Joshua S. D’Cunha (J.O.S.H) is a Canadian singer, rapper, songwriter and actor. He was born on June 20th, 1989 in Scarborough, ON Canada. He is a up and coming artist who just released his first self-made album entitled J.O.S.H Jealous Ones Still Hate on June 20th, 2015. He began performing at the early age of 6 and his vocal training in 2003 with Angela Koekuyt. In 2011 he began experimenting with lyricism, hooks and eventually writing his own full songs in Hip Hop, R&B, Pop and Country. He decided he would tackle the R&B / Hip Hop Genre first as it was thriving on the radio. In 2011 J.O.S.H recorded his first few songs in the underground Hip-Hop industry under the alias, Kahn Chus. It was 2012 when he began working with H.O.M.E Records artist Deeze and Dice that he was re-named J.O.S.H. Artist Dan Warkentin a.k.a Deeze suggested this name as it was prevalent in Toronto at the time for a song entitled J.O.S.H which stood for jealous ones still hate.

Josh worked closely with Deeze and Dice for over a year on songs that include Good Time, 4am, and Here I Come. He performed those songs in various venues throughout Niagara and was hired on by The Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls as the Promotional Ambassador after throwing a Show Stop Sunday Hip Hop Show at the Hard Rock Night Club in Niagara Falls, ON. In 2013 J.O.S.H decided to part ways with Deeze and Dice to establish himself more as an individual artist. He then began working with Mike Moscato and Derrick M Hilson from New York to broaden his knowledge of music writing and his exposure. In 2014 J.O.S.H recorded a song entitled Just Chillin’ written by Mike Moscato which Derrick M Hilson aka Sin Jones featured on. The success of the song brought him back to The Hard Rock Cafe but this time in Toronto, where he performed for Warner Brothers Music Group as part of a Live Music Showcase.

Given the positive feedback from critics J.O.S.H felt it was time to begin writing and recording his own songs in order to establish an album. He worked closely with Mike Moscato under Royal Family Mafia to develop his craft. J.O.S.H is now the Manager of the independant label, Royal Family Mafia. While managing the label, J.O.S.H wrote the song Lies and was later introduced to Music Producer Jeff Mcculoch. He recorded the song Lies with Jeff Mcculoch in the early summer of 2014 and released it as a single. The single received positive reviews and J.O.S.H was then introduced to Music Producer Kyle Whittaker of Strange Pumpkin Studio. J.O.S.H then dedicated the next year to writing and recording his first album. The album was mainly recorded, mixed and mastered with Kyle Whittaker who co-wrote Come My Way. During this time, J.O.S.H performed his music consistently at Mahtay Cafe & Lounge in St. Catharines where his CD is now sold exclusively. To find out more about J.O.S.H visit www.joshuasdcunha.weebly.com.

Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?

J.O.S.H: I heard about Exposed vocals through Twitter via Randy Morano. He asked me if I was interested in doing an interview with Exposed Vocals online after I sent him a link to my SoundCloud page as he was looking forward to hearing my music.

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

J.O.S.H: I began performing in elementary school at the early age of 6. I have to say performing has always been in my blood even as a child I would put on shows for the family at home. Whether it was singing, dancing or acting, I always wanted to be a part of something spectacular and entertaining. While attending St. Christopher Catholic Elementary School in St. Catharines, I played various roles for plays and musicals. I remember being cast for the part of The King in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. This was my first lead role and I didn’t stop there. I was later cast to play Lionel in Cinderella and hosted the schools talent shows. I would say it wasn’t until attending Denis Morris Secondary School in St. Catharines, that I really began to come out of my shell. Landing the lead role of Javert in Les Miserables was a rewarding accomplishment that brought me recognition and confidence. This was the time where I really began to develop my voice and sound as a singer. I was vocally trained by Angela Koekuyt and I credit her as the one who truly made me believe I had a voice. She instilled the tools and skills that I needed to become a successful performer. She made me believe in my voice and myself as a person. She opened my eyes to possibilities and opportunities that would ultimately develop my career and self-esteem. Due to the success of Les Miserables, the school board decided to do a musical the following year. This was not of the norm as the previous years a musical was only done once every 2 years. As I was in Grade 11 going into Grade 12 for my last year, this was a really great opportunity for me to push forward in my career. I was cast as the male lead in Aida the following year to play the role of Radames. I don’t think there was ever a point where I was not an artist. My mother is a visual artist and I have always been able to understand and relate to art. I can say that the singing bug really bit me around the time I was in Winnipeg and performed a song with the band A Waste Odyssey that my interest in making music and performing it really developed. Working with the band really opened my eyes to the possibilities of a music career. It wasn’t until I returned to Niagara and began working with local artists in the underground hip hop scene that I really began to develop a passion for writing, recording and performing.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

