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JOESEF
releases brand
new single
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE HEAVY LATELY

+ touring UK, IRELAND & USA

Listen / watch here

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Photo credit: Alexandra Waespi

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“Scottish soul-pop hero turning vulnerability into a rallying cry” – NME

“…a word of warning. You won’t be able to get Joesef out of your head.” – RUSSH

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New single
IT’S BEEN A LITTLE HEAVY LATELY
out now.

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Rising Scottish star Joesef, releases his potent psych-pop single, It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately via AWAL. With tongue in cheek lyricism that addresses the moment you let your standards slip, and a sample from celebrated queer director Gregg Araki’s seminal film Totally Fucked Up, this track perfectly balances playfulness with direct emotion. Following his blistering single Fire, praised by the likes of Clara Amfo of BBC Radio 1, he shows listeners yet another side to his growing artistry with his most dance-floor directed sound yet.

“I wrote It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately about how I tend to make bad decisions when I’m down, and to be more specific it was giving into the advances of someone I’d been with previously, while they were in a new relationship. I wanted the song to feel like a bad trip, there’s a lot of different textures; the tempos are higher, and the drums are slightly swung. It also features a sample from the film Totally Fucked Up by Gregg Araki: the stories he tells, and how he portrays them visually inspire me every day, and fit the context of the song so well, I had to write to him for the sample clearance and he said yes which was fucking mind blowing to me, he’s a hero of mine,” says Joesef of the track.

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Having relocated to London at the end of 2020 ­– fleeing lockdown #2, an ex, and the attached memories – Joesef has been intent on “expanding my horizons” musically and emotionally. Spending most of last year hunkered down in The Dairy in Brixton, working with producer Barney Lister (Joy Crookes, Celeste), It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately is a vivid example of the exceptional collaboration.

From pulling pints to being catapulted into the public arena in 2019 with his immaculate, critically acclaimed debut EP Play Me Something Nice, and included in the BBC Sound of 2020 longlist, the 25-year-old has a talent for capturing soul. Whilst previously being lauded by Sam Smith to Mark Ronson for his “sad boy bangers”, his new music shows the astounding development of a self-taught artist, exploring new realms with production, but always centred on the vast emotional weight of his lyricism.

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This exploration of Joesef’s past is apparent in his deeply personal songwriting, having released his critically acclaimed second EP Does it Make You Feel Good? in 2020, which featured the lauded single I Wonder Why with Loyal Carner. Garnering over 30 million global streams, Joesef released a cover of Sister Sledge’s iconic Thinking Of You, showing the breadth of his soul, and stylistic influence of Northern Soul ballrooms.

2021 saw Joesef conduct his biggest ever UK headline tour yet, playing three sold out shows at Hoxton Hall, as well as a right-of-passage homecoming show at the Barrowland Ballroom, and supporting Mercury winning Arlo Parks at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. From one high to another: now Glasgow’s golden boy with the golden pipes is preparing for an even more stellar 2022, Joesef will be headlining Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 12 May 2022, today announcing his biggest ever UK tour, returning home for a 2500 capacity show at Glasgow’s O2Academy.

Not coming from a musical family, but owing his musical references to his mum’s kitchen radio, with Al Green, The Cure, and The Mamas and the Papas playing all day in the background, Joesef grew up surrounded by the community in the East End of Glasgow, where everyone knew everyone’s business. Understanding he was queer from an early age, but “the kids made fun of my trainers more than my sexuality,” he was raised to celebrate his identity and understand it.

Writing with such full-force candour as he enters 2022: “My motto” says Joesef, is “What else am I going to do?”

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JOESEF 2022
TOUR DATES

MON 14TH MARCH: BABY’S ALL RIGHT, NEW YORK, USA
13TH – 20TH MARCH: SXSW, AUSTIN, USA
MON 21ST MARCH: MOROCCAN LOUNGE, LA, USA
THU 24TH APRIL:  MELKWEG, AMSTERDAM
FRI 25TH APRIL: PRIVATCLUB, BERLIN
MON 28TH APRIL: LA BOULE NOIRE, PARIS
FRI 29TH APRIL: AB CLUB, BRUSSELS
SAT 7TH MAY: LIGHTHOUSE 2, BELFAST
SUN 8TH MAY: THE GREEN ROOM, DUBLIN
TUE 10TH MAY: BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS
WED 11TH MAY: ARTS CENTRE, NORWICH
THU 12TH MAY: O2 SHEPHERDS BUSH, LONDON
SAT 14TH MAY: O2 INSTITUTE, BIRMINGHAM
SUN 15TH MAY: THE TRINITY CENTRE
MON 16TH MAY: CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON
WED 18TH MAY: GORILLA, MANCHESTER
THU 19TH MAY: LEMON TREE, ABERDEEN
SAT 21ST MAY: O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW
SAT 25TH JUNE: GLASGOW COLOURBOXX FESTIVAL

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Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
Youtube – Apple Music

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AMNPLIFY – ML