Meet Singer-Songwriter Jos Rivers: A Daring New Voice For Gen-Z Girlhood
With honest lyrics and a playful sound, Jos Rivers is carving a lane for herself as one of the UK’s most exciting new artists. Hailing from Cheadle, Staffordshire, the young talent grew up listening to a wide variety of genres and artists, including The Pogues, Madonna, Rihanna and Irish music. As she got older, Jos’ love for music grew stronger, leading her to enrol at the BRIT School. During her time at the prestigious performing arts school, the singer-songwriter cultivated her musical talents and was always pushed to be original and herself. “It’s hard to know exactly who you are at a young age, but I think the BRIT school definitely sped up that process for me,” Jos tells Spindle.
After graduating, Jos continued to hone her craft, turning heads with her voice and undeniable live performances, which led to her winning the Accnture Prize for Best Live Performer and securing a contract with RCA Records UK. In March, she dropped her debut single, ‘Long Time Coming,’ giving music listeners a first look at her unique artistry. Since then, Jos has kept the momentum going, releasing two additional tracks, including her empowering breakup anthem ‘Thankyou So Very Much.’ In light of her continued rise in the UK music scene, we sat down with Jos to chat about her musical beginnings, her unique sound, and more.
Heya Jos, thanks for chatting with Spindle. How’s everything going?
Spectacular. How are you doing?
Good, thanks! Before we get into your latest releases, let’s peel back the curtain on your music journey. Which artists or albums were staples in your home growing up?
Ooh, my dad loved The Pogues and Irish music, so I had a lot of that. My mum loved Madonna and Rihanna. I was obsessed with Olly Murs and Meghan Trainor at the time, so I was definitely ‘All About That Bass,’ do you know what I mean?
Can you recall the moment that set you down the path towards becoming a music artist?
It’s hard to think of an actual moment. I think it’s always been a deep knowing for me, I think. I’m very lucky in that sense that I’ve always known what I think I’ve been called to do. My mum always proper believed in me and mums are always right, so that defo helped.
We hear you’re a BRIT School graduate! What would you say is the most important piece of information or advice that you still use to this day?
We were always pushed to be ourselves and original. I think that’s the main thing. It’s hard to know exactly who you are at a young age, but I think the BRIT school definitely sped up that process for me.
How would you personally describe your music and sound?
I would say it’s for girls who had to grow up quickly. I think it’s witty but also has really dark elements, which I think give my sound a bit of grit. I put a new spin on sh*t, which I quite like.
What’s your favourite part about creating music? What’s the most challenging aspect?
My fave part is definitely just being able to have an outlet. I say what I want to say in my songs; you can’t always do that in real life.
The most challenging part is maybe trying not to show everyone. I get way too excited.
Congratulations on the release of your first two tracks, ‘Long Time Coming’ and ‘He’s A Genius’. How does it feel to have these two songs out in the world?
Well, thank you. Honestly, it feels amazing. I want to give you more. I think the fact that the songs are out just makes me wanna give you the whole lot. I can’t believe so many people relate, and I appreciate every single person who streams my songs and feels a little bit less crazy listening to it.
Can you take us through the creative process for these tracks? What message and themes did you wanna explore? How do these songs represent you as an artist?
Well, for ‘Long Time Coming,’ I came into the studio thinking of the title, as I had had the idea beforehand. I wanted to bring to light the sh*ttiness of having no interest in men after a bad relationship. You crave closeness but also wanna just run away from anyone with a p*nis, so I just wanted to make it a more talked-about thing. I think it’s quite a lonely state to be in.
With ‘He’s A Genius,’ I came into the studio, and I showed Alex, my producer, the song ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’ by Denise Williams. I told him, “I listen to this song when a guy disappoints me.” I don’t think that’s the aim of the song; it’s actually quite a happy, praiseful song, but I wanted to write a sarcastic one that people can put on when that does happen. I also wanted to explain sexism in childhood and how people treat boys and girls differently growing up, and how, to be honest, if I were a guy, I’d take the piss if society treated me in a way that all my bad behaviour was justified, you know?
Does your songwriting begin as something deeply personal, a form of release, or do you write with the listener in mind, shaping the songs for the people who will eventually hear them?
As much as I love my listeners, if anything, they’re completely out of my mind when I’m writing because if I think too much about how people might perceive it, it takes my creativity away in a sense.
I definitely write as a release, for some reason, my emotion comes out as anger in most of my songs, and I think if I didn’t let it all out, I would be a proper b*tch to be fair.
With your career and artistry continuing to expand, what are five goals that you’re currently working towards?
1. To play the Royal Albert Hall and more live performances
2. Being happy
3. Researching more because knowledge is power
4. Making people feel heard
5. Being kind to myself and a cool support tour would be nice
What else can music listeners expect from Jos Rivers this year? Any performances or music projects you can tease?
Mate, loads of stuff I’m excited. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am just so excited. The more songs I share, the deeper we go and a connection is grown from depth. I’m playing a few festivals this year, got my headline show and loads more music coming, so yeah, dead excited, hope people will like it as much as I do.
Make sure to check out Jos Rivers latest releases – ‘Long Time Coming,’ ‘He’s A Genius,’ and ‘Thankyou So Much’ – below.
