Introducing The Poetic Emerging Rapper… Joshua Luke Smith

Rapper, poet and wordsmith Joshua Luke Smith has always found significant power in words, delivering intelligent metaphorical wordplay brimming with spirituality and soul. Born in London and raised in an impoverished area of northern Pakistan, Joshua used poetry from a young age to make sense of the world around him.

Now, Joshua is an author, has hosted a TEDx Talk, is a poetic advocate for Samaritans, taken part in many spoken word projects and founded The Write Club, a space for creatives to find community and freedom in expression – and this is just the beginning. 

Joshua is gearing up to release his sophomore album Liberated next year, his most personal and inspirational project to date. His brand-new single of the same name is out today. 

We catch up with Joshua to talk about Liberated, his inspirations growing up, his future aspirations, and how it feels to be baring his soul on this next project. 

Hi Joshua – thank you so much for speaking with us today. How are you? 

I’m doing good, thanks!

Huge congratulations on the release of ‘Liberated’, it’s an incredible track. What do you hope people will take away from the single?

Thank you! More than anything, and I know it sounds obvious, I want people to feel liberated within themselves, or at least invited into what that experience means to them as they listen. I wrote the song four years ago, before I fully appreciated what true liberation meant to me, I had to go on a process of discovery and healing to arrive to the point where I can confidently say I am free, even though I may not always feel that way. I hope the song inspires people to go on that journey, there’s something about saying “I feel so liberated” that provokes not only an inner sense of freedom but also a reflection on why we might not feel that way.

The music video to ‘Liberated’ is so simple yet incredibly inspiring. The choreography is stunning. What was your creative process with bringing this video to life? How did you come up with the concept? 

It was one of those creative experiences, that I have to admit are rare for me, that seem to happen with minimal effort. I call it “flow”, when you stop trying to control something into happening and instead, let go of the rigid plan and give yourself over to the moment and collaboration. My guy Dominic Hamilton introduced me to Kofi, the dancer who embodied the song, literally. That was all I had for a vision, that through movement we could articulate something of this journey I’ve been on into freedom and he nailed it. We had the blank canvas of a white room, one camera, a few lights and just really beautiful, collaborative energy. Dominic Döring filmed it, we’ve worked together for years and understand each other’s ideas and approaches so it felt effortless!

You’re incredibly candid about your life experiences and how the album was created while undergoing a lengthy recovery process. How does it feel to have such a personal body of work ready to be released into the world?

It feels terrifying but liberating. I have discovered that the pursuit of freedom will cost you who you don’t want to be, so it’s a painful shedding of illusion, habits and mindsets but the pay off means living in the world without the feeling of shame and threat of one day being exposed. So much of my journey has been influenced by the honesty of others and I suppose I want to do that for my listeners. 

You’ve done a huge amount from a TED Talk, taking part in festivals with spoken word, setting up a writing group and so much more to inspire others to find their voice and express themselves. What sparked the beginning of your journey into music in particular?

I wrote my first poem at nine years old, prompted by a teacher in primary school and I’ve never looked back. I grew up on my dad’s music, iconic songwriters and storytellers like Tracy Chapman, Cat Stevens, Phil Collins and The Beatles. Music has always been a means of untangling for me. Writing helps me make sense of myself and the world I move in. Since I discovered the craft at a young age, I honestly have never had a plan B, it hasn’t always paid the bills but it has always been my primary vocation, to do the work of a writer, speaking into the chaos and giving words for some of the experiences we encounter. I am here, like many of my peers, to say the unsayable and “write the good write”. I believe our lives are made undeniably better from getting out of our heads and onto the page and I’ve found becoming a writer brings clarity, creative expression and a deepening conviction to the life we live. I want everyone to embrace it, haha.

Do you have any artists you’re loving right now, that you’d love for your fans to check out?

Absolutely! I love Oddisee’s new record, Little Simz is probably my most listened to MC at the moment, I love Hugo, Loyle Carner’s latest drop. United Pursuit create heartfelt, folk music about the spiritual life, I’m loving their new album. Rose Riebl is a composer and pianist who I adore.

Your second album Liberated is coming next year – what is the main thing you’ve taken away from the experience of writing it?

That freedom ain’t free. It will cost you but it will ultimately cost you who you don’t want to be. That facing your shame and history and hidden parts is terrifying but the liberation on the other side is worth it. That making music about really hard things can be really fun and easy. That collaboration doesn’t mean losing yourself in someone else’s creativity but finding a more fuller expression of it. That we need each other.

Do you have any plans for the rest of 2023, before your album is released – musical or otherwise? 

I’m at work on my next book, which will be my first collection/anthology of poetry and I’m really enjoying that process. I’m also loving life as a father of two, getting into new rhythms that sustain my well being and dreaming of what this album might do in the world!

You spent a portion of your upbringing in northern Pakistan, while your parents were building a hospital. How was this experience living in an area so vastly different from London and the UK during some of your defining years?

The reality was it was all I knew and it was home, coming back to the UK was more the unusual/alien experience for me. I loved those years and all they exposed me to. I saw the beauty of humanity in community and in poverty, in the celebration of life over incredible food and stunning landscapes, kind people and through hardships that has forever marked and molded me!

How do you find inspiration and creativity when you’re feeling uninspired? 

I do my best to listen to my life. To take notice and lean into the mundane, remembering that it may not be spectacular but it is significant. I write about ordinary things and find extraordinary stories and revelations within that process. I think inspiration ends when we stop listening. Interesting people are always interested people!

What is the first album you ever bought? 

The Score by The Fugees.

Looking back on a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give a young Joshua? 

Spiritual abundance is wanting what you already have, he’d know what I meant by that. 

Do you have any pastimes or activities you like to do when you want to switch off and escape from the world? 

Exercise, I love swinging the kettlebell around, I do BJJ once a week, I smoke cigars, I love the process and time it takes to smoke a really good stogie. I love reading and going to the cinema!

In 2024 and beyond, what else can we expect from Joshua Luke Smith? 

My biggest aspiration for next year is to tour! I really hope this album opens up the opportunity for that!

Make sure to check out Joshua Luke Smith’s new track ‘Liberated’ here or below.