Behind The Song: "Stray" by Douglas Joshua

Hey guys!

Thanks to the beauty of scheduled posts and organised work behaviour, it's actually been over a week since I've last sat down to write.

Now, before you go and call me lazy, I've actually been stuck somewhere between GDPR emails and music submissions and boy, was it a lot to get done.

In between writing emails and trying to get some sleep, I've almost lost my mind on Social Media and was melting in Stuttgart's sun while interviewing bands.

So it actually feels nice to be back on here, sharing brilliant songs with you.

Without getting too cheesy - thanks guys! For coming over to listen to the tracks we want to share.
I hope you enjoy your stay and find new songs you love.

Today we'll get to learn more about the story behind Douglas Joshua's debut single.


- Behind The Song -
"Stray" by Douglas Joshua


Douglas Joshua is a singer/songwriter from Bath, UK.

His sound combines Folk and Acoustic elements in such seemingly effortlessly manner, that you can't help but stop in your tracks to listen to his songs.

"Stray" is one of those songs that will let you dive into the depths of it.
Right from the first few notes, you know you're in for a treat - you'll relax and you might even find those relatable words you're looking for.

It's a genuine and heartfelt song and that becomes apparent the deeper you fall into the song.

If Douglas' debut is this good - we sure can't wait to hear the follow-ups.


Find out what Douglas told us about what inspired him to write the song, the recording process and watch out for a pretty funny story from the video shoot:

"This song narrates the feelings of helplessness as a close friend or relative is struggling with mental illness.

I came to write about this when a close friend of mine was suffering with depression and alcohol addiction.
As I became more aware of the situation, I began feeling more and more worried, but also guilty. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how. I have found it a difficult topic to talk about, so I thought it was appropriate to express how I felt through the music.
I do still find it difficult, but the song has helped me to understand my own feelings, let go of that feeling of guilt and also share it with others, which I think is important. I feel a weight off my shoulders when I sing it

Currently I produce, engineer and mix all of my own work.
Although this can be a slow process and sometimes makes it difficult to be objective about my work, it does give me as much creative control as possible from start to finish.

I've managed to put together a great band and we work really well together in constructing arrangements for my songs.
We started recording back in December 2017; I would go into the studio with each musician individually to track their parts, starting with drums. This really gave me an opportunity to appreciate each instrument's role in the overall arrangement and work with the band to fine-tune and get the dynamics of the performance just right.

We were lucky enough to be able to record drums and vocals in the studio through a lovely TL Audio valve desk, and using my new favourite vocal mic: the Sontronics Aria. The rest was either recorded in mine or Dave's living rooms.

I think this track is a lot more personal, raw and honest than songs I have written in the past, so I'm proud for it to be my debut single. (It also changes time signature a lot, which is fun!)

The most fun I've had during this whole process has definitely got to be the video shoot!
We decided to record a live video in an empty swimming pool in Cheltenham, only to find that it was half full when we arrived! I fell in the water twice while trying to empty the pool on bucket at a time - but thankfully I had a good team of helpers to empty the pool and the weather was good enough to dry my clothes off before the band and crew arrived!"


Watch the live video for "Stray" right here:




- stream "Stray" -



Douglas Joshua online: Website | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit! 

Credits // Words (Intro & Outro): Vanessa Jetwash | Image & Words (about song): Douglas Joshua