The Debut Interview: A First Look Into Josceppi’s Life as an Independent Artist

Photo by WizFX

Josceppi—pronounced“Jo-Seppi”—is a local, independent artist from Norristown, PA. He does everything from owning a publication to being his own manager. Emma Vigiolto of Songbird Magazine sat down with Josceppi for his very first interview to talk about his roots, his process, and what it really means to do it all on your own.

Emma: “Let’s start from the beginning—how did you first get into making music?”

Josceppi: “I started with playing piano—it was a funny story. My grandma bought me a keyboard, and I ended up using it as a table—stuff just accumulated on it over time. Someone broke our TV, like threw some type of object at the TV, and it broke. We ended up putting the keyboard in the living room because there wasn’t a TV, and that night I learned several songs cause my grandma played a little bit. And that started my interest in playing music.”

Emma: “Was there a specific moment when you realized this was something you wanted to take seriously?”

Josceppi: “Oh, yeah. So, in October of 2023, I had my very first live show. It was a Halloween show, and I put a lot of work into it. Before that, I was just making music. I went to school for it, and I enjoyed doing it, but that show, I sold out. At the end of the show, I sang one of my songs, and all the people in there sang it back to me. In that exact moment, I gave up singing and let the crowd sing it back to me. That interaction was enough for me to be like, “This is definitely something I never want to stop doing.” After that point, I’ve been doing as much as I can to continue to grow. Before that, I didn’t really take it as seriously as I could. 

Emma: “Where did the name ‘Josceppi’ come from?”

Josceppi: “I made it up. Honestly, it’s kinda dumb. I wanted a clean, one-word name for when I played video games. So, I was like, what can I do that is one name, has ‘Jo’ in it—since my name is Joey—and that’s what I came up with.”

Emma: “Does ‘Josceppi’ feel like an alter ego… or just another version of yourself?”

Josceppi: “Not really, no. I’ve met people who are like two different people, and I kinda don’t like that.”

Emma: “You want to stay authentic to yourself.”

Josceppi: “Yeah. I will say there are points in my life where I’m not ‘all the way.’ When I’m on stage, it’s elevated, but it’s not anybody else. It is all just me. I feel like Josceppi is my name. I never really identified with Joseph—people just call me Joey. My full name is Josceppi.”

Emma: “How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you before?”

Josceppi: “I feel like it’s changing—definitely evolving right now. But I’d say—this is what I’ve been really working on—the idea of ‘the duality of man.’ The idea of how I can be very emotional and very soft and vulnerable—think black and white. And I can also be flamboyant, colorful, and in-your-face. It’s a combination of singer-songwriter: some big influences of mine are James Arthur and Justin Bieber. And then, also, big personalities and big sounds like Queen. Elvis was a huge role model of mine growing up—not as much anymore. 

My sound is modern, contemporary pop-rock. But I’m also not subscribed to that—I’m an artist and I write what I feel. In my marketing, I’ve had to learn the jargon, like, for example, really niche genres. If you can identify those, it’s a lot easier to pitch your music for it to be successful. Glam-rock is one that I’ve definitely targeted. That’s a big one.”

Emma: “What song of yours would you personally recommend to someone hearing your music for the first time?”

Josceppi: “I’d say either ‘HEART TO BURN,’ which is the latest track I released, or ‘Lovers Only Fall In Love Sometimes (feat. Mary Rose Brown).’ Those are the only two I would recommend because they actually fit the scale that I’m at now. All the other songs—they’re good songs—but I produce, mix, and master all myself. It took me a long time to feel like I was good enough. Now, when I look and listen back, my other songs don’t sound good to me. When the sound isn’t loud enough and you can hear that on Spotify, you’re automatically at a disadvantage. When people perceive music as being louder, it sounds better to most people.

So yeah, I would say to check out those two: ‘HEART TO BURN’ and ‘Lovers Only Fall In Love Sometimes (feat. Mary Rose Brown).’ ‘Lovers Only Fall In Love Sometimes (feat. Mary Rose Brown)’ is for people who like soft, lovey music, but if you want something a little bit more hardcore, I would say ‘HEART TO BURN,’ cause it’s super in your face.”

Emma: “How has the community and area you live in shaped your identity as an artist?”

Josceppi: “I went on tour with Parker Barrow in April of 2024. They’re a rock n’ roll band, and they were the first people who encouraged me. I always liked fashion, and I started getting into it more. When I went on tour with them, I put on some crazy outfits, and they wouldn’t discard me for it. Most people would be like, ‘c’mon now, that’s crazy,’ but they thought it was cool. That opened my eyes to how fashion can play an integral part in my identity as an artist.

