My short stint as a musician

I used to be a musician.

Not a very good musician. But a musician nonetheless.

When I was pursuing the love of my wife (currently my wife), to my cringe-worthly dismay, 20-year-old Josh actually wrote and recorded a song for her in an attempt to win her over. As painful as it sounds, it somehow worked and ultimately gave me enough confidence to keep writing.

In an unexpected turn of events, Bre and I somehow got married on an MTV reality show (a blog post for another time), and that opportunity opened a few doors for me.

In 2006 I found myself recording my first album in Brooklyn, New York and simultaneously preparing to perform live on MTV in Times Square for New Years. It was wild.

I enjoyed the ride, but never had intentions of making a career out of it. I loved writing music (I’ve always been a creator at heart), but didn’t love performing.

In 2010 I hung up my guitar and removed all of my music from iTunes and Spotify. It was fun while it lasted, but I didn’t want to be known as a musician.

Fast forward to 2023. My daughter, Gwyn, found a box of my old albums in our basement and started asking questions. She listened to my music and became my biggest fan overnight (it only lasted about a week or two, before Ben Rector took my place). It was endearing and fun while it lasted.

She asked me why my music wasn’t on Spotify—I told her it used to be, but I took it all down. She thought that was a bad move and convinced me to put it back up.

In an effort to appease my 9-year-old, “Songs for Jude” by Josh Stewart is now available on Spotify (and everywhere else you might stream music).

I still cringe a little bit when I hear my 20-something-year-old voice, but I’m proud that I’ve always been willing to take chances and push myself out of my comfort zone.

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