A group of teachers pulled Josh Levi aside one day from the rest of the class. Mortified, scared, and mostly confused, Josh reluctantly obliged, anxiously waiting to see how much trouble he was in. What exactly did they want? He wasn’t even the troublemaker type.

“Josh, can you sing that song that you were singing in the hallway?” they said excitedly.

Surprised and honored, Josh was relieved. He wasn’t in trouble. He landed at the genesis of the innate power music would hold in his life. 

“I was so young, and I was confused at first, but I recognized at that moment that God gave me a gift that could make people feel something. From that point on, I was obsessed and addicted to the opportunity to make people feel.”  – Josh Levi

Deeds Magazine sat down with actor, singer, performer, and multihyphenate Josh Levi to learn more about his music, tour, and his creative journey within the industry. 

EMEM IKPOT: I’m super interested in learning more about your sound, specifically the R&B sonic textures for Hydraulic. Now that you’ve performed these songs on tour, has the energy of your shows influenced how you want your next project to sound, or did it just confirm you’re on the right path sonically? 

JOSH LEVI: It more so confirmed that I want to stay in the energy that I'm on. I only ever create music that I’m excited to perform. That's how I know that I like a song, or that I like what I'm creating—if I can see myself performing it. If I visualize myself on stage, if I can see the music video– that's how I know I'm connecting with the music. And with this tour, it blew me away that I could bring to life the energy the fans gave me. This was exactly what I was going for.

EMEM IKPOT: Are there certain songs that you absolutely loved performing on tour, and are there ones that were more difficult, maybe emotionally?

JOSH LEVI: 1000%. Every song is completely different for me. I have some songs that are like, super fun and easy to escape to and just let go. Songs like Crash Out, and Don't Go. I really enjoy performing. NAMEONIT on my album is also really fun and upbeat. Other records are more vulnerable, where I do have to tap into something deeper. Songs like I Can't Go Outside, take me back to the very vulnerable and intimate place where I was when I was writing it. And then with How It's Supposed To Be, after finishing that song, I had to take a moment of silence during the performance. My fans just stared at me, but I was really fine with it. It takes me there every single time.

EMEM IKPOT: From your earlier records DISC 1, to DISC 2, all the way to Hydraulic, what was your experience like working on each of these records–in terms of your process, inspiration, collaboration? Has your process changed over time? 

‍JOSH LEVI:Disc 1 and Disc 2 were both EPs. With Hydraulic, it had much more internal reflection. I dug super deep within myself. Not that I didn't dig deep with my EPs, but for Hydraulic, that's the most introspective work I've ever approached, because I was super passionate about bringing young Josh, who started out in music in Houston, Texas—the nine-year-old—to the party. My first experiences of music, my first relationship with music, I wanted to include that version of Josh as well. And so for Hydraulic, I meditated and prayed so much to really bridge those two versions of myself, the current Josh and the Josh where it all began. I think that's why, for me, the music on Hydraulic and the records on that project feel like they hold a lot more weight than my other EPs. Not to say that it's any better or less, it's just deeper.

‍EMEM IKPOT: It's interesting, because I feel like a lot of times, especially as a creative in the space, when you think about that original moment where you knew that you wanted to do something big, creative, and new—you tend to be really young. And when you actually get to doing that thing, you’re much older, but that young version of yourself that brought you to where you are now still exists. Actively bringing that young version with you to where you are now feels like a full-circle moment where everything is coming together in a real way, like the culmination of it all. Cause when we’re really focused and really in the creative zone, it’s really easy to forget that young self. And it’s like, wait…I'm remembering that young Emem, or that young Josh, who loves this stuff, and I want to bring them with me in this moment, too. 

JOSH LEVI: Yeah, it's hilarious because it's like, this album is definitely a conversation between my current self and young Josh.

How are things going? 

Why are we doing this again?

Why is music the thing that we feel so passionate about?

How did we get here?

It was a lot of those conversations, but definitely a full-circle moment. A culmination of my journey to date. I think Hydraulic will always have a special place in my heart for that reason. I was also very passionate about creating a debut album that reflected me in such a massive way, because it is my first album. You can only really have one first album. If you've never listened to me before, or if you will never listen to me again— I really worked to have a strong sonic blueprint of the story of Josh Levi. 

EMEM IKPOT: Tell me a bit more about your background and your growth in the music industry. I know you’ve done acting, singing, performing, etc.— what really drove you to music?