Another example of community was the show in October that I already talked about. It was a Halloween show, so everyone was dressed up. The point of that show wasn’t me—it was the experience. I had people volunteering to scare—you were getting scared in this building.”

Emma: “Like, during the show?”

Josceppi: “Yeah, it wasn’t just a show—it was a Halloween event. That opened my eyes to the fact that people want to be entertained and have a good time. As good as I can be, if they aren’t having a good time, then they’re not going to remember it. That’s where my sense of community came from. I feel like I just naturally understood that stuff. At my last show, everyone came out in animal print, and it was so sick.”

Emma: “Animal print seems to be a part of your identity as an artist. Is that a wrong assumption to make?”

Josceppi: “No, that's not wrong at all. When I was around the age of four, I loved tigers and jaguars, and I would like, crawl on all fours and meow at people—typical four-year-old stuff. I used to tell people to call me Rajah, which is the tiger’s name from Disney’s Aladdin. I guess that’s what started my association with animal print. I’m an animal in the sense that I’m crazy. Plus, I think animal print looks sexy.”

Emma: “Do you have something about your creative process that might surprise people? Like maybe your setup is a little different, or do you have any rituals—not ‘culty’ rituals, but anything you do before you start making music or writing?”

Josceppi: “I will say, anybody who has one singular method of creation is probably lying. It’s very unnatural, especially when it comes to inspiration. Things happen, life happens—it can come in the most random and obscure ways. It will be different every time. Every song of mine was created differently. Within that, I’ve learned things about my workflow that come together.

I haven’t noticed anything I do is particularly different, but I wrote a song called ‘If Only Now,’ which is about my mom passing away. I have this leopard print blanket that belonged to her, and when I wrote that song, for a week straight, I would wake up in the morning, light my candle, put the blanket on the ground, and stand on top of it. I would just let myself really feel the essence that it is time to write this song. When someone passes away, those emotions don’t necessarily go away, and I felt like it was time to write about it. So that was like my little ritual. There’s a lot of spirituality involved. If you feel like you're the reason why this music is coming out, you’re wrong. It’s flowing through you. It’s already there—I truly believe that. You’re not pulling these things out of thin air—they’re here and around us. Whenever you force lyrics or music, there’s always something missing.

Emma: “You’ve worked with artists like Damian Baird and Mary Rose Brown—what do you look for in a collaborator?”

Josceppi: “I think, just somebody I feel a connection with—whether that’s a vibe or feeling comfortable, creatively. It can’t be surface-level. I haven’t done much collaboration, but when I have, they are people I enjoy creatively. Mary wasn’t much of a collaborator, but more of a feature. I wrote the lyrics, but wanted a woman’s voice, so I asked her to be on the record. She’s such a good singer—literally killer.”

Emma: “Is there anyone you dream of collaborating with in the future? It can be unrealistic, like any artist—dead or alive.”

Josceppi: “Freddy Mercury. Jim Morrison. Those are the two. But alive—because dead’s no fun… I actually have never thought of this—I’m so boring. I feel like ROLE MODEL would be to die for. I love ROLE MODEL. He exudes the most femininity in a man. I’d love to collaborate with him, but I don’t feel worthy yet. I still have work to do.”

Emma: “You have to manifest it.”

Josceppi: “Yes—manifesting ROLE MODEL.”

Emma: “So, what’s next for Josceppi—any projects, visuals, or shows coming up that people should watch for?”

Josceppi: “Content. Content. Content. I’m so focused on continuing to be consistent with that. There’s no success without cracking the algorithm.”

Emma: “And where can people find you on social media?”

Josceppi: “I’m @Josceppi on everything. You have to spell it right, of course, cause I’m not big enough for the search engine to be like, ‘oh, you mean you’re looking for this guy.’

I’m also working on an album. There’s no time frame for that right now because I truly am still finding what I want. The songs I already have for the album—oh my god—are just unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. They’re so uniquely me. That album is gonna be along the theme of ‘the duality of man’—like I mentioned before. I believe that is going to be the name of the album, but I haven’t decided yet.

I also have a show on August 15th at the Bridgeport Rib House in Bridgeport, PA. I don’t have the biggest schedule lined up for the year—that’s one of my goals for 2026. I want there to be more structure for my gigs throughout the year so people know when to see me perform live.”

Emma: “And just to close things up, at the end of the day, why do you think your music matters—to you and others?”

Josceppi: “I think my music is real. The most important thing is that everything I’ve written about is something that other people have and will go through. It’s relatable. People aren’t obligated to do anything, so the only way they’re gonna listen to my music is if I captivate them.” 

Be sure to check out Josceppi on all major streaming platforms and follow him across social media to stay up-to-date on new releases and upcoming shows. With raw lyricism and full creative control, he's an artist you won’t want to sleep on.