Following in the soulful wake of Sam Smith, the Glasgow-based Joesef deftly blends classic soul tropes with modern aesthetics. His contemporary sensibility comes through in both his sleek, gilded productions -- a sound equally influenced by R&B, electro, and indie pop -- and his searching lyrics, elements that were crystallized on his 2019 debut EP, Play Me Something Nice, and his 2022 first full-length effort Permanent Damage.

As a child, Joesef was a fan of everything from Al Green to the Cure. He didn't start playing music until his teens. Joesef picked up guitar with the intention of wooing his crush, asking her to teach him the instrument. Though that friendship never blossomed into romance, he stayed with music, at least privately. His breakthrough as a performer arrived when he jumped on-stage during an open mic night to sing "California Dreaming." That moment may have been fueled by alcohol, but it led Joesef toward a professional musical career that was launched with a show at Glasgow's King Tut's early in 2019.

Joesef's first recordings followed quickly. All inspired by the broken heart he sustained in his first romance with a man, "Limbo," "Loverboy," and "Don't Give In" were released in 2019 and then collected on the EP Play Me Something Nice, which appeared in October of that year. Over the next few months, the songs grew his online fan base. The singles "Think That I Don't Need Your Love," "The Sun Is Up Forever," and "I Wonder Why" were issued throughout 2020 and collected on the subsequent 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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi