Josh Levi’s debut album Hydraulic is a high-voltage journey through R&B, gospel, and hip hop, showcasing the depth, energy, and versatility of one of Gen Z’s most dynamic artists. Drawing inspiration from icons like Rihanna, Michael Jackson, Brandy, and Aaliyah, Levi channels both personal and creative pressure into music that’s as emotionally resonant as it is electrifying on stage. From intimate storytelling to explosive live performances, Hydraulic reflects the full spectrum of his artistry and offers fans a truly immersive experience.

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Hydraulic has been described as a project made by ‘one of Gen Z’s most well studied R&B students’. What did studying the genre look like for you while making the album? 

JL: I mean, I think what I was mostly inspired by in R&B was how they didn’t limit themselves. I think a lot of my favorite R&B artists, they would probably say they’re just making what feels good to them and making dynamic music, and that was something that was really inspiring to me. 

It’s funny that they said that because I really didn’t set out to make, you know, like an R&B classic. I really just wanted to make a classic, period. People say it has a strong R&B influence, and it makes sense, like, I’m not Dululu, but I can’t say I really studied only R&B genres. I really was inspired by so many things, but my favorite R&B artist, to answer your question, and the albums that I looked to, didn’t limit themselves and restrain themselves to like just one idea of what R&B is. I guess that’s the best way to say it. 

Outside of R&B, who are the artists that you kind of look to for inspiration? 

JL: Rihanna is a big influence for Hydraulic, and Michael Jackson. In the R&B world, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Aaliyah, Gospel. I grew up listening to only gospel, a lot of Mary Mary, a lot of Kirk Franklin, a lot of Smokie Norful– so those are like some gospel artists that I was inspired by. Kirko Bangz and hip hop, Old Drake, Old Future, yeah. It’s kind of a combination of just like all the tastes of music that I’ve had leading up to today. 

The title ‘Hydraulic’ obviously suggests pressure, motion, power. What personal or creative pressure were you feeling while making this album? 

JL: All the pressure. Oh my gosh. I can’t think of a moment creating Hydraulic where I was not feeling hydraulic pressure. I make jokes with my team and just my friends and people like, you kind of manifested this, but it was never meant to actually manifest in like the album process. It was supposed to be more figurative and metaphoric, but It did, yeah. I experienced so many challenges just putting this album out. From team changes and song clearances and just personal relationships, Family stuff, it was kind of just like everything. 

I think I always refer to the making of Hydraulic as one of the hardest times and one of my most challenging moments, which I don’t know that people know. But that’s why it’s so beloved by myself, because to me it represents a symbol of persistence and strength, which I think is also the message of the album as well. 

This is your debut studio album. How was the process different from disc 1 and disc 2? 

JL: I can’t say I approached disc 1 and disc 2 like they were albums. I did and I didn’t– I mean, I didn’t treat them just like cute little EPs either. I definitely had a major sense of integrity going into those two EPs, but I can say that with Hydraulic, I truly approached it as if this was the last thing that people heard from me. There was a lot of information in there. It was a high level of Josh Levi, like the most amount of Josh Levi that I could place in a body of work. I think with the other EPs, I allowed myself moments to grow and I allowed stuff for the future. However, with Hydraulic, I went into it like, if no one’s ever heard of me before or if people have been supporting me since day one, I want them to end track 15 feeling like they have a greater sense of who I, the human being, is, and that took a lot of Reflecting prayer, intention, and details for sure. I did a lot of inner searching, like inner child searching. Memories going back to the beginning of the journey. I really tried to put a lot of the DNA of who I was into this album for sure. 

Was there a moment during the album’s creation where you felt like your sound truly clicked? 

JL: Yes, there were multiple exciting moments creating this album. I think I had a couple of different situations where I thought I was honestly done and I had captured magic in a bottle, but the more that I pushed myself with my A&R Mariel Govarez, the more that we both were discovering how far I could push the sound and storytelling. 

I remember I had a camp with a bunch of really talented creatives in a house in the hills in Hollywood, and I remember explaining to everybody the energy of the album. I put some photos up, some visuals, some words, and I remember feeling like, OK, this is truly a movement. This is like a Hydraulic movement, like a Josly Duba multiverse of energy and sonics. That was one moment. 

Then in Miami, working with London on the track, and also Beam, and Puku, and so many really talented producers. Miami has a different energy, but I finished my album in Miami, and I remember thinking that I put a cap on something that was so authentic to me. That’s when I finished ‘FEEL THE BA$S,’  and that was such a pivotal centerpiece to the album. I would say, yeah, those were some moments that it was clicking together for me. 

