo and chill styles of beat-making.
Amidst starting college at WWU, then transferring to UW, and getting his degree in 2015 Josh was experimenting with flipping vocals, and chopping up melodies. He said, “then I realized I that I really like working with vocalists.” His most recent direction with production pulls from a mixture of club influences with some break-beat and breakdown feels, with a hint of R&B.
Why Do You Like Working With Vocalists?
Josh told me he still thinks “there’s a lot that hasn’t been done with vocals yet.” He went on to say that he approaches vocals like he does an instrument, and that it has so much potential if you really treat it like that.
You Just Put Out Your Second Song With Parisalexa, How Did You Guys Connect?
A couple years back Josh was DJ’ing a silent disco at Camp Rahh, which is an adult summer camp that takes you into the PNW for four days of fun. Apparently a mutual friend, Brian Oh, who runs the camp, also invited Parisalexa out to perform. The two met and became quick friends, which led Josh to hit her up for a collaboration. The result was their first single, “Now or Never,” which put up some pretty substantial numbers.
The song did so well that they circled back a year later to do another one. The new song goes by “True Colors” and is so infectiously produced, sung, and mixed that I dare you to only give it one spin. It features buttery drum and textural work by Joza, with Paris laying down some extremely poppy vocals that still showcase her R&B sensibilities.
Joza – True Colors (feat. Parisalexa)
How Did You Come To Work With Some Of The Other Vocalists?
Prior to putting out “True Colors” with Paris, Josh had the opportunity to work with a low-key thriving artist in LA, Anja Kotar. He said “She came up here to work on her album, and when she heard the song with Paris, she reached out.” He then lent some production to her music and saw her laying down vocals with immense precision. From that he knew he wanted to do a song with her and the result was “Superficial Love,” listen below.
Joza – Superficial Love (feat. Anja Kotar)
This song is special to Josh because it got a premier from Mr. Revillz on Youtube, who’s pushing 3 million subscribers. When asking about how he got the premier, he gave a reassuring nod to blasting the internet with emails when you have a release. He said he’s sending out at least a hundred emails with each release.
You never know who will bite your line if you cast a lot of them out. Then commenting on the nature of submitting music saying that “art is so personal, so it’s hard for some people to put themselves through it.” Concluding, he said “but it’s definitely what it takes.”
What Can People Expect This Year From Joza?
Josh gave a firm nod to putting out a lot more singles throughout the summer and fall, with a few remixes. I know for a fact he’s got a song with Scarlet Parke that’ll be showing up on her new album. He’s currently holding back on an album until he builds more momentum with these singles and collaborations. He also made mention of some DJ sets around Seattle happening, but no full-blown live shows just yet.
Each new single he’s making will feature a new vocalist, coyly adding he may also lay down some vocal work himself. He went on to hint at putting out a few instrumentals among the vocally rich pop offerings. Either way, the guy is up to something dope and I’m definitely vibing to it and you should too.
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