J.O.S.H: My name has always been a bit of an issue. I found that my last name was either hard to pronounce by just reading it and hard to spell by just hearing it. I decided that I needed a name that was easier for my audience. I actually began recording under the alias Kahn Chus (pronounced conscious) for about a year. It was during the time I worked with local artists Deeze and Dice that the name J.O.S.H was established. I credit Luu Breeze for really coming up with my name. Deeze suggested I use this name as Luu had just released a song entitled J.O.S.H Jealous Ones Still Hate. I thought the idea of hate deriving from jealousy was brilliant because I felt like I could relate to being hated.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

J.O.S.H: I think online music sharing is brilliant. I think it’s a great way for independent artists like myself to break through and share their art with the world. I often give my music away for free in fact my song Lies is available for free download at https://soundcloud.com/j-o-s-h-official/lies-1. My SoundCloud also offers a few of my other songs for free download as well. The reason I give away the song for free is because I would rather give someone my song than make them do something illegal to get it. There are so many ways nowadays to steal music that there really is no point in trying to make money off of someone who obviously can’t afford it. If someone really loves my music then why should I keep it from them?

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

J.O.S.H: Yes. Don’t stop. Don’t stop believing in your work. Don’t stop developing your craft. Don’t hinder your success based on the opinions of others. As opinions are important in this business, be sure to know when one matters and when one is just an opinion. Don’t trust anyone! As much as you may come to love people in this business including artists you work closely with, trusting them is a whole other ball game. You need to decide if YOU as an artist want to become successful or if your intentions are to assist in the success of someone else. It’s easy to get taken advantage of by other people in the business who have been doing this longer. They know the ins and outs and they know what artists are willing to do to be heard. Tread carefully, read the fine print and be accountable. The only person you can trust is you. As far as getting gigs and airplay go, it’s all dependent on how hard your willing to work and how much your going to try. If you don’t try and get a gig or submit your song to radio than your chances of getting a gig or getting radio play are much less than they were before.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

J.O.S.H: Everyone is bound to make a mistake every now again. I always say preparation equals success, but in any event things can go wrong. The best way to deal with a mistake is to push forward and get through. People are forgiving but they may not forget. They would surely remember if you stopped performing in the middle of a set because you made a mistake. That’s why it’s always important to keep going and push through and past your mistake to make the best out of your set and continue the experience for the audience.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

J.O.S.H: I do my best to tour as much as possible. There’s always something interesting going on if you are in the right place at the right time. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be interesting too but as far as something specific goes I can’t particularly recall it at this time.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

J.O.S.H: Sometimes all it takes for me to come up with something is nature. A quiet walk in the park for something to come through may be all I need to get the creative juices flowing. I really enjoy traveling throughout Canada and my favorite places include Vancouver and Toronto. Sometimes all it takes for me is a new experience in a big city or a change of scenery. Sometimes it just comes through for no reason at all. A sound or melody will play it self out in my head and I’ll begin to experiment with lyrics and rhythm to develop a part of a song. I usually either write the lyrics out first and then record the melody so I can remember the way I want it to go later or the other way around. Sometimes I just record it as it comes out and work on development later. That usually happens when I’m getting more than one song at a time. For instance I’ll record the thought of the song and by the time im done recording the idea for a different song comes in. There’s 3 different ways that I usually go through my songwriting process. For example if I am writing a song for an already existing beat I would develop a melody for the hook first and then move onto lyricism and an overall idea of what the song should be about. If I’m working with an artist who plays a guitar for example I may come up with how I want the song to go and then they would figure out the musical accompaniment. Sometimes it’s the other way around in a sense that they play something first and then I come up with something after. The last process is when I’m working on something completely original. This requires a lot of time and effort as I would have to begin by coming up with the concept and the way the song would go from beginning to end. Then I would have to develop a beat to surround that.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

J.O.S.H: My main website, www.joshuasdcunha.weebly.com is where you can find links to a multitude of my various social media platforms as well as links to my music platforms. joshuasdcunha.weebly.com is the main source for all your J.O.S.H needs. I am however, an avid Facebook user, so a majority of my personal facebook posts include updates, current and future events/shows and music links. My name on facebook is Joshua S. D’Cunha. I also have a like page that can be found at facebook.com/JOSHUASDCUNHAMUSIC. Twitter is another platform that I use. You can find me on twitter by searching @joshdcunha. I have recently joined Vine as well as Instagram. My Vine name is Josh DCunha and my Instagram is JOSHUASDCUNHA. The main platform for my music is soundcloud. Go to https://soundcloud.com/j-o-s-h-official hear songs off the new album and new releases.

