One to Watch: Alternative R&B artist Josh Pozzi turns struggle into success

Stephen Price

Singer songwriter, Josh Pozzi has released a striking audio visual EP – a musical short film inspired by his mental health struggles, and the perfect showcase for the young Welsh musician’s exquisite, soothing vocals.

Josh is a young singer, songwriter and producer from Swansea, whose finger is firmly on the pulse with his innovative alternative R&B which draws inspiration from his lifelong love of pop, hip-hop and electronica.

His latest release, Hostage, marries together many of Josh’s passions – a visual EP blending his layered vocals and storytelling beautifully, exploring themes of feeling trapped, lost, and fighting for strength.

Hostage plays with surreal, dreamlike visuals, inspired by a sequence of dreams.

The raw, immersive experience mirrors the emotions in his music, with grunge, electronic, pop, and R&B influences all coming through in both the soundtrack and visuals.

Audio visual experience

For this latest project from the talented performer, Josh set out to create a 15-minute audiovisual EP, designed for release both as an audio experience on streaming platforms and as a short film on YouTube.

Hostage is a deeply personal narrative that explores themes of mental health and recovery, blending music and visuals into something completely his own. Josh shared:  “Hostage is a story of loss, disassociation and growth.

“The idea behind Hostage was to spread awareness on mental health and to try and visualise the journey of having difficulties with his mental health and the healing that came afterwards.

“I wanted to present my story in a way that could be interpreted in many different ways so that whoever was viewing it could apply their own meaning.”

Hostage took just under 50 hours to film in total and a further 20 hours to edit, and extraordinarily when compared to the big budgets of most mainstream artists, the total amount spent for the whole film was £290 – utilising one camera, a drone and one soft-box light.

Emerging talent

Growing up, Josh was immersed in a diverse range of music, including pop, rock, metal, and folk. From as early as five years old, he would often be called upon to perform his original songs for family gatherings, regardless of the occasion.

A recent graduate of the British Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), Josh is now emerging as an innovative and unique artist. His musical style is predominantly alternative R&B, drawing inspiration from Grunge, Hip-Hop and Electronica.

Influenced by artists such as James Blake, Aurora, and The Hics; Josh has crafted a distinctive sound that blends dark, electronic elements with modern pop.

Josh’s 15-minute visual EP, Hostage, started as a series of real dreams he had, which felt significant enough to write down.

He told Nation.Cymru: “I wanted Hostage to be open-ended—something people could interpret in their own way.

“But for me, it captures isolation and conflict, while also showing moments of healing and connection.”

Talking about his own experience of mental health issues, he says, feels like a release, and also something he hopes can inspire others to be more open about how they are feeling.

He shared: “It feels quite liberating to share these experiences and It felt as if it was needed to make this personal project.

“I’ve always struggled with connecting a ‘narrative’ to my music, and always felt that it had to be happy, or exciting, or upbeat.

“But in reality that wasn’t where I was at that time. This visual EP sort of serves as a roadmap rather than a current state.

“It depicts where I want to be in the future, but it’s worth pointing out that the funeral at the end of the film is symbolic of putting to rest past experiences.”

It was clearly important for Josh that Hostage was audio visual and not simply audio on a streaming platform, and the dark and ‘confessional tones’ owe a lot to a Canadian artist who is equally unafraid to sing about the lows as well as the highs of love, life and a little dose of hedonism.

He told us: “I’ve always wanted to create a long-form artistic narrative, and one of my biggest inspirations for that is The Weeknd.

“This project naturally evolved into a short film and visual EP, rather than just a music release. Of course, the streaming side will probably get more plays, but the fact that I was able to make a short film with some of my closest friends and show off a small part of Wales and my hometown makes it so special to me.”

“Understood”

And while the talented artist saved on finances, he certainly had to put in the time to make the audio visual project stand proudly next to the work of his favourite artists, such as the Weeknd. He shared: “In total, I spent £290 on the whole 15-minute film. It was honestly so tough.

“Everything came down to planning—my friend Vince and I spent countless hours figuring out every detail, from camera placement to shot lists, making sure that when the time came, we were as prepared as possible.

“Our biggest challenge was equipment. We worked around it where we could, but things like lighting were definitely a struggle.”

And now the music, and the visuals, are out there, Josh is hoping the personal can become universal. Objective achieved, in that case.

He said: “I just hope it connects with people. ‘Hostage’ is a really personal project, but I wanted to leave enough space for others to see their own experiences in it.

“If someone watches it and feels understood, or if it sparks a conversation about mental health, then that means everything to me.

“On a personal level, it’s also proof to myself that I can take an idea this ambitious and actually make it happen, even with next to no budget. That alone feels like a win.”

‘Hostage’ was released today (Monday, 24 March at) 1PM on Josh’s YouTube channel.

Over the next few weeks, Josh will also be sharing extra content, including a behind-the-scenes video breaking down how he and his collaborators pulled off certain shots and, in spite of every challenge, made a timeless piece of audio and cinematic art.

A bold and vital talent with a mesmerising voice we’ll certainly be hearing more from.

Watch Hostage here

Listen to more from Josh Pozzi here

Keep up to date with Josh on Instagram and elsewhere.