Brooke Josephson

Brooke Josephson In 2013, fresh out of Berklee College of Music where she earned her master’s in songwriting, Brooke Josephson went on a prolific writing spree and launched her independent recording career with Live and Let Live – an album which showcased her wide array of talents as an impactful singer/songwriter. Over the past ten years, she’s come a long way not only as an artist, composer and producer, but also on a personal level as a devoted mother of two young children. Excited now to share the deeper artistry she’s cultivated, Brooke marks the 10th Anniversary of her debut with a complete re-recording and re-imagining of its engaging tracks.

Co-produced by Brooke and Chris Kahn, whose credits as an engineer include 5 Seconds of Summer, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears and Selena Gomez, the revamp features more intimate versions of the songs that reflect her maturity and evolution as an artist -and whose vibe captures her current sensibilities in the wake of her critically acclaimed 2022 album Showin’ Up, Brooke’s first turn as a producer. Both projects were mixed by Grammy winning engineer Brendan Dekora (Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Neil Young, Michael Buble, Keith Urban). The new tracks were recorded at East West Studios in Hollywood with drummer Jake Reed, bassist Sean Hurley and guitarists Chris Nordlinger and Grammy winner Andrew Synowiec.

“Chris and I went through the original versions of the songs and started with a bunch of new demos featuring guitar and vocals, changing keys and tempos to make them as heartfelt and genuine as possible,” says Brooke. “While I primarily used MIDI on the original version, a big part of the difference was the opportunity to track everything live. Back in 2013, I didn’t know how to play guitar and although ultimately, I left those parts in the hands of Chris and Andrew, it was important for these versions to reflect my growing relationship with the instrument. I approached them through the lens of a singer/songwriter rather than a young artist trying to prove myself with big piano and keyboard elements.”

There’s a compelling story behind “Good Kinda Tired,” the album’s infectious and witty, high-spirited lead single which, like the empowerment anthem “Rainbow” on Showin’ Up, was partially inspired by one of Brooke’s songwriting muses, the late Harry Chapin. In her 20s, when Brooke was a struggling performer in NYC, she worked multiple jobs in between auditions and gigs. While her first straight job offered her financial stability, she knew it pulled her away from her creative purpose. She went to bed exhausted after ensuring everyone’s needs were met, but felt she was losing herself in the process. Being a wife, mom and successful artist has its stresses, but even the challenging times in her current life leave her feeling a “Good Kinda Tired.”

The clever, playful video – directed by Michelle Bossy, who also lensed the popular music video for “Rainbow” – finds Brooke assuming the role of a 60’s housewife in a vintage nightgown and robe, hair in curlers, with laundry needing to be folded as she treats herself to a martini, “bauble” bath and a browse through The Feminist Mystique. These shots are intercut with black and white images of Brooke singing and playing guitar on TV. Towards the end of the video, her husband comes home from a long day at the office and the two end the day with bliss.

Born and raised in the small town of Warsaw, Indiana, Brooke’s earliest musical memories came from singing in church. She learned to play piano on a $200 mahogany upright and her mom found her a voice teacher at age 13 to cultivate her talents further. While raised in a religious home where secular music was not allowed, she has a fond memory at age eight of attending a friend’s birthday party where she heard Madonna’s “Material Girl” for the first time.

Hooked on pop music from that point on, she became a huge fan of that song’s producer Nile Rodgers and grew up inspired by everyone from Alanis Morrissette and Annie Lennox to Brandi Carlile. She chased her dream of becoming a singer and actress to New York where she started in theater and later worked on “All My Children,” “Bones,” Disney’s “Enchanted” (on whose set she met her now husband), NBC’s “Good Girls” and other shows before re-dedicating to her musical goals and enrolling at Berklee. Brooke’s eclectic discography includes Sexy N’ Domesticated, a sexy, sassy, new wave flavored 2018 EP that earned her a Best Performer Award from American Tracks Music Awards and Best Video from Los Angeles CineFest, Western NY Film, Art, and Music Event (FAME), International Independent Film Awards and others.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on how far I’ve come these past ten years and to revisit these songs in a unique way,” she says. “I’m also appreciative of the harder times as well, for making me the woman and artist I am today, and for the supportive fans and collaborators who have been part of this amazing journey. Whether on my pop projects or my work in the sound healing arena, I look forward to putting out more positive energy in the world.”

