Q&A: Josh Fudge Brings A Fresh Feel To Bedroom Pop
HOLDING A MUCH NEEDED GRASP ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A YOUNG PERSON IN TODAY’S ABNORMAL TIMES - 19 year old multi-instrumentalist Josh Fudge has got to be on your radar. Hailing inspiration from his birthplace Oklahoma City and absorbing the light and relationships of the people around him, Fudge reflects the beauty of what it’s like to exist in love and exaggerate the absolute vibrance of emotions. His recent singles “Feel Like” and “More To You” transport you to a dreamscape of the vibey bedroom pop many of us find comfort in.
The atmospheric lens of “More to You” conveys the absolute feelings of wanting to mean more to someone, who doesn't feel the same. The sense of longing is paired with dreamy cloud-like melodies, making this song bittersweetly relatable. His single “Feel Like”, is a wonderous track that accurately portrays the “falling head over heels” facet of love. The synthful and electric sound almost transports you into space, giving listeners just a snippet of what is to come in his up-coming projects.
Josh Fudge is a talent to be reckoned with, having collaboration with Fender, and a Rolling Stone feature under his belt, this kid is only headed up. Read below to learn more about what Fudge is up to these days and his plans moving forward.
LUNA: First off I would like to say Congrats on your Rolling Stone feature!
FUDGE: Thank you so much I thought that was super cool and I am just happy to see people really starting to care about this project. I obviously love and believe in it a ton, and it is so inspiring to see people start to take notice. I grew up reading Rolling Stone all the time, so it was a [crazy] moment for me.
LUNA: I heard that you started to become interested in music at a super young age, like 4 years old?
FUDGE: Yes I was 4 when I started playing the piano, and it was all downhill from there!
Nobody in my family plays [any instruments] except me, not even my extended family plays! I am [beyond] obsessed with music, I play all my own instruments and have spent my whole life [teaching myself] how to play and produce.
LUNA: Speaking of instruments, I want to talk about your Fender collaboration! Tell me about that experience
FUDGE: Yes! My first guitar was a Fender!! And I have been playing them for years! When they approticed me, they gave me just total creative freedom…My sister and I came up with this concept [link?] We went out and grabbed just about every paint sample at home depot and went to work. And it is such a great representation of what I’ve been working on. And when I was in LA shooting my “Feel Like” music video, Fender had it shipped out there to me and when I opened that box….just Wow.
LUNA: You grew up in Oklahoma City, do you take inspiration from your hometown? Or more so from your relationships with the people of Oklahoma?
FUDGE: Oh most certainly, I would say that a lot of my songs are inspired by the emotions and connection with the people around me. The great thing about living in Oklahoma, is that I have very quick access to nature. I often go out, and pull off somewhere, find a creek or pond, set up , take out my acoustic and just write. [Above all] I would say that the most influential thing about Oklahoma is the people. I have a group of incredible friends, and a team around me. I seriously would not be here without them. They are the reason I stay!
LUNA: Wow, that is awesome. I saw that you were headed to Nashville a couple years back to attend school at Belmont University?
FUDGE: You know, when going through the process of picking out colleges…I thought that it would be so stupid if I lived my life with “What If’s… I’ve spent my entire life [invested] in music! Then Covid happened.
My senior year was [diminished] because of Covid. We switched to online school and my university was going to be all online, which is not something I was doing well with. So I took a gap year, worked 40 a week at a warehouse and worked
150 hours a week with my music and producing to make the [Fun Times] project.
LUNA: Examining your first EP, I really admired the contrast between Fun Times and the actual meaning behind each song.
FUDGE: Yes, I purposely wanted to create this juxtaposition. This project was sort of a goodbye to my adolescence. You know I was going through one of the most hardest transition points in my life. I was getting ready to leave everyone and everything behind in my life to move to Nashville. I was leaving my family, my friends and I wanted to put all of that feeling into my music. Taking that year to focus on my music, and pour my heart and soul into it…. And I ended up getting a record deal!
LUNA: That is incredible. You said that you were saying goodbye to your adolescence. So what is next for Josh Fudge in his adult years? Do you have a goal or anything specific you wish to capture in your next project?
FUDGE: Wow I am so so glad you asked that question, the answer is yes!! With all my music there is that initial emotion and experience I am trying to convey, and with this next project, it is a hello to my adulthood. I get so terribly excited talking about it that I don't want to give too much away!
I hope that the new album speaks to a lot of people because it certainly speaks to me. It involves the confusion attached to that transition period, and I can't wait to see how much people relate and respond to it. I am incredibly proud of my last project, and I hope to look at it in the future and see how my style and experiences have changed.
LUNA: Well you can already tell you are headed somewhere great! You are a talent for sure, and I cannot wait to see how much you grow as an artist.
FUDGE: Thank You! And thank you so much for talking with me!
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