Author's note: a version of this article appears in September 2010's issue of the Groove magazine. All photos in this post are mine, and may differ from the printed article.
Name three popular reggae artists. Go ahead. Wyclef. Bob Marley. and... and... yeah - the genre doesn't register very high on most people's radars. Being in Korea the genre is even less well known, if that's even possible. Enter Josh Roy - a Ugandan reggae artist that calls Korea home.
"I've been singing since I was 4 years old. My mom was the choir director, and the whole family was musical," Josh explained. After a turn as the lead singer of a children's band, he got into being an MC. "But being an MC in Uganda is different... instead of just introducing a band, you freestyle to a beat the DJ lays..." Josh said. By 20 years old, he was performing with a friend's band, along with his own projects. In 2005, he performed the title song for a very popular Ugandan soap opera called "Hand in Hand", and was even taken on an African tour to promote said show.
Josh first visited Korea in 2006. He began meeting producers and other artists ("Roger Wong Won...Benny Fax from the Space Rhyme Continuum... [and] William and Benny from Smooth Villainy" were a few names he dropped) while composing beats over the phone to his brother in Uganda - 10,000 miles away. (And you thought your phone bill was big.) Josh described the process by saying, "'I sometimes dictate the flow of the song and make suggestions to my brother Paul, back in Uganda who also runs his own recording studio. He sends me the beats by email. I've been quite busy writing songs and staking out recording studios here in Korea."
The music, in case you were wondering, depends on who he's performing with. "By myself, I do more of a reggae sound. With others, it becomes more of a hip-hop sound," Josh said. The self-titled 5-song EP combines reggae with the occasional Autotune and a number of effects heard more often in R&B and rap. He sings in Ugandan and English, and manages to mix religious and secular on the same record ("Soul Provider" is explicitly the former, while "Valentine" explicitly the latter). Collaborations are present on the CD (Gold Tea appears on one song), and it's a big part of his live show. "[I've also worked with] Rob Lee, a Korean American HipHop artist, Ryan "Da" Green with whom I've done a couple of Speakeasy magazine release parties, and Ronny Wanda also from Uganda", Josh indicated.
While Josh's first EP is available, you're far more likely to hear about him through one of his numerous live shows with other expat artists. Within recent months he's performed at Nelson Mandela's birthday party, Haebangchon Fest, a World Bellydance Festival, two Speakeasy release parties, a fundraiser after the Haiti earthquake, the Educate a Child fundraiser, and the recent Actors without Barders fundraiser last month and so on. Thanks perhaps to his exotic sound and stage presence, more than a few people check him out - then stick around to hear the full set.
For now, Josh's challenge remains the same as many expat musicians in Korea: an already established market that's not exactly open or accessible to foreigners. "We're trying to get to know the places", Josh said optimistically. That he's already performed in so many places leads me to join in his optimism and good times.
For more information about Josh Roy, search for "Fans of Josh Roy" on Facebook.
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© Chris Backe - 2010
This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.
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