Indie-folk singer-songwriter Joshu has released ‘Holding On’, the first single from his forthcoming EP, Way Back Home. Inspired by his Atlantic crossing and childhood reflections, the track captures themes of belonging, identity, and nostalgia, blending introspective lyrics with the warm grooves of his Caribbean roots.
Born in England and raised in Antigua & Barbuda from the age of two weeks, Joshu grew up immersed in the island's vibrant culture, enjoying mangoes, calypso, and the ocean. His musical influences span John Martyn, Jack Johnson, and Antiguan calypso legend King Short Shirt, giving rise to a distinctive sound that fuses folk intimacy with rhythmic depth. These influences are at the heart of Way Back Home, a record shaped by a transformative voyage across the Atlantic in 2019. Retracing his journey from England to the Caribbean, the EP wrestles with questions of identity: What does it mean to belong? Where is home?
Opening with the evocative line, “left my home in the warm rain,” ‘Holding On’ explores the complexities of Joshu’s paradisiacal youth and his sense of displacement as a second-generation white man in the Caribbean. The gentle refrain, “it’s not easy when you’re holding on so tight,” emerged from a singing circle in Guatemala, offering a poignant moment of self-forgiveness. The track was completed in Antigua during the pandemic lockdown, bringing Joshu full circle to the place where his story began.
Joshu first gained attention with his debut EP, Lines of Time, whose track ‘Where Did The Time Go’ amassed over 2 million streams and earned him the 2019 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Following the success of his 2023 EP, Ocean Daze, and a Mahogany Session performance featuring Way Back Home’s title track, Joshu is set to independently release the new EP in January 2025. The release will be followed by a series of intimate performances across the Caribbean and Europe.
Through ‘Holding On’, Joshu invites listeners to reflect on their own notions of home and belonging, underscored by his quietly powerful songwriting and the enduring rhythm of his Antiguan roots.