We recently connected with Joshua Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Joshua, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember and it was as a young child that I realized I wanted to be a Gospel singer. Much of this musical inspiration started from spending a lot of time with my father in the studio while he was creating his own music. I remember even creating a song with him that I still remember to this day. From that point on, singing was all I did. If I was at home, I was singing. At the school talent show, singing. In the church choir, singing. Wherever I found myself being, I was singing. While I sang all the time, it wasn’t because I thought I was good at it, but it was because it brought me joy. It was my escape. The older I got, the more I sang, and the more I sang, the more my passion for singing grew.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a new Gospel artist and singer/songwriter who simply has a love for good music. I don’t sing to be the best or to win all of the awards, but I sing because it is my God given gift and it is required of me to release it to others. The power of music is often overlooked, but it is one thing that can bring all kinds of people together. I have decided to merge my love for God with my love for music to spread the good news to those who need some encouragement, love, or simply a melody that not only sounds good, but makes them feel good on the inside.
I am a church kid at heart and whenever I’m at church, I am singing my heart out on the praise team, in the choir, or just in the audience. Being a part of music ministries has helped bring my desire of becoming a gospel artist to reality. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for God, and the musical opportunities He has allowed me to gain over time. Through these experiences, I’ve learned to never take for granted a chance to sing.
My goal has always been to reach just one person through my ministry, however, it can be hard to maintain that mentality. Sometimes as worship leaders and artists, we want the whole room to be on their feet and singing along with us in order for us to feel like we did a “good job”. The reality is, that’s not what God is looking for. At one of my more recent engagements, God showed me that my focus was on the wrong thing. I was focused on the people’s response so much that I was unable to see the impact my ministry had on one of the singers I brought with me. I had to get back into that frame of mind where if this gift God has blessed me with is able to touch just one person, then I have done my job. That experience was a reminder that God has anointed me for this and that I shouldn’t diminish what God has elevated.
That same week, I had the opportunity to minister at another church where I was reminded once again that I have been called to this ministry. I received such encouraging responses telling me that my “sound is so different” and that I’m “in my own lane”, and I used to not understand what people meant when they told me that. Then I realized that it was the different sounds that gave Gospel music the versatility it has today. It was the unique voices that makes the sound of people like The Winans so recognizable, yet unmatchable. So now when I receive that comment of “your sound is so different”, I thank God because He has trusted me with such a sound that does not fit in and because of that, allows me to reach many people.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My first single was completed in a 2-3 year timeframe which is a long time for one song. It wasn’t because the song itself was difficult to do or that it required a lot of work, but it was because I had to overcome the mental battles I was facing. At that time, I was struggling with confidence in who I was as a singer and artist, wondering if the song was good enough or if it was ready to be released. The thought even crossed my mind to not even release the song. All of these thoughts and mental battles caused me to keep delaying certain processes in the creation of my song. I kept saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” but tomorrow turned into next week, which eventually turned into months. To give you clear understanding of how difficult it was, I’ll tell you that I had the finished copy of my song for an entire year before I released it; all because I had to overcome that doubt in my mind. But I wasn’t going to let the devil steal my praise. He was trying to shut me up and bring me into a depressed mindset that I refused to receive which is when I got over myself and released my very first single, “Come On In”.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My main goal is to never stop. I never want to get to that point where I’m tired of using my gift even if it seems like no one wants to hear me. I sing for God and Him alone, and as long as He’s on His throne, that’s how long I’ll be singing. Along with that, I would love to travel around the world using my gift. I want to be in rooms with people I have studied musically. I look at people like Jalisa Faye who, in my eyes, is living her childhood dreams singing for artists that she grew up listening to. That’s what I’m looking forward to, my gift making room for me.
I also desire to get into vocal arranging and vocal producing, as I appreciate the ability to hear unusual notes and harmonies in music and hope to incorporate that not only in my own music, but in the music of other artists as well.
Lastly, I desire to inspire. I hope that the challenges I’ve overcome and will overcome in the future allow others to be encouraged to pursue their careers in whatever gift God has given them to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/JoshuaHarris1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.caelan?igsh=MTZndmlubWo1czFhcw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011529630520&mibextid=dGKdO6