Josh Kiszka
Joshua Michael Kiszka | |
|---|---|
| File:Josh Kiszka Paris.jpg Josh Kiszka at l'Elysée Montmartre (Paris) - 26 octobre 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | April 23, 1996 Frankenmuth, Michigan |
| Genres | classic rock |
| Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | vocals |
| Years active | 2012-present |
| Labels | Lava Records |
Joshua “Josh” Michael Kiszka (born April 23, 1996) is the vocalist for the rock and blues band Greta Van Fleet, which includes Jake Kiszka, Sam Kiszka, Danny Wagner. Josh’s distinct singing style with growls, shrieks, and howls is a key element to the band’s sound.
Formed in 2012 in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Greta van Fleet released their debut EP, Black Smoke Rising in April 2017.[1] Their second EP, From the Fires, was released in November 2017, and went on to win the 2019 Grammy award for Best Rock Album. [2] Anthem of the Peaceful Army was released in October 2018, hitting #3 on the Billboard charts its first week. [3] During the pandemic of 2019-2020, the band worked on their second studio album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate, which was released on April 16, 2021 and debuted on the billboard 200 at #7.[4]
Early years[edit]
Josh was born on April 23, 1996, 5 minutes before identical twin brother, Jake. The twins, along with younger siblings Sam and Veronica, grew up in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Parents Kelly and Karen created for their family “a very creatively free environment…surrounded by a lot of artists and encouraged to do so.”[5]
Most of the music in the house was from the parents’ generation. Josh “didn’t even really listen to modern songs until about the 6th grade."[5]
Nature was also an important part of the Kiszka family life. They would vacation in a cabin in Yankee Springs, Michigan, where they would spend time outside in nature all day and told stories around the fire at night. The cabin was the inspiration for their Grammy Award winning album, From the Fires.[1]
Their hometown was also important to the artistic development of the band. Josh described Frankenmuth as ”a tight community and a wonderful community filled with genuine loving people, supportive people”[6]
Role in the band[edit]
The foundation of Greta van Fleet was formed when Josh was in high school. Jake was catalyst, starting a garage band and writing songs.[1]
Josh’s powerful vocals “came out in practice as he struggled to be heard over the band.”[7] Jake remembers that he was surprised by Josh's voice, stating, “he came in with that belt and we looked at each other and thinking, like holy s--t man! You didn't know that he had that inside him. That's just how he sounds, so yeah, that was a shocking moment. It was very, very cool”[5]
Although “vocals are [his] instrument, Josh is also the band’s lyricist; he considers himself “primarily a writer.”[8] When creating lyrics, Josh listens to the instruction and melody, and asks “what is this song saying to me”[9]
Musical style and influences[edit]
Josh’s singing style, featuring growls, shrieks, and the rock version of yodeling, has been compared to Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin.[1] Josh has stated that while he appreciates the music and understands the impact of Led Zeppelin, he wasn’t trying to emulate Plant’s sound.[10] In a 2018 interview, when Plant was asked about this comparison, he referred to Josh as “a beautiful little singer.”[11]
Over the years, Josh has referred to various artists as being influential to his musical development: Wilson Pickett, Joe Cocker, Sam & Dave,[10] Dennis Rousseau, John Denver,[12] and Aretha Franklin.[9]
In 2017 podcast, Josh explained his appreciation for world music: Andean, Indian, Native American. Josh referred to this music as “a spiritual language…expressive…of those things that make us feel good to be alive and to human."[6]
Storytelling is central to Josh’s approach to music.[6] He has cited as influential literature he read growing up, namely Aldous Huxley, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck. [8]
Theater/Film[edit]
Before considering music, Josh had “a plethora of … interests;” acting, writing, comedy. “But most of all [Josh] wanted to be a filmmaker.” He was strongly impacted by the ability to tell a story on film. For a period, he was continually working on film projects, participating in all aspects: writing, casting, filming, scoring, for videos with budgets from $0 to $8,000. Josh continues to write, shoot, and direct videos and work on production design for the band.[8]
In an 2020 interview, Josh’s mother, Karen, said that Josh’s real love was still film, but that he is “helping Jake achieve with his dreams with music. And when it’s time. Jake will pause to help Josh with film.”[13]
TikTok viral video[edit]
On July 15, 2021 the owner of the TikTok account joshkiszkashair posted an 11-second clip from the band’s 2019 appearance on Saturday Night Live. The video focused on Josh’s performance of You’re the One, highlighting his expressive facial and hand gestures and his distinctive singing style.
While the original video had only 12K views by September 2021, the clip quickly spawned hundreds of TikTok videos commenting on Josh’s style and appearance or “dueting” with the singer using exaggerated gestures. These re-creations of the original video clip resulted in a viral TikTok sensation.
On July 20, the original account owner, posted a follow-up video explaining that her intention was to celebrate the band and Josh's style. The follow-up video, which had more than 400K views by the start of September 2021, stated that, although the video clip caused some criticism of Josh’s style, it also had the effect of boosting visibility and introducing band to new fans.
Shortly after the 11-second clip went viral, You’re the One returned to the Billboard charts, streams of the song soared by 508%, and sales skyrocketed by 1,900%. Sales of the band’s overall catalog increased by 122%. Other Greta van Fleet songs have seen increases as well.[14]
On 08/25, Greta van Fleet posted their first Tiktok video which featured Josh’s vocals on a new song Heat Above, the song’s video, a live performance, and shots of enormous crowds and adoring fans at a one of the first concerts in their 2021 tour.
Ironically, in an interview 3 months prior to the viral video, when asked about Tiktok Josh replied: “ No, I honestly don’t really know what that is, I kind of have an idea, but I don’t know how it functions.”[9]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Chartbreaker: Greta Van Fleet on Led Zeppelin's Influence and 'Living In the Resurgence of Rock'". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ "Greta Van Fleet Wins Best Rock Album". GRAMMY.com. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Childers, Chad (June 14, 2017). "Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka Talks 'Black Smoke Rising' EP + More". Loudwire. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Frazier, Kelly (2017-04-28). "Rock Band 'Greta Van Fleet' Call Frankenmuth, Michigan Their Home and Unleash a Bluesy Wonderland with New EP "Black Smoke Rising"". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ Hiatt, Brian (2018-01-09). "Inside Greta Van Fleet's Seventies-Rock Revival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Papadatos, Markos (2021-03-17). "Chatting with Josh Kiszka: Lead singer of Greta Van Fleet (Includes interview)". Digital Journal. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Greta Van Fleet on 'The Battle at Garden's Gate', TikTok and Stanley Kubrick | In Conversation, retrieved 2021-09-03
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Greta Van Fleet Bring Rock Back to the Future on Debut EP, Talk Influences & Brotherly Love". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ McCollum, Brian. "Robert Plant on Greta Van Fleet: 'They are Led Zeppelin I'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
- ↑ 8 Things About Greta Van Fleet You Should Know! | Billboard, retrieved 2021-09-03
- ↑ Greta Van Fleet - Momma Kiszka - 24 QUESTIONS about the Birthday twins, retrieved 2021-09-03
- ↑ "TikTok Trend Spurs Streaming, Sales Gains for Greta Van Fleet". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
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