Toronto’s Pop/Hip Hop Rising Star Trey Joshua Releases “Fine To Me”
Life is short, and in its haste, we must revel. The essence of youth is the here and now, a truth that Trey Joshua captures in his latest single, “Fine To Me.”
The 21-year-old artist from Toronto spawned the song in unconventional conditions, an outburst of creativity coming over him and his producer friend Ricky Tovey as the two found themselves with a group of friends at a camp in Muskoka. In the midst of the debauchery, the friends forged a summer bop that sells shoulders to sway.
“We were all drinking and partying, and after my buddies fell asleep, the producer Ricky and I were still up,” Trey explained. “We got bored, so we decided to make some music. Right then, he laid down the beat. Drums were kickin’, melodies were swingin’, and as soon as I heard it, I knew it was something real.”
It took just 15 minutes for the duo to devise this dance tune, recording the original version in the cabin where they stayed. Trey and Ricky later showed what they’d made to their friends, and it became a staple for the rest of the trip. It taught Trey an important musical lesson.
“It’s funny how something so easy and simple can make so much sense,” he said. “If anything, the making of the song taught me that not everything in music has to be so calculated and precise. It’s totally okay just to feel and let flow sometimes.”
“Fine To Me” is Trey’s second release of 2023, following up his single, “Drunk,” from earlier this year. Its lyrics include themes of partying, love, and how they can intertwine, with the expressed goal of getting you up on your feet.
“The dancing after the song was made also had a big influence on the strategy of how I wanted to promote the song, because what made me love this song more than anything was the sight of people I didn’t know dancing to it and having a good time,” Trey said. “I was just glad that a song I made had that effect on people and that I could be a part of their good time.”
This is the beginning of what Trey intends to make a long career in music. The artist began his musical journey in 2018, taking major influences from XXXTENTACION, J.I.D., 6lack, The Tragically Hip, Bob Dylan, and Billy Idol, among others.
His story in music goes back to even before his birth, though. Trey’s parents met in 1994 at a Grateful Dead show in Vermont. Eight years later, they had their son and named him after the Phish guitarist, Trey Anastasio. Everything that brought Trey into this world pointed him toward one thing.
“It is no stretch to say that I was born to make music,” Trey explains in his Spotify artist bio. “I would go as far as to say that I believe I live only for the sole purpose of creating it. Music surges through my veins, entangles my mind, destroys, dissects, and dismantles my soul. Yet, it is my truest love.”
Watch the video for “Fine To Me” below and learn more about Trey Joshua via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
Hey, I’m Trey Joshua, I’m 21 and I sing and write and produce and stress about all of it all the time. I love guitar and I love piano and I love all things sound and really it makes up 90 percent of my personality.
Tell us about the process of writing “Fine To Me?”
Me and a couple of my homies were up north in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, very drunk, very high, very happy. As the night went on, I got bored and said to my buddy Ricky let’s make a song. So we did just that. We sat down on the bunk bed and Ricky made the beat for the song write then and there. All I needed to hear was one loop of the beat and I was instantly hooked. I decided I would not rest until I wrote something that matched that energy and that feeling the beat gave me. A couple of joints, a couple of beers, and 20 minutes later. We had the full song done. Truly a moment I will remember forever (all be it hazily). It really taught me that I’m at my best as a writer when I don’t overanalyze and just let what is be.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
Being a musician in Toronto I would imagine is like being a musician in any other major city. A lot of people, a lot of musicians, a lot of potential collaborators, a whole lot of politics. I try to stay as removed from the Toronto scene as I can and just focus on the small group of people who really believe in what I do and are riding with me for no other reason than love. I find in this city it’s easy to get caught up in the drama and not even realize that you’re in it, So the key in my opinion is to do as much as you can with a small circle of people who really understand your vision or support it even when they might not quite get it. That’s really what’s more important than being in any specific place or on any specific music scene. And that’s what I believe every artist needs.
Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?
I think the first Canadian talent to really impact me would have to either be Simple Plan or Marianas Trench. Growing up, my dad was really my main source for all of my music and when he showed me those guys, I was instantly hooked. They’re both (in my opinion) two of the best Canadian bands ever, maybe only second in my heart to the tragically hip, but the hip came into my life later so I can’t really cite them as the first.
You’ve been making music for a while now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
My advice would be to take your time and explore all types of music and figure out what speaks to you. And also to never stop being a student of music. I try to listen to music, not from the perspective of vibing but more to dissect What I like about certain songs and what sounds or chords or ideas make me feel certain things, that way I can sharpen my tools as a musician and really have a better sense of what is me.