We meet Canada’s very own musical geniuses…JoSH. JoSH is a duo consisting of two equally talented musicians, Q and Rups, both of whom have their own individual unique fused sound. Blending together a mix of genres, from Punjabi to Reggae with a touch of rock, JoSH’s music has echoed worldwide. Now returning with their 4th album ‘Beyond Kismat’ after a 5 year break, JoSH are ready to bring the world a taste of perfect percussion, beautiful vocals and mind-blowing melodies. B4U catch up with JoSH to find out more!
For those who have not heard of JoSH tell us a bit about how the duo formed?
Josh was formed a long time ago, around 1995. I actually wasn’t in the group at the time but there weren’t many options when the group was around for Asian artists in North America. When I joined I didn’t think much of it. We started off doing a few covers a few for different songs and then we decided to start working on our own originals. That’s when things started to pick up a little more and we started to realise what our sound was like more.
You’ve returned after a 5 year break from the industry, do you find it has changed at all?
Yes, it has changed in a massive way. Bollywood is now a big brand of its own and it plays a big hand in the entertainment world today. It’s always evolving into things and with Josh it has always been about adapting to the time while maintaining our own style. Right now house is very in and our style has become more upbeat as well.
Your music is a fusion of genres, what has influenced you to create this unique style?
Its really many things and most of the time its an unconscious decision based on our individualities. We both come from different backgrounds as I’m from Pakistan and Rup is from India. Also with what we grew up listening to. I’ve always been into rock music and to me that is something very modern. Rup is into bhangra more but in any way we try to keep up-to-date by understanding all the sounds that are out there at moment. We also keep our signature up-to-date and that way we make sure we are listening to what our fanbase is all about. This is really important to Josh.
Tell us a bit about your 4th new album ‘Beyond Kismat’?
Well it has been five years of intense work put into one very special project. We have  certainly developed in many ways and the album is a cleaner, more breathable and modern piece of work. We have soft and mellow sounds, bhangra classics, fresh beats and a lot more. It’s definitely a mature album and I think it really shows how we have matured artistically. We are not trained musicians as such but always try everything. Keeping an open ear and mind helps us to explore new ideas. With all our music we like to use various traditional and new styles like the tabla and bhangra. We use different sounds all together and this is why there isn’t an actual genre for our albums. We try incorporating everything with everything and that to us becomes a perfect chemistry.
Your new single ‘Pyar Ho Gaya’ is doing very well, why did you choose this track to be the lead single off the album?
Pyar Ho Gaya is a well thought out representation of Josh. We wanted to tell people where we are today. It has a catchy beat to it and also its very melodic and soft with a rock feel to it. Its all about representation and its a representation of our music and individual voices meeting and working together on many levels. Josh has always about reinventing itself and having a base and we love what the single has taught us.
Where was the music video for the single shot and how did you come up with the concept?
The music video was shot in Mumbai in the streets and a recording studio. We decided to focus on our music and let Universal Music deal with ideas for the video. We are really happy with the outcome because there are themes and messages of youthfulness, togetherness, modernity, life and dance throughout video. Its been really well shot and put together and it really suites the tempo and feel of the whole song.
You are very popular in Pakistan, what has the response to your album been like over there?
Its been fantastic we couldn’t have asked for more. Beyond Kismat is now the fastest selling album ever in Pakistan. Pakistan have always been faithful fans and we now have a lot more new fans. We have managed to reach and touch so many music lovers. We are keeping focused throughout this time to understand more the response of our fans in Pakistan and worldwide. There are so many bands and singers out there at the moment so we are happy to be welcomed back so positively.
You have performed in Sold out arenas, who have you shared the stage with?
Well there are a lot of people really. There have been many Asian artists and most notably and proudly the beautiful Nelly Fartado. The list does go on and that’s a great thing because we love giving and receiving support from all the talented artists and performers out there.
Do you have any surprise collaborations in store for us?
Well when we perform with different artists its a natural process in selection. We meet a lot of new and old artists through our work and we click musically the selection is made. Its a very unconscious process most of the time realised through our similarities, goals , hopes and differences. Right now we don’t have anyone in line in particular that we’re going to perform with but this may change at any time.
What have you got in store for the near future?
We are experimenting and working on new things all the time so its hard to pin point what we’ll be doing next. But we hope that our fans will stay in touch with us. We always try to answer all our fanmail because we want to know everyone more. Everyone please don’t forget to keep up-to-date us and keep supporting us. Follow us on online on Twitter, Facebook and our website www.PlanetJosh.com.
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