Joseph Reuben rose to fame with his soulful take on Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend," and since that moment, he has paved his way to his career in music. After persevering through emergency surgery and learning that he may not ever sing again, he came back with his first official single, 'DREAMLAND.'
What was the inspiration for DREAMLAND?
Joseph: Dreamland is a nostalgic and emotive song about not being able to let go of a past relationship and living in your own dreamland.
What is your process like when creating music?
Joseph: I create in many different ways, but generally, I'll start with an idea on piano, then I add some lyrics and record the skeleton of the piece. Then I go into more detail with the lyrics, making sense of them. Then I record my vocals, add some production elements, strings, and other live instrumentation. Then I'll mix and master the music. Once the music is in a good place, I move on to creating the visuals. I mood board A LOT! Lots of visual references from films, photographs, TV. And then see how those images mesh with the music. Then I find the right typeface that embodies the message of the music; then, I send it to a few close people, get their feedback and finish up based on both our thoughts.
Who are artists that have inspired you?
Joseph: So many artists inspire me in different ways. I'm inspired by composers Les Baxter, Bernard Herrmann, Hans Zimmer, Philip Glass, and pop artists Lana Del Rey and WoodKid. I'm also very inspired by visuals, Artists like Helmut Newton and Slim Aarons to Hitchcock and Tarantino. Basically, anything cinematic gets my heart going.
What can fans expect from a live show if they haven't seen you perform before?
Joseph: During my shows, I talk a lot about my songs before I play them. This really connects me to my audience and allows them into my world. My shows can feel very intimate yet also very energetic at the same time.
Samantha Fong
"At 15 years old, I begged my mom to take me to Walmart to get Taylor Swift's debut deluxe album and I never turned back. This was my very first entry point to stan fandom. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee I was exposed to a ton of music - from rapping 3 6 Mafia to bopping to Justin Timberlake's solo discography. Now, in LA have a day job working in nonprofit development, but by night, I'm a full-fledged fangirl. I'll listen to generally any genre, but I'm a sucker for a good pop song. If you ever need someone to scream sing Carly Rae Jepsen's E·MO·TION with, I'm your girl. No, I still have not gotten over the One Direction hiatus. Please continue to respect my privacy. Twitter : samfonggg, Instagram : samantha_fong"