JOSH LEVI: Church. I started singing in church. I grew up in the church in Houston, Texas. Gospel music was a huge thing in my orbit and in my family. We would hear it in cars, radios, TV screens, soundtracks, etc—that's all I ever heard. And so the good thing about that is, I was privy to only incredible singing at all times. That's all my ears heard. I was in so many local church communities, like the choir, and a bunch of other local stuff in Houston. I always tell the story: I remember singing in the hallway or in the bathroom at my elementary school, and my teachers pulled me into the principal's office with a bunch of the staff. I thought I was in trouble. They’re like, “Josh, can you sing that song that you were singing in the hallway?” And I was like, okay. Sure. I'll never forget how emotional they were as I was singing. It was some gospel song. I wish I could remember which song it was. I was so young, and I was confused at first, but I recognized at that moment that God gave me a gift that could make people feel something. From that point on, I was obsessed and addicted to the opportunity to make people feel. 

EMEM IKPOT: I did a piece on D'Angelo, underscoring how important the Black church was for him and his music. And I feel like for a lot of artists, especially Black artists, the church is really such a strong fixture and source of inspiration. I think about this a lot now, in terms of artists who don't have that background and how it can impact their sonic sensibility or how they approach music. I think the Black church really does hold a very special place in crafting music.

JOSH LEVI: Yeah, musically, it's unmatched, and I think church, gospel, sound, and music are very divine. There's an anointing and a flow there that makes for a really, really special foundation for all music. I think gospel music is influential in every single genre. It is soulful. It is R&B. It is pop. It is even hip-hop. The stuff I grew up with, from Kirk Franklin, Israel Houghton, and Mary Mary, and even the traditional gospel sound still had 808s and high hats. I personally feel very grateful for having that church background because I only ever heard amazing quality vocals. Amazing quality music– band, instruments, and incredible sound in my ears. I got accustomed to that. 

‍EMEM IKPOT: What musicians do you look up to as an artist— are there artists that inspire your sound?

JOSH LEVI: I'm inspired by so many people. Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, Beyoncé. Drake. Tems is a huge inspiration for me. I love Afrobeats, African music in general. 

I'm inspired by a spectrum of so much. I mentioned gospel, I listen to French music. I also am a huge hip hop head, but like, a specific lane of hip hop, not necessarily contemporary today, but Future, Wayne, Drake. Travis Scott. On the singing side, I like artists who are anti the system—artists that push the boundaries, that go against the status quo — those people have always spoken to me.

EMEM IKPOT: How do you feel about the R&B landscape at this current moment?

JOSH LEVI: I think R&B is in a beautiful place. The window is finally opening for the true impact of R&B. For so long, R&B has kind of been dismissed in terms of its impact and its influence. But right now, in terms of where we're at in the world, people want to feel good, and I think R&B, the definition of R&B is feel good. So I'm really grateful that as a society, R&B is appreciated more because when there are wars and evil and chaos and hate and all of the craziness that's happening in our nation and outside of our nation, I don't think people wanna hear about, you know, people getting shot, and I'm gonna jump you. We don't have the capacity. So I think people are like, it's nice to just talk about love, to hear about love, to talk about being cared for. I'm happy to play my role in that.

All of my peers, everybody that's in the R&B space right now, they're all my peers. So I'm just really happy, and I take pride in playing a role in that. The first group that came to mind is FLO. They are on my album. I'm always going to be a fan of everything that they do. My prayer is to continue collaborating with people that I'm a fan of. I think their contribution to R&B is something I really enjoy watching.

EMEM IKPOT: Are there artists you’re looking to collaborate with in the future? 

JOSH LEVI: I would love to collaborate with Drake. I also love HER. Brandy, of course. Kehlani would be fire, that’s my girl. 

EMEM IKPOT: Tell us a bit more about your work with Issa Rae’s Raedio label in partnership with Atlantic Records— how has this experience been for you in terms of your creative process, strategy, and album curation?

‍JOSH LEVI: Issa Rae, Issa Rae. What an icon. What a boss. All I think of, every time I look at her face, is lu're just a boss, and I really want to be like you. She's an amazing creative. I think my favorite thing about Issa, which I always talk about, is that she truly trusts the people that she aligns with. I've never once had a conversation with Issa where she tried to change my vision. She's only ever pushed me to lean more into my vision. And I think that's my favorite part of collaborating with her. And then specifically for this album, she just wanted to constantly be involved in my thought process, not to really add or take away from where I was at, but to stay close to what my goals were. And that's another thing I really appreciate about her. From day one, we listened to every track, and we talked about the meaning and the intention behind each record. We’ll go on random dinners, and she will ask me what my goals are, what I would like to do, and the things I would like to invest in my fans. The ways I'd like to continue to cultivate and facilitate a club Levi Space, in the world. She was at my LA show during the tour, screaming in the balcony. She's so supportive of everything that I would like to go after. She's there to be like, "Okay, let's figure out how we do this."

EMEM IKPOT: Yeah, she really is a true force of nature.

JOSH LEVI: Force is a great word.

EMEM IKPOT: What was your experience like working on Turning Red? Those vocals are crazy. They still live in my head rent-free!

