BIOGRAPHY
Rather than wait for inspiration to strike, Joshua Radin will seek it out wherever possible. His search for inspiration led him to hit the road in 2022. He left his material existence in the rearview, grabbed a backpack, packed his guitar, picked up a pen and a pad, and sought new stories to tell.
“I felt like I was going to live the life of a kid on a gap year after high school,” he smiles. “However, it has helped my writing and my soul. I feel so much freer.”
He’s certainly earned this season. Back in 2004, Joshua emerged as an empathetic, engaging, and often enthralling troubadour. Over the years, he’s tallied north of 1 billion streams, moved 1 million-plus albums worldwide, and even scored a gold certification for the single “I’d Rather Be With You.” His music has appeared in over 200 films, television series, and commercials. In addition to multiple showstopping appearances on Ellen (who also enlisted him to perform at her wedding) and Today Show, as well as performances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, and Conan, he contributed “Brand New Day” to a commercial in support of the troops at the request of First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. He played to sold out crowds around the globe and shared the stage with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, Imogen Heap, and The Script. Not to mention, he’s a staunch philanthropist who supports Little Kids Rock and North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), among others. Thus far his catalog consists of nine full-length offerings highlighted by fan favorites such as We Were Here, Simple Times, Underwater, Wax Wings, and Here, Right Now, to name a few.
2021 saw him release The Ghost and The Wall to widespread acclaim. Parade hailed “Goodbye” as “breathy, gorgeous and intimate,” and American Songwriter promised, “A more beautiful set of ballads would be hard to come by.” Riff Magazine rated it “9-out-of-10,” while No Depression assured, “As long as Radin remains this honest and the melodies this sweet there’s every reason to believe he’ll have enough to say for his next 15 years in the business.”
However, he also left his previous life behind and traveled with nothing more than the essentials (and enough tools to be creative). Recorded in places such as Stockholm, Paris, and London, he first translated this inspiration into though the world will tell me so, volume one, released in January 2023. Tracks like the softly anthemic “I’m Just Different,” piano-laden “Broken,” and “Running from the Dawn” instantly reacted with audiences. The full picture came into focus with the follow-up though the world will tell me so, vol. 2. Gems he’s learned as of late glistened at the heart of the five-track EP.
In 2025, he turns the page on the next chapter of his career and life with his tenth full-length LP and first independent album since 2017, One Day Home. Joshua devoted more time to this body of work than any other release in his catalog. Immersing himself in the process mind, body, and soul, he poured over these 13 tracks, tinkering and perfecting each moment. Sessions often stretched from the evening into the early morning as he emphasized the purity of the acoustic instrumentation on these recordings. He notably co-produced six songs alongside Wally Gagel, while Jonathan Wilson helmed the remaining seven tunes. This time around, he prepared the music for a double-LP release with one half original studio versions of the 13 songs and the other piano vocal versions.
“I’ve been writing and recording songs for twenty years,” he reflects. “I continue to suffer from ‘Impostor Syndrome’, perhaps because I began this musical journey so much later in life than my peers. I always think this feeling will fade away, but it never does. I want to put music into the world that is implicitly ME, so here is One Day Home.”
Reflecting both his natural impulses and personal sonic palette, he nodded to formative inspirations from Motown soul singers and Laurel Canyon-era singer-songwriters. As such, One Day Home strikes an uncanny balance between two seemingly disparate styles in pursuit of a common theme. “I really tried to combine those two genres,” he goes on. “This album is about love and loss. It’s the journey of a romantic relationship—the ups and downs as well as the moments you chase, the moments you accidentally destroy, the memories of partnership which can sometimes feel stronger than the actual connection, the ecstasy of finding a likeminded soul, and the devastation upon losing them. It’s about finding out what the word 'Home’' actually means.”
He introduces this season with the single “Let Me Be Right”—released in its original studio version and as a piano-vocal version for a digital two-pack. A delicate piano melody underscores emotionally charged vocals punctuated by his passionate sense of soul. He grapples with the search for love as he pleads on the chorus, “Let me be right, let this go on and on before this moment’s gone.”
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m running and running afraid to stop,” he admits. “After twenty years, I’m still terribly confused about this world, what people want from me, and what I’m able to give. I know this, ‘When I find the right person for me, I’ll be right’.”
The piano echoes through soft strings on “You don’t Need Anyone.” Barely cracking a whisper, he assures, “You don’t need anyone to take care of you, but if you do, I still want to.” He continues, “I’ve had a few romantic relationships. I’ve loved, and I’ve lost. Most importantly, I’ve learned. As Lincoln said, ‘I walk slowly but never backwards.’ One thing I’ve realized about myself is that I’m just not able, no matter how hard I’ve tried, to be everything for someone.”
During the closer “Back To Forever,” gentle acoustic guitar murmurs beneath his soothing delivery, “I know that loving me is a never-ending story.” Then, there’s “I’m Coming Home.” The stark instrumentation boosts the robust vocal as he promises, “I’m coming home for my baby, now.”
No matter where the journey takes him, that’s exactly what he does. He leaves off, “A better version of me happens every year. Wiser for sure, but definitely more confused in general about what I truly want out of life. I stay curious, questioning everything and everyone, and this is how art gets made.”