"Pretty Lies" by Anton Joseph
Folk-pop singer-songwriter Anton Joseph is a twenty-six-year-old talent whose story is full of ups and downs. Born in Romania, Anton was adopted and grew up in Ireland and is now based in Germany. He's a gypsy, a musician of the world really, having appeared in several talent competitions. Anton left Ireland for the UK where he worked at a shoe store and on his music before moving to Spain's Puerto Rico de Grand Canaria, keeping busy at a law firm, a surf school, and bartending locally. Then he returned to Romania, earning a spot on X Factor UK in 2015. Anton became a finalist on X-Factor Romania in 2017 and found his biological family. He later appeared on The Four Romania and most recently in 2019 on Romania's Got Talent. Covering hit songs by balladeers Eric Clapton, George Ezra, James Arthur, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, and Julia Michaels, Joseph showcased his slightly raspy, captivating tenor voice.
Every year Anton got better and better. He's been busking all around Europe, impressing with his vocals and mouth trumpet skills while writing songs, including the recently-released electronic-pop song "Pretty Lies" about the moments uncovered as a relationship progresses. Anton started "Pretty Lies" on the guitar, and it was a different song initially, an acoustic guitar song. (We cannot wait to hear the acoustic version as well!)
IndieWavves: How did you come up with the concept of "Pretty Lies"?
Anton Joseph: In a relationship, you do fall in love with the lies, and they do end up becoming pretty lies. You end up loving them more for it, but you lose yourself in it, the rough side of them.
IW: What was it like being critiqued by Simon Cowell and other global stars? Do you remember what they said to you or the advice they offered?
AJ: Simon Cowell said that I was a really nice guy, but it was all a little bit limp. I like that he said that because that pushed me to do better. Rita Ora said, as long as I sing what I want to sing, I'm going to be just fine.
IW: "Pretty Lies" sounds very personal, and when you perform, you really embody the song you are working on. Where did you write this one, and what can you tell us about the story?
AJ: I was in Romania at the time of the writing of the song. All of my songs are about something personal. That's something I want to do - I put down a story from my experience and my life and correlate that to the song. I have a conversation with someone about how I'm feeling, and then I write that down.
IW: What is this collective you are in the process of launching?
AJ: We formed in early 2021 and called ourselves Ursa Major, which is a constellation. It's a combination of eclectic pop-soul featuring Action Jay Jackson, a US producer based in Thailand, myself as the singer-songwriter and composer, and American arranger and videographer Johnny Baloota, located in Albania.
IW: You've been through so much in your life, and your music has so much joy and hope. How do you keep this alive?
AJ: There are a lot of people in my situation, and there are a lot of people who are going through shit, and when they hear me speak about it, they feel better about their lives.
Written by Michael Menachem