Joshua Ray Walker Has Got It Covered

You released your new album ‘What Is It Even?’ in August 2023 on Soundly Records. How did you want to approach this record?

I had put out three original records in the three years prior, consecutively. And coming through the pandemic and losing a couple people in my life and finding that finding that success in the music business isn’t, you know, you don’t know what to expect until it’s happening to you. You know, I just really wanted to make something creative and fun that I felt like didn’t have as much pressure on it as a project. There’s a lot of pressure when you make something original, but it has to be better than the thing you’ve done previously. And I really love making music, I love making records, and this was a way to make something without feeling as much pressure. And I feel like we made a really fun record.

Was it difficult selecting which songs would be included on the album and did you have a process for choosing the songs?

Yeah, it wasn’t anything like official. I would just think of a song or hear a song and put it in my notes on my phone. I think the list probably got up to 50 or 60 at some point. And then when it came time to work out the songs, I just worked them out on my own a little bit and then took them to the band in the studio and we found the ones that we thought we did justice and also we could put our own spin on so that it felt true to us as well.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

I’m from Dallas, Texas. I’m from East Dallas more specifically, which I feel like, if you’re in a city that size, each part of it has its own thing going on. But I would say it’s diverse, eclectic, welcoming, creative, and easygoing.

How do you look after your voice?

I don’t. I’m having to learn how to do that. My biggest thing now is I just avoid things I know I’m allergic to. Like, I developed allergies in my 20s, and so I avoid cedar, cats, you know, things like that. But as far as like typical things singers do, like do vocal warm-ups or, you know, drink hot tea or whatever, I’ve never developed any of those habits and maybe I should, but to this point I play more shows per year than almost anyone I know and I rarely have any trouble. So at this point I’m almost a little bit worried to try to make any changes.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments/effects/pedals?

Um, I’m not a big gear guy. I’ve always just played what I feel will work with as least things going wrong as possible. So I’ve never been super into like really nice equipment. I would say almost the opposite growing up. I wanted to try to play shows with the worst equipment I could find because I felt like it was like if you could make that sound good as a band, you know, you’re relying more on your skills and less on equipment. My band probably has one of the cheapest road rigs of any band that I know. So no, I pretty much only play Telecaster now at full band shows. And I have a trusty old Martin acoustic that I drug all over the world.

One track that you have included is Lizzo’s ‘Cuz I Love You’. What is it about this song and have you ever met or spoken to Lizzo?

I have never spoken to Lizzo. I think that her record, by the same name, ‘Cuz I Love You’, is probably the closest thing to a perfect pop record in the last like 10 years. That and Harry Styles’ last record. They were both really great. And I just like everything about her. She’s super creative, great producer, great musician, great singer. Her writing’s incredible. I like her whole energy and her confidence and, you know, she’s a very positive person generally on social media and stuff. So I don’t know her personally, but she’s someone I’d like to meet.

In addition, you embarked on a UK/European tour in August/September 2023. How do  you feel about the tour?

I think that it felt great to get back to Europe. This was my first tour abroad since the pandemic. I’d been having a great time. The turnout at all the shows has been great. The feedback from festival sets has been really good. You know, it seems really far away when you’re in the US to come tour here And you always kind of wonder if anyone’s actually going to show up. So every night that people come to the show, it just feels like a success, and more than that we’ve been selling out shows and perhaps been great. So it’s been awesome.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I hope that people feel something during the show, whatever that something is that they need in that time, you know, whether they need to feel happy or sad or process something or dance or whatever. I’m looking to give people whatever emotional kind of release that they need during the show and I hope that by doing that as a group, they feel less alone, and seen or heard as a person. Those would probably be the two things.

What are your plans following the album release and live dates?

I’m touring through the end of the year. I’m flying back to the US to open for The Killers after this tour. I’m also opening for The Mavericks and Marcus King. We have shows pretty much up through the holidays in the US. And then hopefully next year, maybe I’ll put out some new music.

What makes Joshua Ray Walker happy and what makes you unhappy?

Making records makes me happy. Sharing good food or drinks with friends.

Unhappy, what makes me unhappy? 6am flights?

I think that this is a conversation I have a lot with country fans in Europe since I’ve been here. There’s like a stigma around country music kind of globally, and you don’t see it as much if you’re in the scene in America because everyone I share my time with and space with, we’re all pretty progressive and open-minded people. But the genre, like, as a whole, there’s a lot of negative connotation around it, whether it be conservatism or that sort of thing, especially coming from the US. And so I know there are some people who find my music and they feel uncomfortable coming to a show because they’re not sure what type of people would be there, and that makes me unhappy to think that someone would feel unsafe or worried to come to one of my shows. So if you read this, my shows are full of open-minded people who probably love you and you have nothing to worry about here and you’d be a lot more protected than probably a lot of other spaces. So it’s not all country artists or all country fans. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. But yeah, that’s something I’ve had multiple conversations about while I’ve been here. So it’s on my mind, I guess.

Photo Credit: David McClister

Joshua Ray Walker’s latest album ‘What Is It Even?’ is out now on Soundly Music. For more information visit: https://www.joshuaraywalker.com/