Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Joshua.
Kyle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started making music in my parent’s basement on a karaoke microphone at around eleven years old. I was always inspired by the scoring and background music of different anime shows and video games growing up but it wasn’t until I got my first DAW which was a free software back then called “Avid Pro”, that I started to begin experimenting with recording my own voice and mixing my own tracks. My brother was my biggest fan simply because he saw how hard I worked on it. I was inspired by all types of music growing up from Lupe Fiasco, Kanye, Jay-z, Ludacris, and Pac, to Enya, MGMT, and Daft Punk. I listen to a lot of reggae and a ton of oldies. My favorite is Tom Browne. My brother put me onto Dilla and he immediately became my favorite producer which inspired me to save up my money from my job at the time to purchase FL Studio, which is where I began to make my first beats.
At the time, I was using a different stage name “Kdita Otaku”, which was inspired by a nickname that my father gave me growing up. In high school, I worked on music every single day in my bedroom from around 11pm until 6:30-7:00am, usually less than and before I had to be up and be in class for the next day. I never really told people around me at the time that I was working on music and most people had no idea. It was my escape from the world way before I knew that I wanted to pursue it as a career. After grinding and working on my own stuff, I released two mixtapes under the name “Kdita Otaku” (Unoriginal Originality & Words of an Otaku) before dropping my stage name and deciding to use my first and middle name, Kyle Joshua.
After a few semesters at Berklee College of Music in Boston Massachusetts, I moved to Los Angeles with nothing but a suitcase. The experiences I went through in my first year allowed me to refocus my goals and understand how to determine who was in my corner and who wasn’t. I went through bad experiences with roommates, sleeping in different hotels, sleeping on couches and facing extreme self-doubt, but I never stopped working towards my goal of creating music and setting out to satisfy that itch that I had since a child. I eventually began making connections and working with different engineers and artists in the area.
In 2016, I dropped the video for my first single “Booted” of my debut album “Gold Auras” which was really the start of my beginning to release all that I had been working on in the last few months. I followed up Gold Auras with my sophomore album called “Rebel with a Heart”, both of which are projects I hold dear to my heart. I love the experiences I had working on these albums and growth they gave me as well as the artist they have transformed me into.
After the release of these two albums, I wanted to take some time to really work on myself as an individual and figure out exactly what it is that makes me who I am. I had spent so much of my life since a pre-teen working on music every single day for multiple hours that I was beginning to forget who I was outside of it. I stepped away from social media and from releasing music for nearly two years, but I never stopped working. I was constantly making beats and mixing music for other artists while quietly working on perfecting my craft and becoming a better version of myself. I even took time to go back and finish my bachelor’s degree online although I decided to pursue it in environmental science, which is another childhood passion of mine. I am not the type of person who leaves things unfinished especially when I start so I used that time to finish my degree essentially to boost my morale, work on myself, and perfect my music. In life, and in this industry especially, it is crucial that you have a clear understanding of who you are and that you understand and stand behind that before you let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Sometimes, that requires real mental and spiritual work and it doesn’t get done until you truly put the effort in. That time off was the best thing I could have done for myself both mentally and career-wise. I’m at a point now where I truly know myself and refuse to be influenced by the opinions of others. I’m in a space where their opinions are meaningless to me, good or bad. I know myself, I know what I’ve been through, and I believe in me. Everything else is just background noise. I had to discover how to laugh at myself, how to forgive myself, and how to love myself. After working quietly on beats and engineering clients for over two years straight, I decided it was time to begin releasing some of the music I have been working on again. I’m the most confident I’ve ever been and I’m ready for people to hear that confidence translates into my music. I have a lot of new music that I’m ready to release as well as another album.
I have worked with numerous artists in the past from the past such as Charles Hamilton, Mick Jenkins, and Consequence, and have developed great business relationships with wonderful artists, producers, and engineers throughout my journey. I write, produce, mix and master all of my own music myself and often make most of my album art. I love being involved in every aspect of my music and my releases. Every single song is an extension of myself. I rap because it’s what I grew up listening to and I do it well, but I also know how to sing and I have a great ear for melodies. I usually don’t go more than a few days without making music of some sort. I want to make an album in every genre before all is said and done and I retire in music.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My path in this industry has been far from smooth. I truly wish I can say it was but if it was easy, anybody would do it.
I lost my brother (DJ HENRY) to police brutality when I was 18 and he was 20 and its a case my family and I are still seeking justice for till this day. My life changed forever as one can imagine. A few years after that, I lost my aunty, then my right-hand cousin who was like a bother to me, then some friends, and more recently an uncle. I was definitely ready to quit music and life in general multiple times in this journey but somehow, through all of these tragedies, I still found the strength to work on my music and keep that outlet of expression strong for me despite how difficult it was and still continues to be. I only get stronger every day.
I don’t have any cosigns in this industry as of now so it’s been an uphill battle of me proving my worth and talent. I’ve dealt with numerous doors being closed in the industry. I’ve dealt with people stealing beats and lyrics and I’ve dealt with people not paying me for the work I’ve done on their tracks. After losing my brother physically, I dealt with a lot of close friends double-crossing me, turn on me, etc. I’ve had many reasons to just stop all together, but my determination, pain and strength from all my experiences is what kept me going and still does. I love the feeling of overcoming difficulties and leveling up in my life. Knowing I have plenty of reasons to quit but deciding to continue to push on every day to the best of my abilities is what keeps me going. That, and the fact that I have the support of wonderful people in my corner and my brother’s spirit guiding me everywhere I go. Now, my goal is to continue to make music that not only inspires me but that inspires everyone around me in some way shape or form. I truly believe being an artist means being a vessel and it’s up to us to use that vessel responsibly.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I go by the name Kyle Joshua, which is my first and middle name. I write, produce, mix, and master all my own music. What sets me apart from everyone else is my determination to succeed despite being knocked down and my desire to create this empire entirely on my own. I have never had a co-sign. I have no industry connects that I can call to magically “make things happen” and every ounce of success that I have obtained on this journey was simply off of my music. Any and all the connections that I do have happened organically from people who genuinely fuck with me and vice versa and I’d like to keep it that way. I also never stop. A no for me just simply means a yes somewhere else. You can’t stop until the vision you see in your head is the exact life you’re living.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My biggest quality that is important to my success is my determination and desire to never give up. If one door is closed, it means you simply keep knocking until another one is open. I believe anyone can achieve their goals if they have determination and hard work. Despite what the world throws at you and no matter how hard it is, use your pain and your mistakes as fuel to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: kylejoshua.com
- Phone: 818 519 0994
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylejoshuaofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kylehjoshua/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kylehjoshua?lang=en
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMQkJbC3YRy9YR7LaOoaiiA
Image Credit:
@mediabymarvin
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