Artist To Watch: Josiah Leming
After capturing the attention of millions across the world, Josiah Leming is preparing for the success that was apparent since he was a small child. It was at age 8 that the American born performer self-taught himself piano and began composing music in his childhood home in Morristown, Tennessee. The second of nine children, Leming was a natural talent from the very beginning. A talent he was eager to share with the world. When Josiah turned 17, he took a leap of faith to follow his dream. The singer-songwriter withdrew from high school, packed up his car, – which became the roof over his head – and moved to Texas.
Taking odd jobs to pay for the essentials by day and performing at open mic nights around the southeast by night, Leming felt content sharing his music with anyone who’d listen. His story was showcased when he tried out for the hit U.S. show American Idol. His initial audition and personal story touched the show’s audience and judges as he sailed through to the show’s second round. Leming was a predicted frontrunner in the competition early on and was deemed a favorite by the show’s controversial judge Simon Cowell. He was ultimately eliminated before the live stages of the series, which shocked viewers around the globe. The backlash from the singer’s departure flooded blogs and the show’s website. One new fan in particular used her influence to give the singer another shot; Ellen DeGeneres invited Leming to be a guest on her daytime talk show Ellen.
His personal website generated more than 4 million hits and his debut EP “Paperplain” sold over 10k digital copies, which caught the attention of many major labels in New York and LA. It was Perry Watts-Russell, best known for signing Damien Rice and Muse, who ultimately signed Leming to a deal at Warner Brothers Records. After signing with the label, it wasn’t long before Leming packed up and moved to London, where he recorded his first batch of major label tracks.
In 2008, the first 5 tracks from his London sessions were released on the “Angels Undercover EP”, which charted in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Heat Seekers chart. In 2009, the label released the second batch of songs from his 8-month stay in London on his “Punk Ass Rain EP”, but Leming was hungry for more. After a national tour with Better Than Ezra and The Calling, he took his career into his own hands broadcasting a live show from L.A’s Gibson showroom to more than 25k online viewers. The promotional stunt generated buzz surrounding the release of his debut LP “Come On Kid” and in September 2010 the album was released. Following the release and a tour with labelmate Tyler Hilton, Warner Brothers’ roster was reorganized leaving Leming on his own.
After the split, Josiah booked and promoted a tour on his own in Singapore and the west coast United States, while working his second album “Another Life”. The independent record was released in November 2011, featuring the breakout track “One Last Song”, which reached more than one million YouTube views and a legion of new fans. In 2012, Leming partnered with Chrysler on a nationwide tour in conjunction with the release of their new Dodge Dart, continued to develop a relationship with his now cult following and released a batch of new singles and music videos for his fans in late summer/fall, including the catchy tracks “Love Me Or Not” and “High”. As Leming continues to prepare for the release of his third record, his childhood dreams are, once again, grabbing the attention of the industry’s executives.
If history does indeed repeat itself, it looks like Leming may well be on his way back up to the top.
