It’s only a matter of time before Josh Del is a household name.
We spoke to the triple threat about his music, his gritty voice and where he’s going from here…
Bridge: Tell the people who you are, Joshie…
JD: Haha, I like that we are going with my formal name, Joshie. Hello, my name is Josh Del, I’m a singer/songwriter/producer based out of Southern California. For now, at least.
Bridge: So, it is obvious after talking about Wild Woman in last week’s issue that I am in love with that song and in love with your voice. This isn’t a question, I’m just telling you…
JD: It was a pleasure to work with Bruno on this song and thank you so much for the compliment. I don’t think either of us knew how quickly that song would grow, but the guy makes killer tunes, so I get it.
Bridge: It was definitely a collaboration made in heaven. Real talk though, were you born with that gravel-y voice? Do you eat rocks for breakfast?
JD: I have been on a steady diet of gravel and Lucky Strike cigarettes since the age of four. Haha, but in all seriousness, I think naturally I talk low and kind of raspy so it’s just amplified when I start to sing.

Bridge: Sorry I was listening, I was just adding gravel and Lucky Strikes to my market list…
Aside from being a killer vocalist, you are also a producer, songwriter AND professional photographer. Do you enjoy any one of those hats more than the other?
JD: I’ve really been enjoying the producer hat lately, just because it’s so cool to help build on other people’s already great ideas. As I’m sure you know, being an independent musician or independent contractor is a lot of pressure and you are a one man band. With producing, it feels very collaborative and you are just bouncing ideas off of each other. Photographer was cool for a while, I got to work with a lot of dope people and companies like Ulta and Tori Kelly, along with a bunch of other great brands and artists.
Bridge: Dang. Tori Kelly and Ulta? That had to be amazing!
Your latest single ‘Friend’ with Olympic Gold Medalist, Laurie Hernandez, was a gem as well. It’s been on my playlist for weeks. Suffice to say, you’ve worked with some pretty amazing artists, do you have a favorite?
JD: I do have some favorites. None of them really being the bigger celebrities I’ve worked with. Not that there is anything wrong with being big and successful; but there is this entire generation of undiscovered songwriters who are truly phenomenal. I think there is a magic that occurs in the process of becoming who you are as an artist and the process of trying to achieve your dreams and that magic can sometimes get lost when you’ve finally “arrived.” It doesn’t have to, but more often than not, artists will turn their backs on the things that truly made them great to begin with.
Bridge: That’s what tells me all I need to know about you as an artist. It’s clear that you value the gritty, messy, authenticity of the process.
One of the things I love about you musically is how well you seem to fit in so many different genres. Do you have one that resonates with your soul more than the others?
JD: Well thank you, I don’t think you realize how big of a compliment that is to me, considering Rick Rubin is my hero. He’s great at that. Everything he touches turns to gold. Going from producing the Beastie Boys, to Slayer, to Johnny Cash, that’s a beautiful thing. I think when you can tap into an artist below the genre, into the soul of the artist, then you can implore them to express that inner-self where the art originates. It’s a total flow of energy thing. I think that’s why I like to take my time on songs I’m working on them, because I will start the idea and then walk away from it, sometimes at weeks at a time. I really just try to think about the song and meditate on it to see what I hear and where it can go.
