Edmonton’s Josh Sahunta released an album titled Mellowdrama on May 20, 2022. He describes his music as a mix between The Weeknd, John Mayer, and Ed Sheeran, saying that “if you put them in a collaborative band, the kind of music they would come up with is pretty similar to what I do.”
2020 was shaping up to be a big year for Sahunta’s career with some exciting overseas tours planned, but, like all good things, they were canceled when the pandemic hit. That extra time allowed him to dive into music production and learn some new techniques to add to his arsenal. Now over 2 years in, when he’s not working on his own music, he is producing for other artists, helping them find their sound.
On May 28, 2022, he celebrated Mellowdrama’s release with a show at Midway in Edmonton, AB and I was really excited to be able to cover it for Tresor!
Up next: #ProvincialPlaylist looks at new music from Edmonton artist @JoshSahunta. #yeg pic.twitter.com/zB7f8Tif1g
— Edmonton AM (@EdmAMCBC) May 25, 2022
He started the show with the first song on his new album titled 16. With many in the crowd singing along, you could tell Josh and his band were excited to be up there performing. Afterwards, he took a moment to soak it in, and express that he was a bit nervous and shared some of the struggles he had in trying to sell tickets post-pandemic.
Even so, he seemed very comfortable rocking out on stage with his band, consisting of more local talent; Nick Wiebe on electric guitar, Enoch Attey on acoustic, Leshan Masikonte on bass, Cameron Brown on keys, David Grange on drums, and of course, Tea G on singing backup after opening for the show.
It was their first time playing many of these songs live but, like true professionals, they made it look easy.
He talked about the Edmonton Oilers beating out the Calgary Flames and how excited he was to see them do well, but more than that, he was glad no one would be rushing out to catch the game that would have been scheduled for that same night.
Speaking of Calgary – he had some big news to share with the crowd. Not only has he been booked for the Calgary Stampede for the first time but he’s going MAIN STAGE, BABY! He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to share that info but… sorry Josh, the news is OUT. We’re excited for you.
He sang the song Broken, which is one of the earlier singles off the album, released on October 8, 2021. He didn’t play the guitar for this song, which he says is something he has never done because he usually likes to “hide behind the guitar”. The crowd was feeling it, raising their lit up phones in support, which he thought was so cool.
Most of the songs played throughout the set were off his new album, but the “last” song of the evening was an older one, released in May of 2020, and the first of his to pass a million streams: We’ll Be Alright. He recorded it in his parent’s basement with limited equipment – your reminder that making music doesn’t always have to be a big and intimidating production. Heart and a solid vibe is all you need.
He left the stage with a big wave but the audience was having none of it. They immediately started their chants: ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!
Well, he gave us even better than that; we got two. Josh and his band returned to the stage dressed in their Oilers jerseys and the crowd loved it. “I was hoping you guys would do that,” he said.
They played I’d Leave My Happy Home for You. This song is on the new album even though it was released in February of 2020. He says he wanted it in physical form because it’s the first good song he’s ever written and is still one of his favorites.
And the final song played was the absolute banger Falling For You. Such a great way to end the show!
The whole night just felt so good and wholesome. His sister was working the merch booth, his mom was in the crowd, and his grandpa even walked up to the stage to give him a high-five at one point during his performance. Between nearly every song, he expressed such genuine thanks to everyone that came out to support him, making comments like “I just want to freeze this moment and stay here forever”. It just felt good.
If you’re planning to attend this year’s Calgary Stampede – running July 8-17 – make sure to check out his show!
@officialtaylr@JoshSahunta @MaddieStorvold
— Calgary Stampede (@calgarystampede) June 2, 2022
Ryan Lindsay pic.twitter.com/JbMsunevbC
About the author: Brizsa Pedroso is an Edmonton based music fanatic, and sometimes writer. She enjoys coffee, female-fronted music, and passionate tangents about how we can best support the artists we love. She has a cat named Fluffers and a dog named Cow.
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