Pete Josef

Pete Josef is a Bristol-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose work gracefully bridges the worlds of soul, jazz, and pop with social awareness and emotional depth. Known for his warm, honeyed vocals and meticulous musicianship, Pete has grown from a celebrated collaborator into a singular voice in contemporary British soul.

Initially recognized for his debut Colour (2015), a record praised for its heartfelt songwriting and refined musicality, Josef quickly established himself as more than just a blue-eyed soul singer. His follow-up album I Rise With The Birds (2020, Sonar Kollektiv) deepened that legacy, revealing lush orchestral arrangements, subtle electronics, and an introspective yet hopeful tone. It was a personal work of renewal—written, performed, and produced largely by Pete himself—following a period of creative burnout and reconnection with life outside music.

While his melodic sensibility and genre-blending finesse continue to define his sound, it’s Pete Josef’s evolving lyrical voice that increasingly draws listeners in. His latest release, Defence EP, marks a bold step forward—musically and thematically. Here, Josef combines soulful grooves with incisive commentary on mental health, climate change, personal loss, and the need for social and political self-education.

The EP’s opener “Utopia” tackles the illusion of environmental virtue-signaling (“greenwashing”), driven by a Curtis Mayfield-esque groove filtered through a contemporary, South American-tinged lens. On “Sunny Side Up,” he vulnerably reflects on depression and the quiet strength found in community, while the sparse and stunning “Carbon” mourns his late brother and celebrates our return to the earth. “Lost Yourself” grapples with ego and artistic authenticity in a hazy, Stevie Wonder-inspired dreamscape, and the title track “Defence” issues a call to action—urging listeners to protect their freedoms through awareness and accountability.

Pete Josef’s music is rooted in soul, but it’s also about soul—its fragility, its resilience, and its place in a world full of complexity. Whether performing with artists like Manu Delago, Roni Size, or Rag’n’Bone Man, or crafting intimate recordings in his own studio, he remains a powerful voice for compassion, connection, and conscience in modern music.

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