The 25-year-old wordsmith and philosophy graduate has always managed to combine his love of words and music to inspire people to break free from their own limitations.
After the success of his video ‘Carry me’ (premiered by Complex), Joshua dropped a track alongside a powerful video for National Suicide Awareness Day with Samaritans and in October released another visual poem for Anti-Slavery Day in support of charities A21 and Love146. Joshua was also involved in a collaborative track for World Aids Day (in partnership with HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trustwith) with singer Laura Riganti early December.
With everything that has happened in 2016, Joshua wants to use his voice and his art to ‘cut through the chaos’ and speak ‘hope and freedom’. His new song ‘Heart Of Man’ deals with a timely subject – he explains “This last year has been mad, unsettling and distressing at times. We feel divided, isolated and at war with our neighbor. This song is both a lament and moment of reflection. A call to lay down the stones, gripped in our palms, readied to throw at the first person who speaks against us, our tribe or belief. We shape the world around us by shaping the world inside of us, everything flows from the heart. My hope is this song helps to slow us down, to help us step into this year fully here, present, with hearts full and ready to love.”
The video was orchestrated in collaboration with Dominic Doring, a filmmaker who never fails to communicate visually what Joshua is saying with words. Joshua Luke Smith will be heading out on his first UK tour in January The Becoming Human Tour (January 21-27 tickets available at joshualukesmith.com) to promote the release of his new record Your Beauty Deluxe Edition (Out 21st January).
‘Heart Of Man’ is now available on Bandcamp: https://orphannomore.bandcamp.com/track/heart-of-man.
All funds raised from streaming and downloads will be donated to the work of the Preemptive Love Coalition.