JOSH LEVI:  Hahaha, Thank you! That whole experience was unexpected. Billie Eilish and Phineas did all of the music for that film, so they had me in mind as a member of Four Town, and it just came across my table—and it was an immediate yes. I'm the biggest Pixar fan. My favorite movies of all time are animated, one of which is the Incredibles, which is another Pixar film. I was just like, what? I get to voice a character with brown skin who can sing soulfully? In the Pixar Zeitgeist World? Absolutely, yes. That was a really dope experience. We recorded everything at Disney studios, and it was dope. It was really, really special. It’s very interesting the different places where people join the Josh party. Some people just joined the party through Hydraulic, some people through my song on Insecure, then the most random stuff, like, just random YouTube videos, and then there's a group of people that’s like–so I found you through Turning Red and I've been locked in with you ever since! 

EMEM IKPOT: There’s a massive difference between opening for someone and being the person the entire room is there to see. What was this experience like on tour? 

JOSH LEVI: I mean, you said it best, like, when you're opening, the energy is —let me bring people into my world for, like, 15 to 20 minutes. There may be some fans of Josh out there, but my primary job is to make everybody feel what I’m feeling for the next 15 minutes, and then they can go on to the person that they really came here for. For the Hydraulic tour, the Josh Levi experience, it was completely different. It's my sole responsibility to facilitate an experience for all the people who spent their time driving to, flying to, or taking the train to my show. To really cultivate a night that has my name on it. And that's something that I take a lot of pride and responsibility in. I feel responsible for the whole experience.

So it's different, you know? There's a different level of commitment, passion, and a mantle that I feel like I have. It was really special for me, you know, walking out on those stages and seeing a packed room, seeing a sold-out room. Not something I take for granted at all. I had people flying from Shanghai, five, six, seven, even eight hours away. This was an 11-city tour. I didn't do as many dates as I will in the future. So a lot of my fans were traveling to see me, but then it being me, you know, on the ticket, that's a different level of like…I can't lean on anybody else.

EMEM IKPOT: Your album aesthetic is so distinct — from the leather, the textures, the "Rodeo" imagery. How challenging was it to translate that high-fashion, cinematic world into a live touring environment where you have to balance your look with the raw athleticism of your choreography?

JOSH LEVI: I love this question. So Hydraulic has a gritty, auto body, Pimp My Ride, Fast and Furious energy to it. The alter ego in this album is a car mechanic. The car mechanic represents Mr. Hydraulic, the mechanic who's constantly doing repairs and maintenance on my heart, my mind, and my well-being. To stay functioning as this well-oiled machine throughout my life experiences and the craziness of the world, the mechanic is steadily working. I really wanted to commit to this concept throughout the album, while also bringing it to life on tour, which is why a lot of the fashion was between moto auto body stuff to actual mechanic jumpsuits, where I had like, literal dirt on my face, my arms, and on some of my shirts, to really commit to the story. That's what inspired the fashion story of the album. And also, the spirit of Texas in Houston was a source of inspiration. It's always combining, you know, the grills and the sideways hats and some of the silhouettes of Houston culture and sweat and mixing it with these auto body worlds that represented the narrative of the album.

EMEM IKPOT: Now that the tour is officially over, what's the one thing you've learned from this run that you want to carry into the next one? Is there something you saw that the fans reacted to, or maybe something you felt that you want to really implement in your next tour? What's next for you?

‍JOSH LEVI: This tour showed me so much. First, they want way more merch from me than I thought, that's one. I think building my world in terms of fashion and merchandise is something that I'm excited to lean into, which is something I've always wanted to do. And then sonically, my fans like high-energy stuff. I've always been the guy who brought energy to R&B. That's important to me. And this story showed me that I should continue that, even though it makes for a very tiring set. It's quite the exercise, but I see that my fans want nothing less than that. That's been dope. What's next for me is Hydraulic, Deluxe. More shows, I'm coming to Europe. A few festivals this summer and collaborations. I think this tour showed me something that my fans have already told me, which they also tell me every day. They tell me that there is a place for my sound and there's a place for my music. And of course, I believe that, but seeing them, seeing a room full of people screaming the songs, knowing every single word. It just hits different. It really energized me to continue to lean into as much Josh Levi as I can and less of the outside voices of who people think I should be. I’ve learned to lean into myself and trust my instinct, which was really educational for me. And I'll never get the picture of the faces of the Levi legends out of my brain. The joy and the love of singing word for word into their eyes. That's a feeling that I am taking with me in the studio every day. It's been so inspiring. I'm keeping that spirit in the music. As an artist, these are the moments that you live for. You can't pay for those moments.

Emem-Esther U. Ikpot 
@ememIK46
(Instagram/Substack/ememikpot.com)