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

J.O.S.H: That’s a great question, but I don’t have an answer. My playlists are always changing or getting deleted to create more room. I always try and have my own songs on so that they can be available to share. Lately one of my guilty pleasures has been late 90’s early 2000’s hits. Stuff like, Spice Girls “Holler”, old JLo and ‘NSYNC songs. Something about these older songs brings me back and really makes me laugh sometimes.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

J.O.S.H: Lol I would probably still work! I would definitely try to travel but the money would have to be used to invest into my music career, help my family and the community. I have hopes to one day have my own recording studio, open a recording studio for the public, have a cafe, restaurant and nightclub as well as a branch of homeless shelters across Canada. I also hope to develop a clothing line and a line of fragrances. Dream big right?

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

J.O.S.H: I plan to one day be able to build a studio at home. My next investment is definitely going to be for a mic. Currently I use the voice memos app on my phone to get ideas down. Once I am ready to make a song I will go into a full studio to have my songs recorded.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

J.O.S.H: I usually find the best ways to promote my music are online or through shows. I would say both of those ways work best. Online could be considered better because you are reaching a larger audience with much less time and effort. I will generally submit my music to radio and producers online or via email. I use SoundCloud and Reverbnation as well as a few others. I mainly post the links to certain songs in my SoundCloud via Facebook and Twitter once I have released them.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

J.O.S.H: I would love opportunities to perform all around the world. Any major city or small town in the world would be an honor to perform in and any major artist would be an honor to work with. Growing up I was heavily influenced by The Beatles so firstly I have to say them. I would say I really respect Sia, Missy Elliot and Timbaland’s work and would love to collaborate and perform with them. I also have a great admiration for Beyonce, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga as performers. They work hard and they deserve all of their success. A second on a stage with any of them would be a true honor. I think it would be cool to perform in Europe and Australia as well the United States and Asia.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

J.O.S.H: The next step for me is shows throughout Ontario. Once that is finished I would like to tour Canada with stops in Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. As far as projects go, there is always something new going on. Last year I volunteered at my old elementary school to help the kids with their musical. I was asked back this year so I will be doing that again for sure. It was a really rewarding experience and a great way for me to give back to my community. My teacher Mr. Berardi was a huge inspiration to me and my music so anything I can do to help, I will. He taught me a lot about music and performing arts while I attended St.Christopher, so I really admire his request for my assistance. It means a lot to me that he has asked me back and it’s amazing what these kids can do. If I can inspire even one person, then I have done my job right.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

J.O.S.H: I would definitely be acting. I still try and dedicate sometime to acting as it is a passion of mine.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

J.O.S.H: My first album was actually given to me. I think it was Aqua. After that I remember my sister giving me a bunch of awesome albums including Destiny’s Child and Janet Jackson. Now that I think about it though, the first album I actually bought was Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex Love Sounds. That was a really great record. I probably still have the whole thing memorized. I was very excited to get that one!

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

J.O.S.H: It’s definitely not easy. I have had to sacrifice a lot socially in order to get things in my music life accomplished. There’s definitely a few sleepless nights here and there, but in the end everything works itself out. Short and long term goal setting to me is very important as well. I wouldn’t be able to juggle anything if I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted and when I expected to have it done by. Every few months I try an check things off or re evaluate to keep the picture of what I want, need or hope to accomplish clear. Without short and long term goals, I have no concept of a time structure or idea of what I want.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?

J.O.S.H: Fans should look forward to more shows and more music! As 2015 is now coming to an end 2016 is definitely something to look forward to for me as I will have done more shows across Canada. I’m sure by mid 2016 I’ll be putting together the second album but I doubt I’ll hold back from releasing a single or 2 along the way. Fans can also look forward to music videos for songs off of the first album and collaborations with a few more artists.