Since emerging in 2021, singer, songwriter, producer and director, Wesley Joseph has become one of the UK's most exciting artists. The artist recently released his debut album, Forever Ends Someday, which spans 13 emotional tracks that explore his personal timeline, identity and the moments that have made him the man he is today. We spoke to Wesley about crafting such a personal album, and what's next for him:

We just listened to the album. It's really beautiful, strong and thoughtful. Tell us about the genesis of this album. Is there a time you can pinpoint where it really started to take shape and you realise you're working towards your debut album? 

I think I'd realised I was working towards my debut album from the beginning - which is what made it so daunting at first. It probably all started to take shape about 18 months into the process when we all felt like we’d experimented enough and the things that had felt uncomfortable started to make sense with each other.

You've spoken about capturing moments from your childhood, teenage years and the future. Did you have an intention with this album? 

I would say capturing those moments was the intention - creating a full-length feature film version of my life and all the things I’ve seen and experienced. 

How do you think your upbringing in Walsall,  and now being based in London,  has made its way into your sound? 

I think the closer to the bone perspective comes from Walsall, and my imagination comes from there too. Being from a place like that really made me dream, as it felt like it was stripped of colour in many ways - which made me think with colour much more. Moving to London and being there throughout my twenties allowed me to immerse myself in a city that matched the energy inside my head. 

Was environment important to your writing process? We've read you recorded in LA, London, Walsall, and Switzerland. What did you take from these places and how have they infused into the album? 

Walsall allowed me to check back in with myself and a lot of the memories, nostalgia and perspective from my childhood that made me who I am - being there meant having a raw and honest look in the mirror. Writing on the mountain in Switzerland was the inverse of that, it was pure escape and really the most beautiful scenario you could imagine which inspired a lot of the more euphoric moments on the record. LA was less about the location and more about the people and it helped birth songs like “Seasick” and “Shadow Puppet.” London was my ground zero every day - normality in between the chaos. 

Who did you work with? Who really helped to shape your sound and what did you learn from them? 

The sound of the record was always something that existed in my head, but in terms of the people who helped realise it and moulded it into what it was, I would say Harvey Dweller for his textures, melodies and attention to detail. Ben Baptie for his relentlessness with the mixes and the approach in using both hardware and software so we had the perfect blend of something that feels rich and analogue but also something that feels original and lives in the future. Tev’n, Nicolas Jaar, A. K. Paul and Ryan Raines all added their own colour to the record. I also have my own very particular palette that I was very attuned while making and producing the record too. 

What have you learned about yourself through the making of this record? 

I understand my strengths and also my pitfalls as a human being a lot more. I also understand how to be kinder to myself and how to be the best person for me - almost like being a big brother to myself. I understand how to do that better now. 

Is there a song you're particularly proud of finishing? Perhaps one that was a challenge to express or get right ?

I would say “Distant Man” because it was the first one we started and - in its own way -  inspired so many of the other songs that it weirdly developed this weight and power that made it really hard to finish because I knew the potential of what it should be. It ended up being the last song we finished because I needed the growth and perspective of that time to actually be able to write it. 

Which other rising artists are you excited about? Who have you been listening to? 

I’m excited about Dame Dame. We’re from the exact same place and they’re like aliens - they push things forward and their projects going to be insane. I’ve been listening to Elijah Waters - “boy born by the river”

Is there something important to you that you're passionate about, and that you'd like to use your platform for, aside from music? 

I’m passionate about supporting people that feel like they don’t have a voice and finding ways to help their perspectives be heard. 

What's next? 

I want to make a load of music. I just want to make more music and keep discovering more. 

Listen to Forever Ends Here HERE.

@wesleyjoseph__