Today our spotlight shines on a Tennessee-born artist, Josh Kiser. Growing up just outside of Chattanooga, Kiser’s path to music is an interesting and heartwarming one. Always inspired by music, it is clear that the singer-songwriter is living in his passion.

“What really inspired me to get into music was my uncle, he played bass in Nashville and stuff like that,” Kiser shares. “He gave me my first record, which was ‘The Eagles: Greatest Hits,’ and I just started kind of dove right in to all of that stuff, and I really stuck with the 80s, 90s, music and stuff like that.”

Music was something that his whole family was interested in. From a young age, Kiser recalls trying to get his hands on as much music as he could. “Music was a real hobby. I would sit there and listen to a record,” begins Kiser. “I really didn’t listen to any current music whatsoever, it was always like Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and The Eagles, and Travis Tritt, and things like that.”

That rhythmic, throwback sound followed him throughout his life and even into his career; however, he did not know that at the time. “I never actually thought music was going to be in the cards. I always loved it, but I never thought I’d be doing it for a living now.”

The Turning Point:

Growing up, Kiser never sang in front of anyone, but he credits the church for helping him craft his vocals and his guitar skills. “I grew up in the buckle of the Bible Belt, so naturally the youth group heard that I was playing guitar and stuff, so I ended up doing that whole thing,” shared the singer.

Despite a love for music, it was a friend of his, who really believed in his talent. Kiser recalls a funny story that truly started it all for him.

“I was doing engineering through the road department [as a job],” begins Kiser. “I was actually doing that and a buddy of mine, I was working out at the gym one day, he was like ‘hey man I heard you sing this song, will you sing it for my birthday party?!’.” Kiser agreed.

This led to the singer being recognized by producer, Nathan Chapman, after his friend’s wife posted him singing online. He was subsequently invited to take a meeting in Nashville and earned himself a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music.

“I moved to Nashville and quit my job. I went down on Broadway and I knocked on every single door that I could to try to take every opportunity I could […] It’s one of the biggest blessings I have had in my entire life.”

Today:

With a little over two years under his belt, Kiser continues to make a name for himself in country music. Staying true to himself, the artist creates music that is both meaningful and captivating. “I want to write songs that mean something,” shared Kisser, adding, “When I started the songwriting thing, I started studying really really hard, songwriters like Dean Dillon and people like that who paved the way of striking a chord of a melody to a memory.”

Currently, Kiser has released a few songs with “Whiskey Wins” being the most recent. According To Kiser, “That was the first song that I ever really got to be honest and vulnerable with myself in my songwriting.” Written by Kiser with Trent Fisher, “Whiskey Wins” is a true standout, honest, and gritty song.

“I wrote that song to try to touch people’s hearts and for somebody who has an issue with drinking or it could be any vice, I just wanted to speak directly to that and say ‘hey you are not alone and you are able to overcome that kinda stuff.’”

Fans can look forward to more honest and raw music coming from Kiser real soon. The singer-songwriter has an EP in the words, perfectly titled, When Kountry Was, as well as, more new music on the horizon.

The upcoming EP is truly just the start for the singer. “These songs that we’re putting out are the first songs that I ever wrote in Nashville. And kind of just paving the way and building the blocks of the foundation that we’re trying to build a house up on. I’m just really looking forward to that.”

Keep your eyes and ears pealed for the singer. He is the real deal!

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