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WORDS MAISIE JANE DANIELS - SPECIAL THANKS CANNONBALL PR
F Word sat down with singer-songwriter Joshua Thew, welcoming him back to the UK after spending 18 years in New York—a period that provided him with rich experiences and stories of self-discovery. From navigating life as a single man to embracing his sexuality and entering his first serious relationship, Joshua’s journey has been one of perseverance, reflection, and hope. A self-proclaimed "late bloomer," his story is echoed beautifully in his vulnerable, raw, and melancholic EP, Endlessly, which is out now. This introspective body of work focuses on the pursuit of deeper connections and the angst that often accompanies such longing. His music invites listeners to look inward, posing deep questions while baring his soul. With this stunning release and an upcoming headline show at The Lower Third on 23rd September, there’s much to anticipate from this emerging artist. Like a fine wine, Joshua Thew’s artistry continues to mature, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Read on to discover the story behind Endlessly, his journey to vulnerability, and the valuable advice he has for his younger self—lessons we could all benefit from.
Get tickets for Joshua's headline show at The Lower Third HERE
Maisie Daniels: I wanted to start off by just saying welcome to London because I believe you've been in New York for the last eighteen years, is that right?
Joshua Thew: Yeah, honestly, I still think I’m adjusting to London. There are some obvious pros – proximity to old friends and family, just kind of the ease of that, which is really nice. Also, living in a city like this that’s so urban, the parks and everything are amazing. I get a lot from the greenery in London in a way that I never really did from the parks in New York. I think you have to venture outside to get that nature kick.
I would say the thing I'm finding different is that London just feels so expansive in a way New York didn’t. I guess partly because I lived there for so long, but also because everyone just feels really piled on top of each other in New York. It has more of a "village" sort of mentality. Whereas with London, I don’t get how any scene was created when it's just so spread out. I’ve never lived here, so it’s all new!
MD: Ah, really? I didn’t realise that!
JT: I’ve got friends here, and I’ve spent a lot of time here.
MD: When did you arrive?
JT: Middle of February!
MD: Ah, so you’ve had a London summer—they’re the best!
JT: They’re amazing! And the weather is gorgeous. You all complain about the weather so much [laughs], but it’s less extreme than New York.
MD: [Laughs] It’s true! We love complaining and talking about the weather over here, but I won’t bore you with that. Having lived in New York for so long, do you believe that’s shaped your music and songwriting at all?
JT: I would say my experiences in New York really shaped my music and songwriting. I came to terms with my sexuality in New York, I had my first serious relationship there, and I spent a lot of years single in New York. I was young, navigating the queer spaces, partying a lot, and keeping up a pretty hard job.
So, yeah, New York really shaped what I have to say. The music scene there feels very broad—there’s Americana across the board. It doesn’t feel tied to specific genres. But I wouldn’t say the city necessarily influenced my sound. My sound is definitely more influenced by what I picked up growing up in England, listening to what my parents were into. I’ve carried that over to the U.S.
MD: You started off in dance, right?
JT: I went to a school in the UK for music, for my voice, and the plan was to stick with that. It was a liberal arts school, and you had to do everything. I had to improve my dancing to get a place in the school because I really couldn’t do it initially. Then I fell in love with dance. I got to the point by the end of high school in England where I knew I could get into a big company and reach a certain level. I knew it could take me somewhere; it could be my ticket to independence. In a way, music really scared me. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to have a music career. Ultimately, I wanted to make my own music, and I think that has a lot to do with having something to say. At that point, I was still in the closet and looking to discover who I was. I wasn’t ready to have a point of view.
MD: When did you realise you had this incredible voice?
JT: I think in my mid-to-late teens I knew I could sing well, but then, with the dance career and moving to New York, I just focused so hard on that that singing became an afterthought. But there was always something niggling at me. Singing feels like the most natural thing I can do. I’ve always cared about it more than anything else. It feels like something I have to protect, which sounds strange.
MD: When was the turning point when you decided to pursue a career in music?
JT: Once I went to New York and started my dance career, singing was left behind. It wasn’t until I was around twenty-six. A friend in the company, who was much older than me, was getting married. I knew I could sing, but I wasn’t singing publicly. They asked if I would sing at their wedding, and I was really touched because they didn’t know I could sing. I said yes because I was so moved by them asking me. It felt like a big deal to sing in public after such a long time. I sang a song at the wedding, and it was like a light bulb went off for me. Afterward, I felt completely overwhelmed. I found a cubicle and had a complete breakdown—it was really emotional. I thought, "What am I doing?" I just really connected with something. From that moment, it was in my mind that I had to redirect myself toward singing again.
MD: Wow, it sounds like this was meant to be. What song did you sing?
JT: It was a real classic wedding song: "Make You Feel My Love."
MD: Great song! Let’s talk about your brand-new EP, Endlessly. I think it’s so beautiful—soulful, melancholic, and real. Can you talk me through the themes you explore in this EP?
JT: I would say the overriding theme is finding and working toward deeper intimacy with someone and the growing pains that come with that. I find it easy to sing about unrequited love or love that hasn’t worked out. I get a lot of inspiration from that. I’m in a serious relationship now, and it’s the first time I’ve met someone where we’ve both reached another level of intimacy. We went through some stuff to get to that place, and it requires a lot of vulnerability and accountability. I spent most of my life being good at saying, "You’re not giving me this," or "This doesn’t work." But this time, it was really about not just looking at what the other person isn’t doing but looking at myself and having a hard look at that.
MD: Yes, I think it’s so commendable how vulnerable you’ve been. Do you think that’s something that has come with age?
