Joshua Luke Smith - Liberated (Official Video)
Rapper, poet and wordsmith Joshua Luke Smith has today released new single ‘Liberated’, taken from his forthcoming sophomore album of the same name, due March 2024.
Having always found power in words, Joshua’s ‘Liberated’ is more than an offering of music, but extends as a mantra to live by. “What does it mean to be free?”, Joshua asks on the record. His answer is to embrace all aspects of the life you lead, rather than dwell on the life you thought you would. Through numerous personal experiences, Joshua has learned to fully embody who he is and to own what he’s been through, and asks that for the sake of your own liberation, you do too.
Embodying a wholly artistic presence, Joshua is a poet before he is a rapper, delivering intelligent metaphorical wordplay. Brimming with soul, ‘Liberated’ is a euphoric moment of clarity and an uplifting story of acceptance. Gospel style vocals reinforce Joshua’s statement, which he raps over the full-band experience of electric guitar lines, funky bass and crashing drums alongside 90s hip-hop inspired sonics.
“Liberated began as a personal mantra and declaration of freedom. I’m learning that true liberation is found not in the absence of suffering but in the embracing of it. In the facing of our disappointment, grief and failures, we are invited to heal, grow and become our truest selves. I can’t stand still when I’m listening to the song and I hope it’s the same for others that hear it. I hope it leads people into a physical and spiritual experience of liberation and becomes their mantra as well!” - Joshua Luke Smith
The accompanying self-directed video sees Joshua guide the casted dancer to embody a sense of freedom and liberation in their movement, a stunning visual representation of his words.
While writing the record, he had been engaging in the habits of a gambler, heading on a downward spiral. With a son on the way, he identified that he needed to change his behaviour, and immersed himself into the process of a twelve-step recovery programme, including a deep dive into spiritual masters. By expressing his story so candidly, Joshua hopes that others might relate and be able to find their own path toward freedom.