Josh Levi knows what it means to be in the spotlight. A entertainment career that brought him to Friday Night Lights, X-Factor, and more, now has him in front of a mic full time as a young R&B singer to reckon with. At just 25 years old, the Houston native is just a little over a year removed from his last project Disc Two (Scratched Up). With 12 songs to its name, Disc Two (Scratched Up) — highlighted by the viral “Birthday Dance” — is as complete of a body of work that we’ve received from Levi. It soars high with tales of love, digs deep for moments of heartbreak, and captivates for moments, big and small, that exist in between.
Today, Levi launches into a new era with the release of “Something More.” The passionate single is supported by minimal production which allows Levi’s impressive to run free and even show off a flash of falsetto here and there. The song itself makes love sound like the feeling of a lifetime. Levi has fallen for the woman in question on the song, but she’s yet to jump off the cliff and into his awaiting warms. With lyrics like “I’ll follow you / Girl, would you take me with ya?” and “Baby, tell me how deep / Are you willing to dive / Say it with your body, baby / You don’t gotta tell me twice,” Levi makes a convincing case on why his soon-to-be companion should be by his side for the foreseeable future.
Together with the arrival of his new single, Levi also answered a few questions as a part of our Uproxx Music 20 series that aims to showcase rising artists’ inspirations, influences, and aspirations. Scroll down and learn a new thing or two about the Houston singer.
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What is your earliest memory of music?
I would say the first memory I have is singing at my sister’s kindergarten graduation. I was five years old and I wrote my first song for her that day and I remember my family all being there and getting a kick out it!
Who inspired you to take music seriously?
I grew up singing in church so I heard amazing voices all the time but I would say Michael Jackson and Brandy were some of the artists that made me fall in love with music and wanna start making my own sound.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
I play piano, and a little bit of guitar but I would love to master electric guitar. It’s my favorite instrument and i’ve always wanted to be able to shred on stage!
What was your first job?
My first job funny enough was acting on Friday Night Lights when i was 9! It was my first time working and getting paid and it just so happened to be something super cool like that show! I remember my first day on set I was feelin myself and thought I could do something like that forever haha.
What is your most prized possession?
I would say my family. Nothing is more important to me than my family, I feel like it’s my most sacred, valuable thing in my life.
What is your biggest fear?
Losing someone I love, or failing. Those things both haunt me. I also have a phobia of birds unfortunately.
Who is on your R&B Mt. Rushmore?
Michael Jackson, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan, and Boyz II Men. There’s Usher, Chris Brown, Joe, and Aaliyah too.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
I’m in my bed watching one of the million different shows I watch with all the lights off and some salmon and rice next to my bed with a ginger beer!
What are your three most used emojis?
🥲🕺🏽🫶🏽.
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Stranger Things, Bridgerton, The Bear, The White Lotus, The Chosen, Abbott Elementary, Only Murders In The Building, Wednesday.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
I really love Prince and Whitney Houston’s personalities. I admire their candor and how unfiltered they were haha. I dream to be as unapologetic about how I feel and what’s on my mind and then on stage be this incredible talent that people revere.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
Fries are great with mayo and it just is what it is!
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
That’s such a crazy question! in my life?? There’s so many! First one that comes to mind is “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson. I think that song is perfectly written, perfectly composed, perfect everything. Everyday I wish I wrote that song.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
One of my favorite ever shows was in London! I had my first headline show there last year and it was sold out and the energy was just electric, I wasn’t expecting it! I also really love performing in New York! I haven’t done a show in Paris yet or Brazil, I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
It would be in Houston, Texas and I would say Beyonce, Drake, Chris Brown, SZA, and Meg Thee Stallion.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I’d probably still be doing something creative or in culinary or in sports! Both my siblings were athletes and I’m really competitive so I’d be somewhere in that world.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
I would go five years into the past just to appreciate every moment I experienced more and learn the things I learned all over again. I’ve grown so much in the last couple of years so it’s been a beautiful journey of growth and healing. I’m not in a rush to see the future haha, I like to let God just do His thing and reveal things to me when He wants to!
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Trust in God’s timing!!! Don’t lose hope if things aren’t panning out at the exact time that you want because it will all align perfectly!
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I would love for it to be remembered as a source of healing for people that needed to feel. and I would love for my music to be remembered for it’s composition, the harmonies, the details that went into it.