Who Is Joshua Dylan Balis? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Today, our spotlight shines on a rising artist hailing from Texas. Joshua Dylan Balis is an incredible musician, who won us over with his unique country-folk-rock sound. The singer-songwriter is a true-blue artist, and we are excited to champion his music.

“I grew up in Dallas, Texas, where I was born and raised,” began Balis. “Music was always there. My dad played bass in a band for most of my life. He’s been in bands all of my life. From an early age, the singer was hooked on music. “I started playing guitar probably about 5th grade. I would just noodle along in my room finding melodies, and I guess I never really looked back.”

Balis recalls being inspired by his father and his love for music. He knew that this was what he was put on earth to do. “[My father] was the one who had strict standards for not listening to pop radio, and he would burn me CDs of classics or whatever he liked.” According to the artist, he took a liking to artists like Tom Petty, Coldplay, and The Strokes. Later on, in high school, Balis found more inspiration in artists like The White Stripes, Bob Dylan, and Townes Van Zandt.

His love of music transported him into different iterations of his musical career. “I made an EP a few years ago that I didn’t promote called ‘Modern Gospel.’ […] I put that out and then instead of promoting it, I started this band, and we immediately went into the studio and made this record. We made the record and then immediately broke up,” shared the singer. After the record was shelved, Balis found himself wanting to make a major change in life: enter Nashville.

The Turning Point:

“I needed a clean start, ” shared the singer, when asked about what prompted his move to Nashville. With a desire to just record in Music City, and to see what happens, Balis set his sights on just that. After a heart-to-heart with his uncle, a fellow musician, the singer connected with Omni Studios. Interestingly enough, the studio that he ended up connecting with was actually not the one he was originally recommended to.

“Come to find out three months later that the studio we had been recommended was in Austin, and we had just called the wrong one [in Nashville], shared Balis. “It was serendipitous and we flew out and we recorded three songs, and we loved the way they sounded, and decided to go all the way.”

Shortly after that, Balis made the move to Nashville, and his record We’re On Fire was born. “I need to make a change, something has to happen now,” shared the singer, just prior to committing to the project. “That was truly the impetus behind this songwriting on this record.”

Today:

After spending 2019 crafting the album, Balis was forced to wait a few years before its release, due to the pandemic. Finally, we can say that We’re On Fire will officially be out this Friday, May 13th. The album is a true record of faith, integrity, and a whole lot of talent.

According to Balis, “The process for most of these songs is me alone in the room with an acoustic guitar, early in the morning. Usually, I’ll pour a cup of coffee, and starting at 7AM., I just write and whatever comes, comes. Nine times out of ten I don’t have an objective, I don’t have something I want to write about, I just like to follow the muse and see where it goes.”

When asked about the title track, the singer-songwriter further shared his inspiration for the mesmerizing song. “‘We’re On Fire’ started out kinda as a rift, it was a little melody that I was messing with. I had all the verses and the bridge written, most of it but the hook, began Balis.
“[Then] There was an apartment fire in my building, scared the hell out of me […] It shook me a little bit, got me thinking about time and its passing, and then it ended up being sort of a driver for the hook.”

As fans wait for the record to officially come out, they can anticipate hearing the record performed live at one of Balis’ upcoming shows. Click here for a full list of tour dates.

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