Listen to Joshua Kempen’s debut single ‘You Are The One’
I discovered Joshua Kempen a couple of months back when I saw him performing at a gig at the Bohemian. I was immediately drawn to this musician who cared not for creating a stage name but was able to single-handedly monopolize the entire stage and captivate an audience. A true singer/songwriter in the vein of Jeff Buckley, Joshua Kempen was able to portray emotion effortlessly with the use of rhythm and rhyme.
A couple days later I scoured the net to find his music online as I wanted to recreate the emotion I felt when watching him perform. The only thing I felt was sadness upon discovering that there were no official releases available online. The lo-fi recordings which were available didn’t quite fulfil my search for that same feel I felt at the Bohemian. It was no surprise as that is the general case whenever I try recreate live performance moments by listening to recordings.
This week saw Joshua Kempen rectify my anxiety with the release of his debut single ‘You Are The One’. The song was originally written on the piano at a time Joshua was listening to a lot of Blood Orange. “I wrote this song and I tried singing like [Blood Orange] and what came out really moved me. It didn’t sound anything like Blood Orange. But that’s why it’s ok to try sound like people – if you do it honestly the ‘you’ inside of it will be deafening.”
The confessional ballad see’s Joshua accentuate a yearning in the midst of a hazy soundscape floating on top of a lucid piano melody. “Sink beneath the melting sea/ See the flame which fires me/ Sit below the coming storm/ Find a fish to turn me on” he offers, arranging words with the finesse of a painter. “I use imagery to put the ideas of love and longing out there but I want it to move people so they need to decide what it is to them. But the building blocks, the Bible, the sinner, the prophecy, the vulnerablity, its there for you to recognise and work from” Joshua declares when asked to interpret the single.
‘You Are The One’ is the lead single off Joshua’s debut EP Midnight Ship which was recorded in Cape Town with Thor Rixon. The EP’s release is impending so be sure to follow Joshua Kempen on Facebook and Soundcloud to stay up to date.
Featured photo by That Guy With Glasses
