Wesley Joseph

Born in Birmingham and raised in Walsall, Wesley Joseph came up in the OG Horse collective scene — which also included Jorja Smith — before moving to London in 2016 to study film. This dual practice, musical and visual, has shaped his work from the start: Wesley Joseph writes, produces and often directs his own projects in a register that blends hushed rap, soulful singing, alternative R&B and electronic textures threaded with jazz touches. He drew attention with the self-released single "Imaginary Friends", then followed with "Martyrs" and "Ghostin’", tracks where intimate writing, supple rhythms and an almost cinematic approach to sound take centre stage. Alongside his music, Wesley Joseph made the short film "Pandomony" and has directed several of his videos, extending the same focus on memories, everyday details and the slippages between reality and perception into the visual realm. His collaborations with Joy Orbison and Lexxx place his trajectory at the crossroads of British rap, experimental pop and a restrained contemporary electronica, while retaining a DIY working method at the core of his identity.