Joseph Harmony has come a long way from the young boy who grew up singing in Aba. Like most good artists, he started off singing in church before relocating to the United States to further his education. After working in the IT industry for a while, he returned to his first love — music in 2019 with his first single titled Luv u. Three years later, Joseph is an international afrobeat star on the rise with an EP, catchy singles and a growing fanbase. He also runs one of the diverse music outfits in Rhode Island called ToF Entertainment. In this conversation, we discuss his upbringing, sound and career while getting to know the man himself:
Take us to the beginning, what was it like for you growing up?
Welcome to the Harmony world. My name is Chima Joseph Chibuzor, popularly known as Joseph Harmony aka JHarmony. I was born in Abia State, Nigeria. Growing up, I was a chorister and a choirmaster in the Catholic Diocese of Aba. I was one of the youngest choirmasters at the time before joining the St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot-Osurua in Ikot Ekpene. I graduated with a Cum Laude Probatus in Philosophy before moving to the United States for my further studies. Here, I decided to tap into my untapped passion for music, IT, and business. The rest, as they say, is history.
As an ex-seminarian turned musician, when did you realize you wanted to be an artist?
I don’t mean to sound cliché, but I knew I loved and wanted to do music from an early age since I was about 5 as the youngest choirmaster in my diocese. I was in the church choir my whole life and I kept getting compliments on my singing. Close people around me knew about my love for music but no one saw me taking it professionally because of my religious upbringing and the certain lifestyle that comes with the music world. I have been wanting to do it for a long time but I guess it wasn’t the right time. I didn’t pursue it professionally until 2019. Now, it’s the right time and everything just keeps aligning.
How would you describe your sound? Which artists have inspired you?
I will describe my song as Afrofusion. I go by “Harmony” because it sums up my musical skill set as a diverse singer and performer. It depicts my life visions, journeys, music, family, wins, losses, victories and everything life has to offer me as a person. People wonder how I have so much confidence when I sing. Mann! It’s inbuilt and God-given. I would say music saved me and gave me confidence. It propelled me forward and helped me find my purpose. The artists that have influenced my sound include; Baba Fela, Bob Marley, Drake, Wande Coal, Burna Boy, Enya, and Costa Titch.
You made your debut in 2019 with Luv u and quickly put out more singles, then an EP exploring relationships and the hustle, why these issues?
We grew up poor, so I have always wanted to make it big. For4 is a musical representation of that achievement. It was released to inspire and give hope to other independent, undiscovered artists that have amazing gifts to offer to the world; to remind them that their possibilities are limitless.
You went from being an IT professional and M&A specialist to becoming an artist and a record label executive producer. How did you handle the transition?
I started as an IT consultant, consulting for Fortune 500 and start-up tech companies while helping close small to medium-sized business transactions with my other financial and business partners. The artistic part itself is natural since I was born with it. However, I’m focusing more on my music to give the world my best.
What would you say your best and worst moments have been so far?
That is a very big question, haha! I know that I still have a long way to go. However, most of my best moments are when I put out new and engaging music that my fans resonate with. On the other hand, there are a lot of new things one faces when choosing any venture. This is the only curve I have since I am relatively upcoming, but I wouldn’t call it my worst moment as I simply need time.
Can we look forward to any collaborations and what else should we expect this year??
Most certainly. Muffius still owes me that verse. I also want to lock in with Richie Smile. He’s got the drive and I love people who are hungry for it just like I am. A lot of up-comings like myself are bringing amazing sounds straight into the world from the motherland, and if God tarries his coming, I will come back home next year and work with the great minds out there. I can not wait for this to happen. This year, I plan on exploring opera. I have never really seen that many popular Black-Nigerian opera singers. I will be releasing my first opera cover and another Afrofusion song. We are just getting started. Let’s keep building from here on out.