Interview with Indie Soul Artist Josef Scott

MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us. What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?

Josef Scott: I began experimenting with song writing at around the age of 12, and it quickly became my preferred method for expressing myself throughout those years. Once I had a collection of songs, I started performing them at open mic nights in my home town of Auckland, New Zealand. Although I got a lot of satisfaction from doing this, I wouldn’t become completely obsessed with the craft until I did an internship at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studio and release my debut EP that. From then I was hooked, the rest is history.

Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?

Josef Scott: In recent years, when it comes to production, Jungle, Parcels, Leisure and Men I Trust are bands that have definitely inspired a lot of my recent work – however, taking a trip down memory lane, The Beatles, Bon Iver and Frank Ocean, their music really caved the path for me when discovering my love for songwriting and story telling.

What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?

Josef Scott: In short, pursuing a career in music for me is just about doing what I love! Ultimately I want to create a world that listeners can resonate with and for me to connect with others that share the same love for music as I do.

What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?

Josef Scott: Thats easy. ‘Jungle’ completely blew me away when I saw them back in 2022 at the Town Hall in Auckland, New Zealand.

Your latest release is the single ‘All My Love’, what inspired this track? What does it mean to you?

Josef Scott: My aim for this next chapter of music is to continue to explore and find a sound that I resonated with. ‘All My Love’ was the first song I wrote when I moved to America, and on reflection, the sound/mood of the record was definitely a response to how I was feeling in my new environment. Although the song is anchored by love, the turbulence of adjusting to my new surroundings in search for comfort was untimely what brought this song to life.

You have a unique, original sound. It’s hard to class it in any one genre. How would you describe it to new fans?

Josef Scott: Can ‘Josef Scott’ be a genre?… I joke, but I definitely agree. Nostalgia is the word that comes to mind when describing my music, and genres like Dream Pop, Indie Soul and Psychedelic rock fit within that demographic.

You have worked with some great engineers over the years producing new music. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned when it comes to the process of creating music?

Josef Scott: Perfection is imperfect, imperfection is perfect – for years I was caught up on everything needing to sound ‘just right’ otherwise it wasn’t good enough. Over the years, the more I engage with my music, I started to realise that way of thinking was only slowing me down. By allowing the creative momentum to just happen and not get hung up on the small details completely free’d me up to be more open to new ideas and try things that may have made me uncomfortable in the past.

What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?

Josef Scott: In the lead up to my next EP (which I’ll reveal more details about soon…) I’ve got a new song coming out next month, so be on the look out for that!

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