An Interview with Josh Zuckerman, Gay Singer/Songwriter

As the gays keep swimming up the mainstream, openly gay artists are popping up in musical spectrums beyond the club and dance tracks. With a string of contagious country-pop tunes, award winning gay singer/songwriter Josh Zuckerman has had his music featured on Kathy Griffin: My Life on The D-List. His single "Out From Under" was number 1 for four weeks on Sirius radio and the video was the number 1 most requested video on LOGO Television for 6 weeks as well. Not terribly shabby for an openly gay guy from northern Jersey. Zuckerman will be a featured performance this month at the New Hope Celebrates weekend in Bucks County, PA.

MR:How did you get your start?
JZ: I started out in cover bands doing a little original music in St Louis. St Louis wasn't a real original music scene. In 1990, I moved here to Jersey. I live in Atlantic Highlands and I love being by the beach, and close to New York City and all its cool fun happenings. So I have the best of the both worlds.

MR:When did you jump from guy in a cover band to openly gay performer?
JZ:When I started, there weren't many "out" artists, and most "out" performers did dance/diva music. About 5 or 6 years ago, I was in a Jewish bookstore, and I see this poster promoting a friend of mine who had gone into the Jewish music scene. I thought it was a great idea to focus on a specific group, and play your music to them. When I did that, it started to snowball.

MR:So there is a real difference being out?
JZ:My music speaks to everyone, but it resonates with the gay and lesbian community. The gay community is my family and I want to play for my family. I think people need to be a little more connected with themselves, and who they are. So being out was a step in that direction for me. I want to be a good role model for people. There are still people coming out, and it is important for them to have role models.

MR:Describe your music...
JZ:Pop rock with a little country feel. Country is pop anyway, especially with performers Tim McGraw and Shania Twain. Mine is similar but with more edge.

MR:How many different instruments do you play?
JZ:I play acoustic guitar, guitar and violin.

MR:You play the violin?
JZ:Yeah! I usually play "Devil Went Down To Georgia," which is a huge crowd favorite and features the violin. Over ten years ago I was asked to play it at a friend's wedding, and people loved it. At that point we just put it into our set, now it's a classic. When I did my first solo CD, I put it on there and it ended up being a signature piece.

MR:Do you prefer being a solo artist?
JZ:When I was in a band, I was usually the songwriter. Songwriters have a lot of control, but by being a solo artist, it gives me more freedom. Bands break up and people get confused about who did what in the band. You never know who is the songwriter in a band. As a solo artist, my songwriting is the focus of what I am doing.

MR:How else has it changed you?
JZ:I have more confidence. Stepping out there and doing my own thing people are responding to me and that is a boost. You have to get some kind of validation to continue to do what you're doing.

MR:How often are you performing?
JZ:I play almost every weekend. This weekend I am not playing, but I am shooting a music video.

MR:Is shooting music videos all glamour or a lot of work?
JZ:I like it once it's done. The whole process is very stressful. Being an independent artist, you're the one putting up all the money upfront. When you are putting up the money, it's kind of like a wedding. You want to enjoy the whole process, but you can't ...once the process is over - it's great.

MR:Who does Josh have on his iPod?
JZ:I have been listening to Latin lounge music, and African music. I like Pink, Sting, the Police, huge fan of Tim McGraw. I always looked up to and respected Bon Jovi.. I moved closer to where [NJ] he lived! He's a good front man, good-looking guy, and rocks his butt off. Which is basically what I want to do.

MR:Besides the Bon Jovi influence, who else has influenced your performance style?
JZ: Joan Jett, KISS... I like to see someone interact with the crowd. People love to say, "He looked at me!" You have to have eye contact with people.

MR:Where do you draw your songwriting inspiration?
JZ:Lyrics are always about my personal experiences.

MR:When the songs are personal, are they harder to perform?
JZ:It's funny that you say that, sometimes when I hear my song I almost lose it cause it's powerful stuff about my life. I am not folksy; I do it in a fun pop up-beat way. But if you do a deeper evaluation you get it, and people do, the more they listen to my music. They relate it to their life - BE REAL - it's basically being themselves, all my dating experiences....then you tough it up...every performance.

MR:Is it hard to perform all the time and have a relationship?
JZ:Absolutely....hence why I am single! [Laughs] But being single keeps me writing songs. If I was in a relationship, I don't know what kind of songs I would write...

MR:Well I bet there will be plenty of cute groupies at New Hope Celebrates for you to pick from!
JZ:[Laughs] For Pride? Absolutely!

MR:You like playing to the crowd in New Hope?
JZ:I've played New Hope many times before, I really like it. I like performing at the Raven, it's a friendly crowd, which is good for me. The people have been very kind...It is always a nice laid-back environment, whether young or old. I've never had a bad experience there. Except once during the summer, and everyone wanted to be by the pool. I couldn't compete with the nice weather poolside.

Josh Zuckerman will be appearing at the Raven during New Hope Celebrates on May 19th. newhopecelebrates.com.

To check out Josh's upcoming dates, and order his new CD Out From Under, head to website, joshzuckerman.com.