Singer-Songwriter Joshua Radin: A Travelin’ Man

Joshua Radin writes songs that inspire emotions in people. (Photo: Work by Minnayr)

Successful songwriters often find inspiration in various subjects and times. Taylor Swift mined gold from past relationships. In the 1960’s Bob Dylan wrote about politics, culture, and the Vietnam War. Gold-selling performing artist Joshua Radin has most recently found inspiration in his travels. These influences can be heard in his 2023 EP’s though the world will tell me so, volume. 1 and though the world will tell me so, volume. 2. Radin will be in concert at City Winery in the Strip District on March 26 and 27.

Radin’s distinctive, melodic singing voice, insightful lyrics, and deft acoustic guitar playing have garnered him a large audience including several high-profile fans like Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres. Degeneres loves his music so much that he performed on the “Ellen” show several times and even sang at her wedding to Portia de Rossi. Another big name, Zack Braff, who attended Northwestern University with Radin, pushed for several of Radin’s songs to be included in various episodes of Braff’s NBC (and later ABC) TV comedy, “Scrubs.” This led to over 200 film and TV placements for Radin’s songs. He has more than one billion streams and one million records sold. His 2008 song, “I’d Rather Be with You,” is his biggest hit, reaching no. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Radin has performed with many top stars including Ed Sheeran and Sheryl Crow. 

Radin spoke to Entertainment Central from Los Angeles. He said he always enjoys playing Pittsburgh and was a fan of Mr. Rogers. Asked how he would describe his music, he replied, “Journal entries set to music, pretty acoustic, I keep a diary, it’s very lyrical based. I try to make myself as vulnerable as possible. It’s how I connect to people, I keep it as intimate as I possibly can. I try to make people feel in my songs. If I had to choose between making people dance or making people feel, I would choose making people feel.” That’s certainly true with several songs from though the world will tell me. “Broken” and “My Father’s Eyes” take listeners on a very melancholy journey, then Radin brings them back up with “Dancing Dress” and “Running from the Dawn.”

Two years ago, Radin, who grew up in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, sold his house and most of his possessions; the rest he put into storage. He then embarked on a nomadic lifestyle. He says, “It’s been an amazing experience. I’ve been practicing minimalism. I’ve just been living that life of experiences over things, making memories. I just finished writing a new album and am trying to decide where to record it and what producer to work with.” 

I wondered how a minimalistic lifestyle and traveling around the world has affected his songwriting. Radin replied, “I think it’s been very beneficial because I notice the older I get the harder it is to stay open and curious. That’s sort of the impetus for me becoming nomadic and minimalistic. I spend my money on travel and experiences. I love immersing myself in a culture in a city in a country I haven’t been in. Maybe going for a month, renting an apartment and walking around meeting people, and making new friends. I just got back from Costa Rica for a month. I’m going to Antarctica in a couple weeks. Just trying to experience the entire world.”

Radin calls his two most recent EPs though the world will tell me so, Vol. 1 and vol. 2 , a travel diary,  having recorded songs in Stockholm, London, Paris, Lisbon, and Los Angeles. “I’d write a song and then if I was in a certain place I’d find a producer I’d like to work with and they would pull in a band. Ten years from now, listening to that album, it will be like watching a reel of slides and visually reminding myself, it will all come back to me.”

The EP’s sound is very cohesive despite having the tracks recorded in many different places with different producers and studios. Radin explains that he had a certain production palette for recording the songs. A 1949 Martin 0018 acoustic is his go-to guitar.

Radin was not a child prodigy on the guitar; he was a painter, art teacher, and screenwriter before the music bug bit him. “I bought a guitar when I turned 30 as a new hobby and taught myself some chords. I learned a few cover songs by Dylan, The Beatles, Paul Simon, Ed Drake, Eliott Smith—a bunch of stuff I was listening to and still do. After learning about seven or eight chords I thought to myself, ‘Well, I’m a writer, I should just write about what I’m experiencing.’ Very quickly the audience found me, organically. Having worked in creative fields, I had been seeking an audience artistically and this was the first creative medium I had ever chosen where the audience found me. I never expected to be professional by any stretch. After 20 years of doing it, I still suffer imposter syndrome.” 

Radin’s definitely not an imposter, and he will be sailing in a few months to Antarctica on an exploration ship with entrepreneurs as passengers. He said they wanted some entertainment and the voyage would give him an opportunity to see another continent. He also hopes to visit several places he hasn’t been to yet including Japan, Iceland, and Chile. Joshua Radin will begin recording a new album soon that will be released within a year.

Rick Handler is the executive producer of Entertainment Central.

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