Good Kinda Tired

Good Kinda Tired what is this song about?

My Mom introduced me to the music of the late Harry Chapin as a kid and I remember seeing him interviewed on PBS before he passed away tragically in a car accident at only 38 years old, where he shared about his grandfather teaching him, “there’s good tired and there’s bad tired…bad tired can be a day that you won. But you won other people’s battles; you lived other people’s dreams. And when it’s all over, there was very little you in there…It’s that good tired, you fought your battles, you chased your dreams.” It really stuck with me and inspired the song.

You are the author of the music as well as the lyrics, who is the song dedicated to, are the lyrics based on your experiences?

The song idea originally hit me years ago while I was living in NYC after college and I took a secure job assisting a Broadway Producer but even though I was good at my job, I was drained everyday making other people’s dreams come true and quickly learned that’s only a recipe for resentment. It’s very similar to the balance I juggle as a mother and artist. I’ve never known a love like the love I have for my children, but the role can be all consuming and it’s easy to lose yourself putting the ones you love first all the time. I finally finished the song as an empowering reminder to myself and others to chase a good kinda tired because life is too short not to.

Where was the video clip filmed, who is its director?

The music video was filmed at Honeymoon Inn Studios in Los Angeles, CA and directed by my longtime collaborator and best friend, Michelle Bossy. We met right after college as waitresses at Cafe Lalo in NYC while she was interning as a Director at Primary Stages and we have collaborated and been partners in crime ever since; working on stage productions to feature films to music videos…we love being creative together.

Tell us something about the making of the video clip? What pleasantly surprised you? What was the most di icult for you and what was the most fun. How many people /crew/ participated in the filming of the video clip?

Literally the day before we shot the video, I was in a wardrobe fitting with my designer, Devon Bartel and we were chatting with the Director about the bathtub on the set and how badly Michelle Bossy wanted to shoot a scene in the tub even though the stage wouldn’t allow us to use water or bubbles. I had just tried on the “disco ball” dress for the rocker chic look when Devon turned and said, “why don’t you just fill the tub with disco balls?” Our eyes lit up and then the Production Designer, Rose Krol and Devon spent the rest of the day before the shoot buying up every size disco ball they could find in LA to fill the tub for the shoot the next day. It was our favorite moment in the video! It’s truly magical when limitation births creativity.

With its visuals, the video clip transports us to the period of 50 years, does it have some deeper meaning, or do you just like this period.

Over the summer I spent a great deal of time with my family traveling and doing tons of laundry and thought about the gender roles women have had forced upon them, it’s actually been a running theme in my music, and I really thought about the women in the 60s who paved the way for women’s equality where you can be a wife and mom with a career too, so when Michelle and I met to brainstorm the concept for the music video I couldn’t get the idea of a 60s housewife out of my mind where women had been taught that success was getting married and being the June Clever of the family up until that point, so we explored what a “Good Kinda Tired” would be for a version of me set back in the 1960s. We imagined that I would have taped a performance on a Ed Sullivan style show while my kids were at school during the day, then be home in time for their dinner, bath, and bed, then enjoying a martini while folding laundry all before my husband returns home from work.

The book The "feminine mystique" is not shown in the video clip by chance, was it on purpose?

Totally. I’m passionate about women’s empowerment and Betty Friedan’s book dared to stand up to the notion that women were only created for the role of wife and mother. I told Michelle I would have been reading that book like a bible if I had been a housewife in the 1960s.

How many disco balls were in the bathtub, did you count them? 😊

That’s the best question. I actually texted my Production Designer to see if anyone counted but we were caught up in the day shooting.

What are your favorite topics to sing about in your songs?

Most of my music comes from my life experiences and the songs are my outlet to process. My children inspire me every day and have been a big influence on my music.

What are your plans for the future?

I took this past year o from performing to process and prepare for a new chapter in my personal life. I’ve been journaling and writing a ton through a di icult year and ready to heal and write authentic songs inspired by my journey.