Joho On the Making Of ‘southside thrill ride’
How does 'southside thrill ride' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
This is my most raw and personal project to date. I had a hand in 100% of its creation, from the production to the songwriting and recording and it felt like the most polished, focused and consistent effort I’ve released to date. I think it showcases a wide variety of sounds from a genre perspective, but also subject matter wise and it gives a full view of Joel the person as opposed to Joho the artist.
Can you talk about any specific themes or motifs that run throughout the album?
The primary story I was hoping to tell on this project is that sometimes we don’t have control over the circumstances life throws at us, and we’re left to just go along for the ride. There’s a lot of talk about the fears that come with getting older such as mortality and losing people close to you, as well as thoughts of family and personal relationships and finding love and losing love and capturing the full picture of flawed, imperfect humans trying to live life and do their best with what they’ve been given.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'southside thrill ride?'
The recording process for this started in May of 2023 and concluded in June of 2024. Throughout the recording process there were a total of 65 songs that were condensed, combined, rewritten, repurposed or scrapped to bring the total number of tracks to 11. My previous album was a 24 song double album and I wanted to ensure that this follow up didn’t overstay its welcome. I was inspired by Vampire Weekend’s approach to 2024’s “Only God Was Above Us” in that I wanted 10 tracks that were all hits and no skips, but I folded and added “Luv In My Heart” back to the album in the 11th hour.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I’m a passionate enjoyer, and lover of music above all else. I find genuine pleasure in learning about new artists and genres and sounds and my genre-fluid, musical chameleon approach to creation is not only a reflection of my broad range of taste, but also my way of paying homage to my ever growing list of influences. I refer to myself as the Number One Superstar Pop Boy, and that moniker serves as an affirmation, a goal and a wholehearted belief in my musical capabilities. I hope to continue creating diverse, ambitious, and creatively expansive music that can serve as a universal listening experience to fans of all music backgrounds.
How do you approach the process of creating a new song or melody?
I will mumble demo into voice notes on my phone any time a new idea pops into my head no matter where I am. There’re days I’m at work where I have to step outside and go to my car to do it or if I’m at the mall I might look insane standing aside and mumbling something into my phone, but then I get home and drag it into Logic and begin just building around it and finding the words to the story I want to tell. Sometimes I find an immediate use for it but other times these demos are preserved to be repurposed at a later time. There’s a purpose for everything at one point in time or another. A lot of this album was giving new production ideas to verses I wrote years ago and adding new verses and hooks around them.
