|
 Musician Joshua Radin is gradually becoming a worldwide sensation. He finds inspiration by sharing his sentiment with an audience, and his modesty and sincerity are powerfully reflected in his work—and it’s that simple.
“I just like getting out of bed and thinking how I can be creative,” Radin told SoCal.com. “I think that’s what artists should do.”
Radin’s creativity has, so far, truly paid off. Performing this Wednesday at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, Radin returns to the U.S. for a string of dates after wrapping up an international tour, which had him performing in Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden, Australia and the UK earlier this month. His second album, Simple Times, released in September of 2008, reached No. 1 on both iTunes’ Top Album and Alternative charts within 48 hours. His fan base is led by Ellen DeGeneres (who personally requested him to perform at her private wedding in her living room) and “Today Show” co-anchor Hoda Kotb, and his first single, “Winter,” debuted on the hit sitcom “Scrubs” in a rare poignant moment with the typically icy cold Dr. Cox.
And believe it or not, he only just started five years ago—and not even on purpose.
“I wasn’t really planning on being a musician,” said Radin. “I started five years ago when I was in New York, and about a month after that, moved to L.A.”
Radin never had to hopelessly distribute demo tracks or scrounge for gigs. He fortuitously slid right in, which is not only rare, but could probably put a lot of struggling musicians in an impenetrable state of fury. So what was the initial, cataclysmic inspiration that sparked his worldwide fame?
“It really was just about a breakup. We had been together for six years, and then the relationship started to go sour. I didn’t really know how to tell her, so I put it in a song,” Radin said.
 Quite the double-edged sword he offered his ex: a break up for her, but a beautiful song for all. Once Radin performed the song “Winter” to college pal Zach Braff, the rest was history.
“I wrote a song and then I played it for him,” Radin recalled. “He was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you could sing.’” Braff then went on to tell the creator of “Scrubs,” Bill Lawrence, about Radin, who then included the song in an episode.
“Then I started getting all these e-mails from people asking about my record,” Radin said. “I didn’t even have any other songs.”
With nothing else to offer, he decided to see where his music could take him.
“I started writing about what was going on in my life. What I was feeling. I think because it was honest, people related to it,” Radin explained. “Then I started playing shows, and it pretty much took off after that.”
Quickly his music caught on, but not in the traditional way. “It’s been a steady build, kind of like this word of mouth thing. Not like clear channels,” he stated.
Word of mouth is arguably one of the best ways to reach a fan base, which prior to his music, Radin had relentlessly worked towards. Before his single landed in the hands of Lawrence, Radin was immersed in other arts—particularly screenwriting and painting—with no such luck as his spontaneous songwriting.
“I had been doing that for so long, searching for an audience. It felt more natural this way,” he said.
With music as his unintentional and successful calling, Radin still maintained a strong head. The audience was with him from the beginning, so he never felt the need to become someone else for the sake of fame. “The first thing they responded to was the music, so I didn’t have to compromise,” he said. “I can do what I want to do. I never had to think about commercial success.”
 In a culture saturated in tabloids and celebrity fascination, Radin can consider himself one of the lucky ones. His face is not recognizable enough to demand magazine covers and his lifestyle isn’t Hollywood enough to warrant trashy blogs. His debut was literally faceless and his music videos are simple, yet beautifully artistic. His fans loved him before they even knew anything about him, because his music speaks for itself—no flashy videos and big marketing strategies necessary.
But Radin isn’t completely disconnected with pop culture. As mentioned before, his big break came through television, but not in the traditional MTV way. With music videos becoming a dying trend, a better way to make the tube is through a highly rated show. With more and more users downloading music from their favorite TV episodes, it may just be a better conduit, as he has proven quite effectively.
As far as TV is concerned, teens have found him on “One Tree Hill” and “90210.” Others on “Scrubs,” “House,” “Brothers & Sisters” and, of course, one of the highest rated TV shows on the air, “American Idol.” He has even nabbed airtime on the career-making “Grey’s Anatomy.” Just look what that show did for The Fray. He’s also been included on various motion picture soundtracks, including The Last Kiss, Catch and Release, The Nanny Diaries and recently wrote a song specially for Max Mayer’s film Adam.
Even though his music has been on an impressive number of shows and films, he still does have a small handful of his own music videos. College pal Braff, who seems to have a heavy hand in Radin’s success, has directed all three of his videos. Most recently, the two friends worked together on Radin’s latest music video, “I’d Rather Be With You.” Costarring actress Katrina Bowden (“30 Rock”), the video is shot completely with old Super 8 and Polaroid cameras, sans special effects and digital editing. But without any classical training, Radin’s videos roughly reflect his music style. “I’ve sort of had to learn to be a musician on the road,” he said.
 Radin’s been on the road pretty steadily, but fully embraces touring with a positive and grateful attitude. “It’s not that I love being away from home, but it’s the only way I can get to play music every night, and I love doing that,” he explained. “I try and make people feel.”
Radin recently finished writing his next record, due out next summer, and as he approaches his tour’s end (Nov. 22 at the House of Blues in Boston), one may wonder what’s up next for the musician. Perhaps Radin will explore his earlier creative roots, particularly painting and screenwriting.
“I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point. I just like to feel creative every day when I wake up and sort of express whatever I am feeling and thinking. It doesn’t really matter the medium I choose—whether I get on a typewriter or pull out a guitar or whether I pick up paintbrushes,” Radin said. “Maybe my next record I make will be the last, and then I’ll make a movie or have a show at a gallery.”
Considering his honest and untainted music, a Radin film can definitely have some interesting potential. “I have been thinking about one, but it’s in the very early stages,” he confessed.
 There’s no doubt artists such as Radin can be refreshing in American pop culture. He doesn’t have excessive demands or any sense of entitlement. He writes music about how he naturally feels and performs for fans simply to share his talent. In fact, the perk he enjoys most from his success is something many dream of, while others seemingly sometimes take for granted.
“The best part is paying my bills by doing something I love to do,” he concluded.
Joshua Radin will be performing at The Music Box at the Fonda Wed., Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are just $20. To reserve your tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com.
|