You’ve probably heard him on the radio when you got home late at night, or you’ve seen one of his many gripping celebrity interviews on YouTube. Joshua Simon was no stranger to the camera and the recording studio, but his experiences in 2017 saw those worlds overlap in ways he otherwise couldn’t have imagined.
Last June, Joshua Simon found his way into the soundtrack of the new film starring Hugh Jackman – a kaleidoscopic musical named The greatest showman — alongside 17 other talented singers and personalities from around the world. And it all started with a phone call from 20th Century Fox.
Within a week, Joshua flew to London, recorded vocals in the legendary Abbey Road Studios, filmed a music video at YouTube Space in London and made real friendships with people he wouldn’t normally meet. For Simon, oblivious and stunned, it was a lot to take in at first.
We spoke with Joshua about the whole experience, addressing the self-validation, insecurities and humbling experience of working alongside one of Hollywood’s biggest names.
Tell us about the phone call with 20th Century Fox!
Before all of this happened, I wanted to go to London, because I’ve never been there, but I also wanted to go to the Meltdown Festival for MIA. But of course, I didn’t have enough money to go.
And then, literally the next day, while having coffee, I received a phone call from Caroline from 20th Century Fox Singapore. We worked together on Interview with Logan, which happened at the end of February. She said they liked what I did with the Logan interview and wanted me to see it again, but it was for another project that 20th Century Fox had never done before.
“We bring together 18 YouTubers from all over the world to record a song at Abbey Road Studios,” she says. “We’re going to shoot a music video, Hugh Jackman is going to be there, and it’s for the movie called The greatest showman. Are you okay with that? And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’m fine!'”
You have already met Hugh Jackman. Were you able to join him in London?
We haven’t really caught up. My most intimate time with Hugh Jackman was on camera, in front of hundreds of people at a press conference – which was him in the character of Logan, beat me up. Even with Logan’s interview, which was more intimate, there were at least 20 other people in the room.
There was a time on YouTube Space where it was just me and Hugh. So YouTube threw this big champagne party and I brought in an action figure of Logan that a friend of mine made for him.
One of the producers took the figurine and brought me to Hugh’s green room (which was actually green), and suddenly, for the first time, it was just me and Hugh Jackman. I was nervous! I gave him the figurine, thanked him for his time and left. I mean come on, they let me into his green room. I wasn’t going to sit there and ask him for a drink!”
Meeting 17 other YouTubers from around the world, having never met them, was it nerve-wracking to sing alongside them?
This is the thing that I haven’t shared or shown online. I was so anxious throughout the experience. Even from the start, Caroline sat me down and said, “Here’s the real talk: you don’t have a lot of followers, you don’t have a lot of subscribers. If you could increase your subscribers by June, that would be great.” All I could think of was, “What am I going to do?”
Then it hit me, everyone had a ton more followers and it made me wonder, “Why am I the one going?” I was the least famous person in that group and that was very obvious. During rehearsals, or between takes, I kept going out.
I followed people who were taking cigarette breaks and talked to them and went to the bathroom so many times just to get away. I had three lines I had to sing, and I kept singing it over and over in the bathroom just to make sure I didn’t make a fool of myself with everyone.”
Let’s talk a bit about the movie. Apart from the story of PT Barnum and how he started the circus, it’s about celebrating the people who made the circus, which is what the song “This Is Me” is about. What does the song mean to you?
First of all, I was just glad the song was good. It’s uplifting, it’s bold, and it’s been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award. At that point, they didn’t know if it was going to be a single, it was between that and two other songs, and somehow it caught on.
I was under the assumption that we were just going to sing the whole song together like a choir, rather than singing parts. But while we were rehearsing, the coach’s assistants were walking around listening to us. So while we were rehearsing, they were already figuring out who was going to get which role.
I had a very good role, because this is the first time that the declaration of this hook occurs. Fortunately, I did it well and everyone liked it. And I must say that I was proud of myself for this part.
I talked about social media and the lack of followers, but I felt like I was silencing everyone. The first time I heard myself singing the part with everyone, that’s when I felt like I deserved to be here. I felt like I was representing the people who aren’t that famous, who deserve to be here.
And you know what, that’s what the song is about. Sometimes you have to show them what you’re made of.”
What can you tell us about the film after seeing it?
In fact, I met the cast in Sydney a while ago, and I made a interview with Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Keala Settle. I got a glimpse of the movie, but honestly, I didn’t know much about it. I bet everyone is going to be as surprised as I was when I watched it.”
What’s the best thing about this whole experience for you?
The strongest memory of Abbey Road is that I felt so strong as a singer. When we worked with the vocal coach who was teaching us the song, he taught us these vocal warm-ups.
I made these weird sounds that I had never heard before and at the end my voice flowed like water and it was amazing. It was the first time I said to myself: “I can sing!” It was quite remarkable.”
What is a memory of the experience that you will keep forever?
I have two. The first night we all met was at a fancy restaurant and everyone was playing games and I was just talking about how Singapore banned chewing gum. I felt anxious all the time and kept going to the bathroom.
But this time, when I came back, I spoke to one of the girls, Natalia. I told him that I didn’t know what I was doing there, that I could ruin everything and that I was really terrified. What I will never forget is his reaction. She just grabbed me, this stranger, and said, “You get it, I believe in you, and we’re going to do it together.” It lifted me up right away.
The second memory was right after all the filming and recording was done. We had planned to go for a drink in a bar but didn’t know where to go, so we sat in the hotel lobby and drank while waiting for everyone to arrive.
Next thing you know it was 3am, we were sitting on the couches and we were all drunk and just singing. Someone would start with a song and someone else would continue in the same key and so on. It was just such a beautiful moment where we didn’t care who we were or where we came from. We were just having a good time.”
The first time I heard myself singing the part with everyone, that’s when I felt like I deserved to be here. I felt like I was representing people who aren’t that famous, who deserve to be here.”
— Joshua Simon, on the recording process of “This Is Me”.
You just celebrated ‘Murda’s birthday in September, and you also wrote ‘Paradise’. Will we see more Joshua Simon originals in the new year?
Oh yes, of course. I’ve been working on an album for a while now. It’s going to be a short album but a lot of the songs I wrote were from when I was in a different place. Right now, I feel strong and grounded.
I achieved a lot of dreams that I thought I would never achieve, but I also learned that my insecurities will never go away.”
What can we expect?
There’s going to be a mix of two Joshes. I grew from my experiences and I write things that are a bit more different now. Along with ‘Murda’ and ‘Paradise’, I wouldn’t consider them a true representation of me. But the next time I release something, it’s really going to be something that I’m really proud of.”
How has this experience helped your songwriting and recording process?
Other than unlocking my vocal abilities, I view this as just an experience that I will grow from. Honestly, with every experience, I’ve realized that the product won’t be as important as how it’s made.”
Do you think the soundtrack will be nominated for an Oscar?
I think there’s already Oscar buzz around ‘This Is Me’ and it just got nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award, which is amazing because the music is from the guys who created the The Earth soundtrack. So I think there’s a good chance, but ultimately I think it comes down to the quality of the film. I think the nomination will happen, but if they will win? As long as they don’t run against Coco’s song ‘Remember Me’.”
The greatest showman is now showing in all cinemas in Singapore.
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