Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Campbell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Joseph, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
In July of 2023, I was able to realize what I would label my first official album. The project was titled “I’ll Talk To You Later” and contained 11 tracks all produced by my good friend and current collaborator Tobias Lehman (AKA. tobiutah) another talented force in the Columbus, Ohio underground music scene. Throughout the album I explored themes of addiction, loss, lust, and relationship turmoil’s while also attempting to showcase within each song my eagerness to pursue the music as a career path and what it means to me all together. Some highlights from this album include the lead single titled “Industry Standard” which received immense support prior to its release in May of 2023 through performing and promoting the song all over the city and other midwestern states. As well as a second single titled ” Worst Nightmare” released in early June, which to this day is the second top performing track from the project next to Industry Standard. All this to say that at the time “I’ll Talk To You Later” was without a doubt my biggest moment musically in a lot of ways. During the writing and recording process of this album I was suffering a deep depression due to relationship that had previously ended on less than good terms as well other factors at home and in work. For me in this instance the music was one of the only things holding me together and I subsequently threw myself in the writing and recording process for about 4 months before I had been satisfied with the end product. For me this album was truly like a diary as I felt and sometimes still do feel that the music is the only way I can adequately convey my feelings and thoughts. It’s my baby in a sense, or brain child you could say. Overall this project was very cathartic in the sense that it allowed me to let go of a lot of battles from my past that I found I was finally being made aware of after years of blissful ignorance and personal mistreatment of those close to me. For anyone that listens to this project I think there is something here for everyone to connect with on a deeper level; and if not to at least bob your head to from time to time.
Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
For starters, my name is Joseph Campbell and I am twenty-two years old. Most people call me Joey or JoeStar. I am a hip-Hop recording artist and male model based out of Columbus, Ohio and I have been pursuing a creative career particularly in music since 2018 at the age of thirteen. In the fall of 2018 I came across a project from an artist we all know well today as Tyler The Creator. The project in question was his 2017 album “Flower Boy”. Initially when I had heard this album it sparked something in me; I became enamored with the idea that I could one day create my own albums and my own songs. It was truly so inspiring to me at the time and Tyler The Creator still largely influences me creatively today. The biggest takeaway from that initial listening experience instilled the idea that I could be as open and honest as I wanted in my own music to truly showcase who I was and am as a person.
I have always been a musical person since as long as I can remember, whether it was dancing to Michael Jacksons “Beat It” or “Thriller” as a child watching MTV music videos with my mother, or picking up the guitar at age ten after watching and listening to my father play at his house on weekends, and later learning a multitude of instruments through school band programs. As of today and I am still proudly pursuing a career in music which has already led me to many places I can’t say I thought I would be almost 9 years ago just starting out. One of my proudest moments in music was opening a show in Detroit for rapper Boldy James with my partner/collaborator tobiutah on 227 day (2/27) which was a celebration of and a significant theme in Boldy’s own art. Another big achievement was performing on the main stage at this past years ComFest Music Festival here in Columbus for the first time. For those wondering I would like to preface that I myself do record, mix, and master all of my own tracks and have for the duration of my time creating music (excluding certain collaborations). Arguably my favorite part of making music is the juxtaposition in seeing that beginning rough draft turn to a final product and the clarity a finished project brings to me. I’ve had the opportunity to record and promote a plethora of artists in the Columbus music scene for a number of projects, some including my friend tobiutah’s first album titled “The Saga Continues…” released in 2025 and an unheard project from my collective “$TARWRLD” featuring support from many talented individuals in the Columbus music scene, this one remains unfinished with around 20 tracks floating in the ether. Audio Engineering is something I’ve became increasingly passionate about and eager to pursue as my career continues. I’m always looking for new people to collaborate with and grow my knowledge and expertise.
Some updates and things you should know about my current endeavors include my latest single titled “Joey Starks” which dropped at the beginning of this year in late January and is available everywhere you listen to music under the name “Joe$tar”. Also be on the lookout for new music in the month of April as I am preparing to drop my next single which is yet to be announced. “Love and War”. with that I hope you’ve found value in exploring my journey and uprising in the music industry.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
One of the things I hear or get asked the most by people is “how do you keep coming up with ideas?” Or rather “are you ever worried about running out of ideas?”. The simple answer is no, I’m not worried about running out of things to say because music is created from life. Everything I’ve ever spoken in a song has been based in real life in one way or another whether it’s a story of my own life, hardships, and victories, or the stories I learn of those around me. Sure every song doesn’t need to “mean something” but at the end of my day if you are creating music based in things you don’t live you are bound to stagnate and be held up by the creative process. Of course that’s my opinion but as I’ve grown and seen artists come and go in my own generation it seems ever more true as time wages on. I struggle with writers block from time to time, sometimes lasting months and most often it is because I find myself not living life as much as I could. A fire needs fuel and for me the fuel of my music is the real situations of the everyday living and the feelings from it that ignite the fire within me to create my art.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My biggest goal as a musician and creative has always been to connect with people. Specifically those that have grown up with feelings of not knowing what they want to be or ambitions of what they want from life, the ones who wake up feeling that maybe there is nothing here for them. My hope is that someone can come across my art and feel that someone else finally understands their internal struggle and to know that they are are not alone no matter how crushing the weight of our reality can feel. It’s never been about money or status. My music is a mosaic of my struggles and presumably the struggles of many. All I can ask for is to inspire my peers and the visionaries of tomorrow by spilling every gut wrenching feeling I have in hopes it can be as cathartic for them as it is for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Sindicate03
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.e.star/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Campbell/pfbid023QYQdQbUqXVa7c3KVt3uFzCVzFowcXXyagPTq2ou1yz3vASwj7yNoWz3r4S5iVvTl/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=GXal0orLV12rbkfP&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1EMgd1qxDo%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@joestar1650/videos
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/star-starrr
