Joesef

Joseph Traynor,^[1] known professionally as Joesef, is a Scottish singer from Glasgow.

Joesef
Birth name	Joseph Traynor
Born	(1995-07-10) 10 July 1995 (age 28) Garthamlock, Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Downtempo electropop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2019–present

Musical career

Joesef was born on 10 July 1995 and raised in Garthamlock, in the east end of Glasgow. Before his musical career, he had attended college before dropping out to work as a bartender.^[2][3] He played his first show at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in 2019 after only releasing clips of his music online.^[4][5][6] In 2019, he won Best Breakthrough Artist at the Scottish Music Awards.^[7] He moved to London at the end of 2020.^[8] In 2020, Joesef was included on the long list for the BBC's Sound of 2020 prize.^[9] In 2021, his album Does It Make You Feel Good? was nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.^[10]

His debut album, Permanent Damage, a 13-track LP, was released on 13 January 2023.^[11][12]

Influences

Joesef has described his musical influences as including Tyler, the Creator, The Cure, A Tribe Called Quest and Arlo Parks, the latter of whom he has supported on her international tour.^[13][14] Elton John has expressed his enjoyment of Joesef's music.^[15]

Personal life

Joesef is bisexual,^[16] and in 2022 was included in a Times Square billboard campaign supporting LGBTQ+ artists.^[17] He has two older brothers.^[18]

Discography

Studio albums

• Permanent Damage (2023)

Extended plays

• Play Me Something Nice (2019)^[8]
• Does It Make You Feel Good? (2020)^[5]
• Late To The Party (2021)

Singles

• "Limbo" (2019)
• "Loverboy" (2019)
• "Don't Give In" (2019)
• "Think That I Don't Need Your Love" (2020)
• "The Sun Is Up Forever" (2020)
• "I Wonder Why" (featuring Loyle Carner) (2020)
• "Does It Make You Feel Good?" (2020)
• "Fire" (2021)^[5]
• "It's Been a Little Heavy Lately" (2022)^[19]
• "East End Coast" (2022)
• "Joe" (2022)
• "Just Come Home with Me Tonight" (2022)^[11]
• "Borderline" (2023)
• "Let's Stay Together" (2023)

References

1. Murphy, Lauren (2023-01-26). "10 Questions with... Joesef". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
2. "Glasgow singer Joesef named on BBC 'sound of 2020' list". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
3. "A MEETING WITH JOESEF - CRASH Magazine". www.crash.fr. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
4. "Joesef: The Scottish soul-pop artist creating heartfelt, soulful anthems that strike a chord with audiences". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
5. Williams, Sophie (2021-09-27). "Joesef: Scottish soul-pop hero turning vulnerability into a rallying cry". NME. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
6. Williams, Sophie (2023-01-12). "Joesef – 'Permanent Damage' review: soul-pop with a real, impassioned lyrical edge". NME. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
7. "Easterhouse star Joesef has a huge year ahead". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
8. "Glasgow singer Joesef says It is pretty f**king mad to be playing the o2 Academy". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
9. "Who is 'Sound of 2020' contender Joesef?". BBC News. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
10. Jenkins, Carla (2021-09-16). "Garthamlock local Joesef nominated for prestigious music award". GlasgowLive. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
11. "Joesef shares new single 'Just Come Home With Me Tonight'". DIY. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
12. Holly, Alex (2023-01-22). "Joesef's 'Permanent Damage' brings power and passion to a new era of neo-soul". Campus Times. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
13. "Get To Know... Joesef". DIY. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
14. Crae, Ross. "TRNSMT: Joesef on Glasgow's backing, being new to fame and friendship with Arlo Parks". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
15. Smith, Paul T. (2022-12-04). "Elton John admits he's 'in love' with Scots singer-songwriter Joesef's voice". Daily Record. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
16. Kelleher, Patrick (12 April 2020). "Bisexual singer Josef says what we're all thinking: That 'it's honestly weird to be straight' in 2020". PinkNews. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
17. "Joesef: 'It's such an unnatural experience to be a musician'". The Independent. 2023-03-12. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
18. McLean, Craig (2022-10-11). "Scottish soul-pop singer Joesef meets novelist Douglas Stuart". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
19. "Joesef unveils new single 'It's Been A Little Heavy Lately'". DIY. Retrieved 2022-11-18.