Josh Arce Is “773” Forever

Written by Vocalo Radio on September 18, 2020

*^{Photos courtesy of Sweet Music Inc.}*

Josh Arce has been a part of the music world since he was 16 years old.

Moving from the church choir to rock stages and beyond, Arce has landed on his current intriguing blend of pop and hip-hop just in time to be featured on this month’s “Poised to Break Through” series.

How would you describe your sound, in your own words?

I think I’d describe my sound as a love child between pop, trap and R&B. I’m into so many different kinds of music so I always try to reflect that in what I do. I just make what I like. It’s all about catching the vibe in that moment.

Your latest song “Phases” is a nice uptempo, poppy sound, but prior projects have been a little closer to the sonic world of hip-hop and trap. Who are your biggest musical influences now?

Right now the Neighbourhood is always on repeat. I love how they cross genres and make it so dope. They’ve always been a huge inspiration to me for as long I can remember. I love the Weeknd too – his new album definitely put me in a different headspace and helped me embrace my dark side on my new project, but honestly my favorite artist right now is NoCap from Alabama. I’ve been studying his flows and bars and the way he attacks his beats. He’s definitely influenced the hell out of me.

It seems you’re a proud Chicago native. Which neighborhood are you from? Would you say Chicago has influenced your music making?

Yeah, Chicago born and raised. I grew up in Logan Square, Mozart Park area. I love my city a lot and it’s influenced so much of my life, even besides music – from the way I dress to the way I talk. There ain’t no other place like Chicago. 773 forever.

You got your start pretty recently. Have you been performing most of your life? What moved you to share your music with the world?

I’ve been performing since I was about 16 when I started leading services at my church, and then joined a rock band where I was playing venues like House of Blues and Lincoln Hall. In 2018 I changed directions and left the rock scene to write different projects and do what came naturally to me, and here we are two years later. I’ve dropped quite a few records over the last year and the response from fans and people around me just really inspired me to share all this new music with the world.

How has the recent pandemic impacted you as a creative? What does your creative process look like now in this new normal?

Honestly, when this all started, I was worried about how it was going to affect my project or if people would … even care about my new music with the world going through a pandemic. My team and I kept our heads down and worked even harder. It just made me … want to go as hard as possible. So my creative process never really changed, the new normal is pretty much the same normal it’s always been for me. I’m just blessed to have people around me who make it feel normal.

Do you have any projects on the horizon we should be expecting? Something you’re looking forward to?

I’m really excited to announce that I’ve been working on a new album and it’s just about finished. So you can definitely look out for that. I’m so happy with the way it turned out and it’s the project I’ve always dreamed of putting out. Crazy that it’s going to be my first. I have so many amazing producers, artists and engineers that have helped shape the album and brought my vision to life. I also just can’t wait to be able to hit the road and play this album every night in every city. Hopefully next year!