Originally from the Philadelphia area, Alyssa Joseph, now based in Nashville, has toured through Texas and up and down the Northeast, playing at Sofar Sound shows in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville. Her recent EP, “alive,” was released on June 4 and received wide acclaim from local and national press, including Guitar Girl Magazine, Music Crowns, Broadway World, and a five-out-of-five star review on Square One Magazine. She is an advocate for body positivity and creating a more diverse and inclusive space within the music industry.
Following the success of her “alive” EP, indie-rock singer Alyssa Joseph also recently released her single “curled toes” and dropped the final lyric video of the installment for her song “sadboy.” With equal parts sarcasm and honesty, “sadboy” is a cheeky nod to Joseph’s past relationships and to the familiar situations we find ourselves in while navigating the modern dating scene. “It’s less about one particular guy – and more so a general look at my dating history,” Joseph explains. “There’s this cycle of guys you meet out there and ‘sadboy’ is a tongue-in-cheek examination of the expectation vs. reality of them all. Writing this song helped me realize a lesson we all need to learn – we don’t actually want the sad boy. We just like the idea of them.”
PW recently caught up with Alyssa Joseph to talk about her new music and career.
You’re originally from the Philadelphia area and your 2018 EP, “[ir]rational,” was recorded at Philadelphia’s Miner Street Recordings. How did growing up around here influence your career? When did you first become interested in music?
I grew up in Jersey and then went to Drexel and lived in Philly for a few years. I think it gave me my edge – added the grunge to my sound, playing shows in basements and dive bars.
I have been performing and playing an instrument in some capacity since I was 7. It just took a while to figure out that writing and performing my own songs was what I wanted to do.
How did you come to be based in Nashville? You’re not exactly a country music singer.
I would say that, more than a country town, Nashville is a songwriter’s town. There definitely is an emphasis on country music downtown, but all genres are found here all over the city.
I live in East Nashville, which is across the river from downtown, and it’s mostly garage rock and indie alternative genres over here. It’s just a heavily-populated music and creator town which is amazing for collaborations, and the industry is here.
I lived in Nashville for a summer in college and always knew I wanted to move back. I’ve been here for two years now.
Talk a little about your new single “curled toes.” How did it come together? How can people hear it?
“curled toes” is a summer song to me. It’s about the genre of guys I was dating after college in Jersey and Philly, and just that lust and flirtation at the beginning of a new relationship – when you’re not sure if you’re both on the same page, if you like each other equally, etc.
I recorded it in Philly and then brought it with me to Nashville and found two women engineers to mix and master it. I’m so happy with how it turned out. You can listen to it at music.alyssajoseph.com/curled-toes
How did you spend your downtime during the pandemic? Are you excited to get back before live audiences again?
At the beginning of the pandemic, I was writing a lot of music. The past year of it, I have been focusing on marketing and releasing music which has been a ton of work and very exciting.
I also formed a band in Nashville! We had our first show a couple weeks ago, and it felt so good to play live again. I’m definitely looking forward to connecting with folks in person again after so long.
What’s ahead for you – live shows, more new music? And what are the best ways your fans can stay current with what you’re doing?I have an album on the way! There will be more shows in different cities, and some exciting content! The best way to know what’s going on is by signing up for my email list at alyssajoseph.com/email-signup and following me on socials: instagram.com/alyssajoseph27
