George Miller, better known by his on-stage persona ‘Joji’, is well on the way to making a massive impact within the music industry in 2019; it may even be argued that he has already.

While Miller is now a serious contender within the vast list of up and coming artists that look poised to become household names, he originally found fame through YouTube. Like many other artists, Miller is multifaceted in his creative ability and began his path to music through releasing comedic, parody-esque songs under the alias ‘Pink Guy’. This saw him gain a following far larger than he initially expected, causing him to stick with the YouTube channel for a while longer, despite him wanting to pursue more serious projects.

This came to a head in November 2017 when under the new name ‘Joji’ Miller released his debut EP – In Tongues. This EP gave a glimpse of what Joji was about; music laden with Trip Hop vibes and a feel similar to that of the lo-fi genre. Despite the EP not meeting mainstream success, it did establish Joji as a newcomer to the genre, peaking at 28 in the US Billboard charts under the R&B/Hip-Hop genre.

In October of 2018, Joji released Ballads 1, his first studio album. This project contained a far more eclectic and adventurous array of tracks than his previously released EP, and was praised for doing so. His songs often had surreal and dreamlike connotations within this album, further accentuated by his vulnerable vocals.

The reason behind the broader spectrum on this project was the combination of the increase in his own ability and progression as an artist but also the numerous production features, and one vocal feature present within the album. These features were made possible by the reputation he had acquired following the release of his EP, and certainly were a driving force in helping Joji to acquire the number 1 spot on the Billboard chart in the R&B/Hip-Hop category. This is incredibly significant; he is the first Asian born artist to ever top this chart.

When listening to the album it’s no surprise that it managed to peak at the number one position. The genre is becoming stagnant with artists that all ‘bite off’ and copy one another, with consumers yearning for something a little…different. Joji is that. With songs that sound as though they could’ve been produced by the eclectic Glass Animals. This is a massive component of Joji’s success, though. There are numerous memorable tracks such as ‘Slow Dancing in the Dark’, ‘Can’t Get Over You’ and ‘R.I.P’, featuring the well known artist ‘Trippie Redd’, helping the album gain credit and recognition.