Introducing ioakim
Photograph by Ash Lim
Meet music slashie Josh ioakim: a self-described singer/songwriter/producer/artist who works out of his home studio in Sydney. Josh’s moniker ioakim ( i - owe - kem ) speaks to his Cypriot heritage, putting his family name in the spotlight. His musical journey started like many of us with guitar and drum lessons that felt more forced than anything else, “I just hated practising so much.” After picking up singing lessons in early high school, Josh poured his inspiration instead into playing songs from the likes of John Mayer and Aussie favourite indie boy Matt Corby for hours on end in his room.
Discovered by his manager and mentor Christian (Arcadia Music Co) when he was just 16 and a busker, ioakim put out his first single ‘used to’ in 2020. Having since been featured on Triple J Unearthed, ioakim describes his sound as “nostalgic, happy/sad, fun.” The soothing and uplifting pop tunes featured on his latest EP ‘feel something or nothing at all’ (FSONAA) speak to his childhood idols. We asked Josh to choose an artist that it would be a dream to work with, and he returned to John Mayer, telling us “it would make me never wanna pick up a guitar again because he is so good.”
A humble and somewhat reserved character when not performing, Josh feels he comes alive on stage. He speaks to the challenges of playing live, “what happens around the show is quite stressful” As an introvert, nevertheless, he loves performing – “I wouldn’t stop doing it.” Having recently come off an east coast tour of the country with Lora and Friends of Friends, and an evening with, ioakim also spoke to us about what it’s like to be an artist in Australia. “Everything is so far away,” he says, “It’s not like you can drive two hours and it’s a new city.”
With a carefully curated online presence (check out ioakim’s Instagram here), it’s no wonder that this multi-talented artist also has origins in fashion design. ioakim’s merch is also designed by him, featuring funky fresh creations you just can’t miss (get it here). A go-to on-stage outfit at the moment for ioakim starts with black and white checkered Vans, wide-leg pants, and a ripped crop t-shirt. However, as his style evolves and grows, he’s “sure it’ll change within a few weeks.”
Photograph by Blake Lisk
ioakim’s latest single ‘backseat’ which dropped at the end of March is something he’s been working on for a while and is incredibly proud of. This feel-good track has been in the works since before the release of ‘FSONAA’, so “it’s been alive for a long time.” You can feel the nostalgia oozing out of the tune, thanks to the inspiration of the “rose-coloured glasses” you have on when you’re thinking about someone too much – a feeling we know all too well. ioakim picks it as one of his favourites that he’s put out so far, “it feels a little bit more grown up.”
If you want to hear more from this up-and-comer, worry not, for he has more in the works. The multi-talented icon has just released his new single ‘eight’ featuring LORA (aka the sister song to the brother ‘backseat’) which you can listen to here and watch the incredible video here. “There’s a whole bunch of music I’m working on,” he tells us, “I can say [it’s] going to be my favourite music I’ve made so far.”
