Twenty-year-old singer/songwriter Josephine Mitchell took up music professionally some five years ago. However, her love for music began before she had even reached six years old; she sang along in church.
“The first time I sang in front of a crowd I was only seven years old at the Watooka Day Primary School. It was a nerve-wracking moment, but I really did it for my mom because she is the biggest inspiration in my music career,” the Lindener said.
Josie, who is an alternative rock singer, also sings RB and Popo. She has performed with the Feed the Flames for quite some years. And when she is not performing with the group, she does independent gigs sometimes once or twice a month.
Asked at what times she finds herself singing and whether she is a bathroom singer, Josie shared that she sings randomly and admitted to being a bathroom singer as well. Her favourite song to sing, is “Wind Beneath My Wings”.
Her inspirations include singers like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, and she shared that she manages to pull high notes also. The artiste can play the piano as well and is currently taking classes for this.
Josie shared that as a little girl she used to hear her late mother singing around the house and at church. Her mother, who passed on four years ago, she said, was the foundation of where she is today. Getting emotional, she added that if there was one person she wished to have around today especially when she takes to the stage, it would have to be her mother.
Josie said she took lessons online through the Ken Tamplin Vocal Course.
“I love knowing that I can put a smile on people’s faces and knowing that I touch them in a way that not many people could. More so, I love it when they can relate to my music. I love seeing how happy they get. It’s an overwhelming feeling, I can tell you that for sure. I enjoy every bit of it,” Josie said.
To date the singer has had gigs and concerts around Guyana and also outside of the country, including in Trinidad, Suriname and the United States. The biggest concert she has ever performed at was the Skyy Rock Festival.
“As an artiste some of the challenges I would have faced would have been financial challenges and also with the promoters… Most of the promoters they don’t respect the local musicians and I think they don’t because it would affect them not having the required support from the Guyanese fans,” Josie said. “Females have a harder time getting the support they need than male artistes. Then there are other challenges such as having to put a smile on your face even when you don’t want to because now you are someone else’s role model and people are watching. On a scale of one to ten, I would say that we have the support of the country probably at four and a half. I won’t blame the musicians for this because promotion is very important and making a name here is a very hard thing to do and with this generation right now it’s very hard to please them. I believe it was easier to please the previous generation with my kind of music. We need to have local music played more on air than the foreign music as well as having our promoters promote more of our local artistes.”
Josie would like to see musicians treated with respect and also for copyright to be respected.
Recalling an incident that taught her a lesson, Josie said she was asked to perform at a particular show. Not only was she planning on performing but she was planning on doing so for free. A few friends had figured out what the outcome would be like and warned her against performing. Nonetheless she went ahead. However, the show ended without her ever having gotten on the stage. This incident bothered her because she took the time to show up and the person in charge did not respect her time or effort. She now does more research into the and promoters before she signs on with them.
For the first time, she is working on an EP, which she hopes to have released in time for Christmas. The EP is expected to have six of her songs. To date Josie has written four songs: “Far Away,” “Forgive,” “Give It My All” and “Worth It”. She is currently working on her fifth piece. Of the four songs her favourite is “Far Away”, which speaks about weaknesses she would have dealt with during a dark time and being able to defeat such thoughts.
How does she tackle writer’s block? Josie shared, “I go through this a lot and the best thing to do is not to force it. Take some time off, relax your mind and probably get something to eat then go back to it. There’s no rush; always remember that.”
Currently being a singer is Josie’s only job and while this is difficult as a local artiste, she endures the struggle. She took the opportunity to encourage upcoming singers: “Nothing comes easily so don’t you dare give up! Forget about the others who doubt you, don’t give in. Be a true believer in yourself and have courage and confidence in what you do. Keep pushing and stay focused. Don’t be afraid to let go; just be you.”
Currently Mitchell’s main focus is to continue building her music career and making her name a household one in Guyana and someday doing the same for herself internationally.
Apart from being a singer, Josie is also a freelance model. Her favourite outfit to flaunt is a classy two-piece whether a pants or skirt.
In her free time the Taurus stunner works on her writing skills, goes to the gym and practices her hardest on the piano.
Josie’s favourite dishes are seafood and hot chicken wings. She loves the colour green though she has sported lots of black.
Josie can be followed on Facebook at Josie Official, on Instagram @Josie.official and on YouTube at Josi Live.
