coursework media

1. Exclusive Interview:
Josh Taylor
Life through his eyes
He’s topped the charts, collaborated with Drake, picked up a Brit Award and become an
international superstar
JoshTaylor,a recentdiscoverywithinthe new album“Nemesis”releasedlastmonth, tookupon
generatinghavocwithinthe mediainjusta couple of hours.It revealsateenage lifefull of raging
hormones,dreamsanda 10 milliondollarsuccessasitbecame the No.1 Albumwithinaweekof its
release inthe US alone.Thiscollaborationof grittinessandsilkinessof hissoulfulphrasingisan
intoxicating45minutesof Smokeypleasure,anditishardto believe that,until he uploadedhisself-
made videoof the sensational “you”onYouTube lastsummer,JoshTaylorwas‘virtually’unheardof.
His wonderfullycheekypersonalitydidn'ttake usbysurprise whenMusohad the pleasure of
interviewinghiminhishometown,Manchester,one afternoon.Aswe beganchatting,itbecome
clearthat no wonderthe once equivocal adolescenthasturnedoutto be a global sensation,winning
the heartsof hisfansand landinghimself twoGrammy’sforhispreviousalbum- “nowindwithout
rain”.
We are shelteredfromthe screamingfansinone of the festival tentsbehindthe mainstage,and
almostinstantlybegin discussingthe successhisalbumhasbroughtandthe current artiststhat
helpedhim“make itbig”.
It isclear that youmade a big impactwithyourlast album-“nowindwithoutrain”- andnoone
thoughtanyone,letalone someone whohasnotbeeninthe spotlightforwhat seemslike only2
minutes,couldreachthe successyouhave gottenwithinaweek’srelease date.How have youtaken
to the success“Nemesis”hasgottenwithinjustacouple of hours?
It’sall happened so quickly!I’mso gratefulforall my fansthathavesupported methrough,whatit
felt like a neverending process…but,I don’tknow,I’mjustreally overwhelmed by it all. Like as you
justsaid my last albumwentto No.1within a week,butthis time it wentto the top within couple of
hours.Ithink everyonewho worked on thealbumwith mewould agree on me saying that,I and my
teamput a lot of effortin to the lyrics, thecompositions,and justtheoverallworkingsof the album,
and we’reare so happy thatit hasbeen an even bigger successthan lasttime.
I heardthat Drake actuallysawyourvideoonYouTube of the veryfirstsongthat youreleased –
“you”- and askedif ‘you’wantedtodo a collaboration.Isthattrue?
It is and I wasquite surprised.I actually thoughtsomeonewasprank calling me(laughterfilled the
tent),butno it washim and he said howmuch he liked the song and how he felt like I was whatwas
missing fromthe music industry.BeforeIcould thankhimhe asked if I wanted to comedown next
weekand record it. It was such an amazing experiencethatI’ll never forget.If it wasn’tforhim I
wouldn'tbedoing whatI’mdoing with the amountof successIhavenow:My life haschanged for
mostprobably foreverand Istill can’tgrasp thatit’s reality.
“Everythingis so newto me and I still haven’tprocessedthe fact that I have 1 millionfollowerson
twitter!” (Pull Quote)

2. It isamazinghowbig of a fanbase you have got acrossSocial-networkingsitessuchasTwitterand
Facebook,butdo youthinkthere’sapointinwhich the fame can be toomuch?
Yes, of course.I’mstarting to feel the pressurefromthe musicindustry aboutdeadlinesforalbumsor
when and whereI should tour,or even havemy nextinterview.I don’tknow much aboutitas I have
only been doing whatI’mdoing professionally fora coupleof yearsnow,butI think it can getto
people’sheadsand can changethemin a way thateffectsthe way they look atthe world;fameis a
kind of lifestyle you can easily get caughtup in, it can either makeyou or breakyou.I don’tknow
whatit’ll do to me, hopefully something forthebest.
I knowthat “jumpstart” from“No WindwithoutRain”,particularly,wasaboutthe successyougot
fromYouTube that I heardyou mentioninaninterviewawhile back.Diditinfluence “Nemesis”as
well?Andisthere anythingelsethatinfluencedyournew album?
Kind of,I can’tsay it didn’tbecausemy life haschanged sincethen becauseof themedia
In a goodor badway?
Oh definitely forgood,butit hashad a negativeeffecton my relationship with my friends.But you
win someyou lose some.I could say thathas influenced my albumin a way,there’sa lot moreviolent
songsthan my last album.Ialso thinkthatDrake hashad a massiveimpacton the genre of my
music.He really helped me find my own style and that’swherethe sortof ‘raspiness’in some of my
songscomesfrom.
It isonlypredictable whetheryourfuture albumsorsingleswillmake No.1- itmostlikelywillthough
judgingbyyourrecentsuccesses,butwhere doyousee yourself inthe future?
Oh…errm…I really haven’tthoughtaboutit.Ihavejustbeen focusing on oneday ata time. I don’t
like to think it as a wholebecauseit feelslike I’mwishing my life away…butI guessI would like to
see myself playing at theO2 arena and performing attheGrammy’s.Butif we’re talking justabout
me, I see myself in a hugemansion in America with a couple of Ferrari’sand Lamborghinis…and,of
course,a pool.
Aftera walk-throughof hischildhoodmemories,the daycame toan end,and Jay-Tmade hisway to
hisnextbiggig at the MEN Arenaforhisworldwide “Nemesis”Tour.
“FAMEIS A LIFESTYLE YOU CANEASILY GET CAUGHT UP IN” (Pull Quote)