Josh Ross on His UK Return, New Music, Akon and His Unexpected New Hobby
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
Written by Lauren Page | @LiveWithLP
He's not only taking the country music world by storm, but Josh Ross is heading back to the UK later this summer for a run of headline shows, alongside appearances at The Long Road Festival. LiveWithLP caught up with the Canadian star to chat all things new music, why UK fans are some of his favourites, and a surprise new hobby that had everyone talking.
It's hard to believe it's been two years since Josh last played Glasgow, but in that time his career has gone from strength to strength. With his second album Later Tonight, a string of new releases and an unexpected collaboration with Akon under his belt, there was plenty to catch up on.
"It's crazy!" Josh laughed. "I'm so excited to finally be coming back. This time they're my own headline shows too, which obviously takes a little more work to put together, but I'm just really looking forward to getting back over and seeing the UK fans again."
It's not just the headline tour keeping him busy either. Josh will also be appearing at The Long Road Festival, one of the UK's biggest celebrations of country music. For an artist who's spent the last few years building a loyal fanbase across the pond, returning to the UK is something he genuinely looks forward to.
"I never thought music would take me all over the world," he said. "The UK is honestly one of my favourite places to play. The fans really listen to the music and the lyrics, which I appreciate so much. Sometimes I have to ask them to be a little more rowdy between songs. To come over here and have people know the songs when I don't even live here is really special, and I'll never take that for granted."
If you've ever been to a Josh Ross show in the UK, you'll know exactly what he means. Fans sing every word back to him, and with plenty of new music released since his last visit, the setlist is getting a refresh too.
"I always look at what songs are doing well in different places," he explained. "What's popular in America or Canada isn't always the same as what's popular in the UK, so I'm excited to change the setlist a little and make sure everyone gets the songs they want to hear."
Since Josh was last on British soil, fans have been treated to Later Tonight, his long-awaited album. Rather than rushing into releasing a full-length record, he admitted he waited until the timing felt right.
"I'd always wanted to make an album, but I never felt ready," he said. "Some of those songs were three years old, some were six months old. It was years of writing that finally came together."
But despite finally ticking an album off his bucket list, the songwriting never stopped.
"As soon as you finish an album you think you'll take a break, but then immediately I wanted to start writing again. I feel like I've figured out where I want my sound to go now."
That new direction can already be heard in tracks like Wanted Me To Be, which showcases a much more vulnerable side of Josh than fans have perhaps heard before.
"I don't try to force songs to sound a certain way," he explained. "I just let the emotion lead everything. One of my goals is to let people into my life a little bit more. Wanted Me To Be was really the start of that."
While heartbreak and relationships have become recurring themes throughout his catalogue, Josh says that's simply because he's writing about where he is in life.
"I'd be lying if I sat down and wrote a love song right now," he laughed. "I'm still trying to figure my own life out, so I just want to write what's true to me. Hopefully people can hear where I'm at through whatever my latest release is."
One of the biggest surprises this year, however, came in the form of his collaboration with Akon on Drunk Right Now. Country and early-2000s R&B wasn't a crossover many people expected, but it worked brilliantly.
Josh revealed he'd actually been a fan of Akon long before he ever thought about making music himself.
"My older brother and sister always had Akon playing when they were getting ready to go out," he laughed. "I was probably six or eight years old singing along to lyrics I had absolutely no idea what they meant."
Originally written as a fun summer anthem, Josh never imagined Akon would actually agree to feature on the track.
"We sent it over and the only message we got back was, 'He's down to do it.' Then about a month later the song came back and he'd rewritten an entire second verse."
Rather than simply adding a guest vocal, Akon completely changed the meaning of the song.
"I'd written it as a party song, but he almost became my life coach in the second verse. It was really cool to hear his perspective and it made the song even better."
Away from the music, Josh also had fans scratching their heads recently after posting a photo featuring a taxidermy turkey in the back of his car.
Thankfully, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation...
"I've always loved fishing," he said. "Hunting is something I've only really got into recently. I enjoy being outdoors and respecting where your food comes from. The turkey was actually my first one - he's sitting behind me right now while I'm trying to work out where he's going to live in my house."
Before wrapping up, I asked Josh which artist fans should have on their radar right now.
"I've been listening to Bellah Mae a lot recently," he said. "She's doing something a little different and I really appreciate that. If you haven't listened to her yet, definitely check her out."
With a headline UK tour, festival appearances and plenty of new music still to come, it's clear Josh Ross' momentum isn't slowing down anytime soon. If this chat is anything to go by, he's just as excited to get back to the UK as fans are to welcome him, and after too long away, those upcoming shows are shaping up to be well worth the wait.
Josh Ross plays Saint Luke’s in Glasgow on Monday 31st August