It's not everyday that an art director transitions to being a singer-songwriter, but then again, Josh Dean's talent knows no bounds. Just four years ago, the Alabama native, who studied Business Marketing at Morehouse College, was humbly carving out a lane all his own by infusing art, business and music.
From interning for multi-Grammy award winning producer Bryan-Michael Cox and photographer Derek Blanks to designing the cover-art and campaign for singer-songwriter and producer Maejor's (formerly Bei Major and later Maejor Ali) hit single "Lolly" featuring Juicy J & Justin Bieber. Dean's hustle was one that couldn't go unnoticed.
Soon after, Dean found himself being groomed under the tutelage of Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Records, where he would prepare visuals and packaging for the collectives’s compilation EP The Eephus. His biggest break would present itself when Wondaland recording artist, Jidenna enlisted him to contribute vocals for his chart-topping debut record, Classic Man, which was nominated for the 2015 Grammy for best rap/song collaboration and featured in Oscar winning film, Moonlight.
Describing himself as the next iteration in a wave of millennials from a nostalgia era, Dean's sound is one that incorporates a striking variety of pop and R&B and brings a dynamic dimension that's yet to harmonized in the industry.
