Josh Osho - Giants
Dubbed 'the UK’s answer to John Legend', South Londoner Josh Osho is a naturally gifted singer-songwriter with one of the finest pop/soul voices to come out of the UK in years and a life-story packed full of the stuff that films are made of.
Born to a half Northern Irish, half Nigerian mother and Nigerian father, Josh Osho, has not only experienced more than your average 20 year old, but more than many people may do in a lifetime.
Following an unconventional and often tempestuous childhood, Josh went from being in and out of home at the age of 16 and dealing drugs from notorious half-way house Ebenezer hotel at 17, to signing a record deal at 18, and finding himself recording in a studio with two members of the Wu Tang Clan at 19.
It may be a universal cliché to say someone has been saved from a darker route in life by music, but when it comes to Josh Osho this really is the case. He is a young man and artist who has come up the hard way and it is there for everyone to hear in his music.
Among those to hear it first was Record Company co-president and A&R man Darcus Beese (Amy Winehouse, Jessie J, Rizzle Kicks) - who signed Josh to Island records - and the legendary Ghostface Killah - who approached Josh about guesting on his debut EP, ‘Redemption Days’. A few sessions in the studio later and Ghostface’s counterpart RZA quickly followed suit, stepping up as the executive producer on Josh’s forthcoming debut album, ‘L.I.F.E’.
Now Josh has garnered another fan among Hip Hop’s finest. Hot new star Childish Gambino invited him to support him on his recent sold out London shows and has guested on his forthcoming ‘Giants’ EP.
The much talked about Gambino has been championing Osho to his significant social media following over 500,000 twitter followers. Another heavyweight promoter has been his ‘Redemption Days’ collaborator, Ghostface Killah, who on hearing Josh’s cover of ‘Jesus Walks’ reached out to Kanye West via Twitter to hook them up together. Stay tuned.
It’s not only stateside love that Josh has been receiving. The likes of James Morrison, Emeli Sande, Dappy and Wretch 32 have all tipped Josh as a talent to watch out for this year, while Josh has also been busy collaborating with a host of burgeoning homegrown talent.
From RnB silken voiced crooners Angel and Cleo Sol to rising MC star, Marger, whose recent EP ‘The Marger EP’, (featuring Josh) debuted in the top 5 of the UK Hip Hop charts.
The ‘Giants’ EP is an infectious and heartfelt slice of gritty inner city soul (tracklisting below). Complete with a version produced by Midi Mafia (Frank Ocean) and featuring Childish Gambino, alongside remixes from hot underground talent, Sticky and Swindle, ‘Giants’ showcases Josh’s uniquely soulful voice at its best, while also giving a taster of what’s to come from his forthcoming debut album ‘L.I.F.E’, (due for release later this year).