Former American Idol contestant, Josiah Leming, visited Pitman High School on Friday, October 8, 2010, on his tour with Tyler Hilton. Now signed with Warner Brothers, this twenty-one year old artist has had a difficult journey to the top.
When asked about his instrument selection Josiah said that he didn’t pick the piano; rather, the piano picked him. When his parents brought it home for the first time, he couldn’t take his eyes off it. Since he is the second oldest of nine children, he would wake up at four A.M. to make sure he had a turn at playing it. Playing the piano soon led to singing and songwriting, despite his unsupportive parents.
Before appearing on Idol, Leming lived in his car, and performed wherever he could. Of his experience on Idol, he says, “I wouldn’t be here without American Idol,” and described his entire experience as, “A whirlwind. You snap your fingers and it’s gone.”
The original reason he auditioned for the show was because his mom was a huge fan of the show and he felt pressured to take a stab at it. He was asked to leave by the judges at the end of Hollywood week but his journey in the music business wasn’t over just yet. After leaving the show, he signed with Warner Brothers and went from living in his car to living on a tour bus. Without music he believes he would be flipping burgers.
Josiah’s musical career might better be referred to as Josiah’s way of life. His inspiration comes from everything around him, while his songwriting skills stem from his ability to keep an open mind.
Fans are important to the young star. The biggest crowd he has ever played for was around sixteen hundred people, but the size of the crowd never affects his performance. He jokingly stated that all it takes is a Red Bull to get ready for a performance.
Even though he wants his music to be popular, Josiah writes music for his own personal well-being rather than for anyone else. Josiah keeps in touch with his fans as often as he can, posting his status on Facebook and tweeting about his next shows.
On Friday, October 8, Josiah tweeted, “Just got grilled by a journalism class. Cool kids…”
