On the radar: Josie Man. Success, sincerity and growing up.
Up-and-coming musician Josie Man speaks to us about her relationship with her own career path and her new project, me at 23. She has headlined the BBC Introducing Stage , her music has been featured in multiple one to watch articles, but her new release reflects on growing up and the realisation that music doesn’t necessarily encompass the entirety of herself.
By Holly Wyche Photography JC Verona
In regards to your music, you've defined it as identity pop. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about what that meant.
Yeah, so it was actually something that a manager helped me come up with, but now it's just more about who I am, and my personality and music. That's all it is really, just me in music form.
It must have taken some time to make it your own. If a manager helped you come up with it, was there a period where it didn't feel like it reflected to you?
Kind of yeah, but then now I'm like “I love music because it expresses who I am.” Rather than just trying to get on the radio and stuff. So it does resonate with me.
There's definitely a sincerity that’s a big part of your work that I think is important to you, and coming off as apathetic or not caring enough seems one of your biggest concerns?
Yeah, I just think I would hate for someone to think that someone doesn't care about them. I think that's why but when it comes to myself, I need to understand that if I say no, that doesn't mean I don't care about that. It's not because I don't care about that person. I just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Or leave anyone out or make anyone feel left out. Because it's such a horrible feeling to feel.
“Yeah, I feel like you have to stay relevant. I think that's the hardest part. Because you constantly have to keep doing things. And so you feel like you're being forgotten about and it's really draining. It's really hard.”
So you started writing songs back in 2019, and then six months into songwriting you got signed by Columbia, wasn't it? Did that immediate success change your relationship to the writing process?
When I found my first manager, that's when I started getting into sessions and writing. And I loved it, but I never thought even once about signing, it was just one of those things that came about really fast. And then now it's your job. And you rely on it. You start to hate it but I love writing music by myself. It's just the whole being an artist thing ruins it because you're not writing for yourself. You're writing to please other people and for them. And it's not like they’re controlling, but it's not as easy as just releasing songs that you want to.
Do you think it's something that you'll continue doing or is it something you’re at a crossroads with?
I want to still do music, but I want to incorporate fashion and lifestyle things into it. Because I feel like that would make it a whole because that's who I am. I think just being a musician isn't me because I've got so many other things that are a huge part of me. So I'm gonna start doing YouTube. Just make live things like what I like to watch on YouTube. I want to create that for other people. And just being like, real and true, and relatable.
Really in what way?
Just showing not glossy things, like showing a messy room or feeling upset, because online we just see the good parts of people's lives. And I would hate for people to think that I have a perfect life because I don't have a perfect life. And when you know that other people are going through things it just makes you instantly feel better, and that’s what I wanted to do. I liked the thought of health and care like making people feel like they're not alone. And that's just something that I've always liked.
There are also some big things you did right before Covid like opening for Beabadoobee, so it must have been hard to see that initial success before slowing down.
It was tough. But now I'm just like, “You know what, maybe it wasn't meant to be there.” Maybe I wouldn't have still been doing it because I probably would have hated it. And I was burning out already. And it'd been like six months. Especially when you sign a deal. There's so many emotions.
There's a sense of self that you share throughout your work quite a lot. As you become more comfortable with yourself do you look back on earlier projects you've done and see a version of yourself that no longer reflects you or your current work?
Yeah a hundred percent. I think only recently I look back and I'm like, “I wish I had spoken up a bit more”. And still now I wish I would speak up more. But at the beginning, I wish I spoke up way more and I wasn't so easy to work with.
Spoken up more in terms of what if you don't mind me asking?
For what I like and what I don't like, and not just doing things because I feel like I have to do it. Because then it gives you impostor syndrome almost because you feel like, “that's not me”. And now everyone thinks that that's me. And it's not.
Can you give me an example of something?
Just like my first single that I released, it wasn't necessarily one that I love. Obviously, I'd written it but it wasn't one that I was really, really happy about. And then the video I wasn't super happy about. But I think when you're looking at something of your own you're more critical of it. But I literally don't wanna watch it anymore.
So you have a new project releasing soon, I was wondering if you could tell me about it?
So it's called me at 23 and I'm 24 now. It was just basically like the songs that had helped me through that age. Because 23 is such a weird age and it was really difficult for me to like, just try and figure it out because you want to do it on your own. But you don't know how to do it and those songs really helped me just document that part of my life. It's just basically about trying not to do things for other people. Because you care about them. Like with YouTube for example. I wanted to do it for a while but people think I'm crazy or whatever. But I just don't care anymore. And you shouldn't care what people think about you because they're probably not thinking that anyway.
Watch Josie Man’s latest music video “Unbreak Ur Heart”.
Credits
Interview Holly Wyche
Photography JC Verona
Hair Adriano D’Alstolto from Radio Hair Salon using Davines
Make up Maya Man using BYREDO
PR Joss Hogarth-Meek
Photography Assistant Lauren Johnson
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