Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joshua Maxwell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joshua, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Even though I always believed I would be a doctor, my parents did not pressure me to be one. Instead, they instilled in me the right values, which steered me in the right direction. The seed for my faith in Christ was established as a kid. I learned the importance of helping others, being a positive influence, and relying on God to guide me. I realized my passion for music because I put God first. I transferred from Wake Forest University after my freshman year of college because I felt like my faith was moving in the wrong direction. I was scared to transfer, but I took the risk, and it turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I could’ve made. I transferred to the University of Maryland College Park, and not only did my passion for music grow, but my faith grew as well. I was able to meet some great musicians and friends, and I created one of my favorite songs called “Doubt,” which I never would have made had I not transferred. I prayed a lot during this season of transition, and even though I was scared, I trusted God to guide me, and He did. My parents always had faith that God would lead them, and seeing their unwavering faith influenced my own. I am a teacher because I love inspiring the next generation. I try to inspire in the classroom and through my music, and I would not have this foundation without my parents.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Joshua Maxwell, and I’m a singer/entertainer as well as a language arts teacher. I first started making music when I was twelve years old, and my passion for music only grew from there. Not only was I making music, but I always enjoyed entertainment, so in college, I would create skits and short videos on Instagram in my free time. It took a couple of years, but I created my first viral video on TikTok, with one of the videos gaining nearly seven million views, and these viral videos led me to create a few cover songs by The Weeknd that also gained a lot of traction. I love that I can create fun and entertaining content that can brighten someone’s day, which is one of the reasons why I work hard to create content every week. It’s challenging being a teacher and an entertainer because I normally have homework every night, but creating art is my passion, and I want to use my God-given talent every chance I get. One day, I pray that creating and performing my music will be a full-time job, but in the meantime, I will continue to multitask and inspire the next generation through my music and teaching. Plus, it’s always great when my students discover my music and say, “Mr. Maxwell, you’re actually really good!”
How did you build your audience on social media?
It takes a lot of time and dedication to build an audience on social media. If you’re able to go viral, you have to be ready to create even more content because your fanbase is growing. And as you’re creating more content, you have to think about your ultimate goal. Do you want to be a performer and a social media influencer? And if you do, how can you get your fans to listen to your music? After going viral on TikTok, I received great advice from a friend who works with social media influencers. They said I needed to figure out how to get my fans to follow me on all my socials and not just one platform because it’s important that your success is never completely dependent on one app. For example, if I have a lot of followers on TikTok, but for some reason the app is no longer usable, I will have to build the same following again on another platform. The goal is to have your fans support you no matter what app you use, and since I’m a singer, my ultimate goal is to have fans that want to see me perform. I have built a solid following on TikTok after years of creating content and creating videos I enjoy. So, now I need to make sure that the fans will support the music and not just the videos on TikTok. My advice to anyone who wants to create content is to be patient and create videos that you love. You don’t want a video to go viral if you did not enjoy making it because then fans are going to expect you to keep creating that type of content. Make sure that the content you create is the content you love to make, and study the different platforms you are using. Understand the best times for you to post a video and what day. If you want to be an influencer, you need to study the apps you are using as well.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I love creating inspiring content and seeing how my art impacts other people. If I create a song, I love hearing about someone’s favorite part of the song. If I create a video, I love reading comments about how it made them laugh and smile. Music is an outlet for me to say what’s on my mind and present it in a healthy and fun way. Writing a song is one of my favorite things to do because I love the entire song-making process. It’s hard for me to highlight just one aspect when it comes to being an artist because there are so many things that I love about it. I’m just happy I get to use the gifts God has given me to help others when they’re feeling down and give them something to listen to or watch that will tug on their heartstrings in some way. I create as God leads me, and I write as God leads me, and I live with the results because I know I did the best I could.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/jmaxx101
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuamusicofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JOSHUA101
- Other: https://www.familyfirstmusicgroup.com/
