We listen to music all day in the office, while putting together proposals for our local clients, sorting out visas for the international tours that we have a hand in; but music is always on in the background. We all have different tastes, and so do allow each person in the office to make their choice at different times. But there is one artist that gets everybody’s immediate approval. Josie Field.

Josie Field released her second album Leyland in September, after her very successful debut album Mercury has been played to death here by all of us. And it’s made just as much impact on us as the first; the music has meaning; the words are refreshingly original; and all of us are excited with the emergence of a singer-songwriter that is going delight us for many albums to come.

Lenny and Jamie met Josie at the Moshito music conference where she signed our copy of Leyland - also incidentally Josie’s second name. She’s still such a young lady, and many of her tracks deal with the lessons that she has learnt over the last couple of years, but they are refreshing because they are honest. Josie doesn’t want to make pop. She isn’t interested in getting airplay and so selling her musical soul to create music that will satisfy some radio station playlist maker. She is making music that is true to her own desire. And it’ll be the demand from the public that’ll get it played on the air waves.

Leyland was produced and recorded by Kevin Leicher (Arno Carstens, Chris Chameleon) at the Darkstar Studio in Newtown, and not only that, but he also plays electric guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, programming and even the tambourine (my instrument of choice at school), while also having written the track “don’t want the world to know”. There is even a hip-hoppy track featuring Godessa’s EJ von Lyric which is very cool.

Josie has said that she needed to surround herself with people that believed in what she could do herself, and not what the radio stations wanted her to do, and I really think that she found a team that has been able to support her enough to get her full potential out. This album is awesome. The music is great, and the lyrics don’t tire.

What is also very cool is that we can supply some amazing alternatives for corporate events in that Josie Field is either available with her as a duo with Kevin Leicher, unplugged, or with her full band with Kevin (guitar & backing vocals), James Solomon (bass guitar) and Max Lehr (drums).

Josie has two #1 hit singles, two #1’s on the 5FM hi5@5 and loads of praise from South Africa’s music critics - including Angie in our office, who is usually quite specific about who she listens to!

So if you’re looking for an alternative pop performer for your next event, Josie Field sings like and angel and plays her guitar as if she was born with it. Definitely hot property!