All Eyes on Josh Jacobson

A conversation with singer-songwriter, producer and composer on redefining fame and recentering his career.

Photo: Courtesy of Josh Jacobson

Fame is a concept we’re all familiar with. In the world of music, fame is constantly linked to success and some artists measure their worth on how well they are received by the public. But not Josh Jacobson. This artist chose to step back from the main stage to be able to do what he loves most: compose and perform. 

When Josh Jacobson started his career as an artist, he had a clear notion of what it meant to make it in the music industry. After graduating college with a computer degree, he decided he had to step away from the idea implanted by his parents that making a career in the music industry was next to impossible and follow that drive of creating sounds so innate to him. 

Fame came quickly but what Josh didn’t realize at the time was that fame came hand-in-hand with an extreme amount of stress.

“When I started I just wanted to prove to myself that a career in music was possible and I think when things finally happened for me I wasn’t prepared for it and it had a bad effect on me,” Josh says. He headlined his first solo tour in 2018 and found himself overwhelmed when he realized that being at the top meant becoming a brand and that having to deal with two managers, a booking agent, a publicist and a social media person steered him away from actually sitting down and just playing piano, which is all that he ever wanted to do.

“I look at the artists that do really well and they all have a different personality from me,” Josh says. He describes himself as an extrovert but only when it comes to the social aspect of the music industry. However, when it comes to creating music the idea of fame is bizarre to him; when he thinks of the musicians he admires, it's all because of the music, not who they are as a person. “My goal is to create music every day and not have people know my name. So, stepping down from being the pubic figure and just being two roles down gives me the ability to create,” he explains.  

“The small amount of fame that I was experiencing when I was at my peak as a solo artist was not something that I really wanted and I just realized I didn’t want to fight for it. Now, I am recentering.”

When Jacobson started his music venture he looked up to people like James Blake and Bon Iver; solo artists who were doing it all: singing, composing, mixing, and producing while being at the top. He now admits this was not the best direction for him. “Now, I just want to collab and not be concerned about egos and attention,” Jacobson says. 

Over the past years, he has been working on a few different projects that focus on classical piano, low-fi, and a whole different project based on beats, which he is now thinking of consolidating into one sound. Film scoring is something he is really passion about too, so he is looking to release much more instrumental and cinematic music to fuel those collaborations. “I want people to know me not as someone who releases music under his name but just someone who plays keys, sings, produces, and composes music for films,” Jacobson explains. He is working on unifying all of these sounds in what he calls a circular process of everything he has ever learned to create a unique blend of sounds that clearly distinguishes him. 

Josh’s relationship with music is grounded in spirituality. When he plays music, he goes deeper into his process and that opens up a connection to something that is much bigger than himself. “I think people find that connectivity in a lot of different ways and, for me, it is really the music that opens it up,” he says. Every morning when he wakes up he sits down and plays the piano for a few minutes and that instantly makes his day better; it serves as a form of meditation. “Music is such a unique, powerful thing and the sounds can bring you to an emotional state,” he tells me. 

“Piano is where I started and where I feel the most true to myself.”

Josh is currently working with Alec Benjamin, playing keys, singing and acting as a tour manager. “It’s funny that I got to play in a massive record and only the people that look at the credits are going to know and that’s an aspect I kind of enjoy. I love the idea of doing something big and having some anonymity about it. I want to be known in the community of musicians that have understanding and respect for what I do but I don’t need a broad population to feel that way. I don’t want to be ranked by how many people know what I do,” he says. 

Photo: Courtesy of Josh Jacobson

Josh curated a playlist for We The Cool Magazine that inspires him and he’s currently listening to. Listen below!