JT: Yes, definitely. All the work that’s required—I just want to roll with things and have everything be good. But for this, it was significant. I found someone where we both wanted to take this thing somewhere, but we both had our own baggage.
MD: That makes me feel hopeful.
JT: Yes, in a weird way, this EP is optimistic because it’s like, "Look how far we’ve come. We still want to be here."
MD: What does your partner think of Endlessly?
JT: He likes it! We’ve got really different music tastes—there’s overlap—but he likes a lot of drums and pretty hardcore music. Usually, when I make music with more driving drums and mid-to-up-tempo songs, that’s where I can get his attention [laughs]. But he appreciates it and enjoys being a muse.
MD: Who wouldn’t! What track do you believe captures the EP best?
JT: "This Time" was the focal track, and I do think it encapsulates the entire EP the best.
MD: What about the most vulnerable track?
JT: "Reveal" is the most vulnerable, raw, and stripped-back song on the EP.
MD: How do you approach writing about such personal topics? Is it challenging at all?
JT: I don’t find it challenging. The more I’m struggling, the easier music is for me. Making music and writing is cathartic—it’s a great way to channel what I’m feeling. I’m more challenged when I’m not feeling those emotions so strongly. That’s where I’m trying to push myself now. I want to write more observational music and open up the themes of what I want to write about—different types of relationships, like friendships. But I guess there’s something indulgent and satisfying about feeling shitty about something.
MD: It must be very therapeutic?
JT: Yeah, writing and making the music is very enjoyable. The space you’re creating is so insular; it’s just you and whoever is producing your music. In my case, I write all my music, but a friend of mine produces most of it. That part is therapeutic. What I find hard now—and it’s getting harder as I get older—is releasing music. It’s tough because you’re putting a product out there, and you want it to do well so you can keep making more music. But when the music is so vulnerable, that part is getting harder for me.
MD: I understand that. It’s another layer of vulnerability to strip away at, and that must feel very exposing at times. You have your headline London show at The Lower Third on 23rd September. We’ve covered the writing process and putting music out, but what can we expect from the performance aspect?
JT: It’s the first time where I feel like I’ve got a big enough catalog of all the songs that I’ve made that I’m going to go on a dynamic journey of how I’m going to approach the show. It’s a combination of the two EPs and the one record I’ve made, and it will be intimate, dynamic, and hopefully relatable. The way I like to think of it — I used to have a friend in New York that I would go and see a lot, and she played a lot of very old-school Bluegrass music. That music was written about people who were in really dire straits and depressing circumstances. The music on the surface sounds melancholic, but what’s weird is the more you listen to that music, the more it creates the opposite response in the audience. It makes you feel quite joyful, even though the music is all about suffering and hardship, and I feel like, unintentionally, I hope for that with my music and its relatability.
MD: I found so much relatability when listening. The song "Runaway" popped out the most for me. You pose a lot of questions in your music, and I feel those questions give space to my own questions and make me not feel so alone in my thoughts.
JT: I really appreciate that, and I love what you said about asking questions because I feel that when I write music, it’s a time capsule. Now I listen back, and I think, “Wow, I was in that place then.” I never think I’ve totally figured it all out, and I think it’s the human experience that we’re always figuring stuff out, or not balancing.
MD: I’m also really happy to hear that you’re in a happy place in your relationship.
JT: Thank you, touch wood [laughs].
MD: Do you enjoy the performance element?
JT: Yeah, I do, I love it! Performing, at my level at least, it’s an expensive thing to put on a show, but if that wasn’t the case, I would be trying to perform as much as I can because I really like it. It still doesn’t feel second nature for me in the same way that dancing did, but I always enjoy watching musicians when it’s second nature. I feel great when I’m doing the music, but it’s the in-between parts that I’m still figuring out, like stage persona — do I just play the music and that’s all you get, or can there be more coming through?
MD: I think you’ve got to go with what feels authentic, but I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to you whipping out some ballet moves!
Both: [Laugh]
MD: Cale Hawkins (who you collaborated with on Endlessly) and witS & Smitty will be joining you for the show?
JT: Correct! We’re all tagging onto each other’s sets — witS & Smitty are doing their solo projects, and then they're playing drums on my set.
MD: What advice would you give to your younger self, today?
JT: That’s a good one. Don’t fixate so much on these end goals. Strive towards those things, but — and it sounds cliché — it’s the journey and the experience in the present, which is why you’re always doing something. Take that pressure off and keep moving.
MD: I like that. So many of us are victims of this. It’s right here, right now.
JT: Yeah, and we’re all on our own timelines. There are these people who shoot up so quickly and are so young, but I’m a slow bloomer in every sense, and we’re all on our own timeline.
MD: What do you hope people take away from your EP?
JT: The takeaway would be that relationships are a complex thing, and you’re always navigating something, and you will continue to navigate something. It’s okay to question stuff.
MD: Have you changed since writing this EP?
JT: No, I don’t think I have. But I would say I’m a little more protective, and I’m taking more seriously what I’m putting out and what effect that has on me. I’m getting more boundaried.
MD: Are there any upcoming projects or tours we should look forward to?
JT: I might have some shows coming up in New York! And I have a vinyl for this EP that will be available soon, and then I’m going to start working on a much larger project — a full record. I’m going to shift gears and move into a bigger sound. I think it’s going to take a while [laughs].
MD: I can’t wait to hear it! This is F Word magazine, what’s your favourite “F” word?
JT: Like a really rude word? [smiles]
MD: Any word! It can be wholesome, it can be vulgar, you name it!
JT: I mean, “fuck” is just really good.
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