You’re in Toronto for your headline show tonight at the Drake Underground. What can fans expect from a ‘Hydraulic tour’ performance? 

JL: What can’t they expect? I always have things up my sleeve. I think a Josh Levi show historically is full of energy, it’s super dynamic. It’s a reflection of the album, in that there are highs and lows, and I pride myself on taking the audience through a journey. My favorite thing about my favorite artist is how they create an experience that makes you forget everything else that’s happening in your life, and I really aim to do that for the Hydraulic experience, the tour– everyone stepping into the body shop, the mechanics, the engineering of, you know, the Hydraulic Josh Levi world that I’ve been creating. It’s good R&B but you might shed some thug tears in the club a little bit, but it’s a time, it’s a good time. 

You recently supported FLO on a sold-out tour. What did you learn from performing in front of their audience? 

JL: I felt a lot of love from FLO’s fans and the environment that they created. That’s not always the case, and I’m very particular for that reason, because I know that you have to be ready for the energy that I bring to my show. Some people want more of a moodier R&B type of vibe. That’s not my vibe.

I learned that people are in the taste for an energetic show from a male, and I also learned that that’s not as common right now. I think a lot of those fans and the fans I gained, and even my fans that were at the show, were just really happy that I put so much energy into my set. All the other acts, FLO, Cherry, Jay Stevens, were dynamic and fun, they had range to them. 

As a male, I think there’s a lot of expectation sometimes to just come up and just vibe out, but I think I learned that they appreciated that I put just as much effort into my own show. 

How does it change when you’re headlining your own tour compared to opening slots? 

JL: Everything’s different. Headlining my own show, I feel so much more responsibility. I mean, not that I don’t approach opening as a serious thing, but I think headlining my own tour, and a Josh Levi show, I really take pride in the fact that I get to facilitate the environment for the night. You’re coming to a Josh Levi space and I take pride in that. How you feel when you come, and how you feel when you leave, I’m intentional about that. Whereas with opening, I can only do my part. I’m out there a few songs and then the headliner takes it from there and takes it wherever they want to go. With headlining, I get to start and finish. You know what’s going on and that’s something that excites me. That’s something that inspires me because I love the idea of people coming out from whatever day that they had and coming to a space where can establish the energy from the pre-show playlist, to the stage production, to how the staff and everybody is treating all the fans.

Are there any songs on Hydraulic that you’ve performed and it surprised you with how they’ve translated live? 

JL: I would say I was pretty shocked by the first show– Chicago, night one of the hydraulic tour. I was shocked by how every single word of every single song was barked back at me. Word for word, bar for bar. I was not expecting that.  With every single song I was like, maybe this one will be more chill, and it was still yelling, barking. 

I wouldn’t say a single cause that’s expected. I would say maybe ‘EMPTY’, yeah, empty is track 2 on the album. I know that fans love that one, but I wasn’t expecting them to be like right there with me on that. I know people love CARE 4 ME, but that one for some reason had such a really, really special place in people’s hearts, which was the goal, so that was great.

Now that your album’s out and you’re on tour, what does the next chapter of Josh Levi look like? 

JL: New music for sure, and a deluxe album(?), collaborations(?), remixes(?)– A lot of exciting and special things. I think right now I’m really passionate about collaborating more with my peers and friends, so that’s something I’m excited about.

Also, just taking the hydraulic tour to as many places as I can. This is just part one, and still to this day, all I see is ‘the top’. There are a lot of comments like “see you tonight”, “see you on Friday”, “see you on Sunday”, but also the top comments are: “You not coming to Europe is disrespectful”. Paris “win”, Africa “win”, no Miami, “you’re canceled”. So, I think bringing the album to as many places as possible would be nice as well, and then festivals. I’m doing a couple of festivals this year that I’m excited about. 

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self before you even started out in the industry, what would it be? 

JL: I would tell my younger self so much shit. I know it’s a hard question to narrow down. There’s a lot you wanna warn yourself about, but, yeah. I would say mayday, SOS, warning.

Just kidding. I would say no matter who shows you love or doesn’t show you love, make sure you feel the same about yourself. I think that’s something that I maybe could have had more of a heads up on, from being love bombed from some of the biggest artists in the world that I’m a fan of privately, to also being disappointed by people that I wanted acknowledgement from or recognition from that I didn’t get or that didn’t come through. I would tell my younger self: It doesn’t matter who you love that’s in your DMs, or privately hits you up, or publicly, and says “Yo, you’re so far”, or who you don’t hear from. Just see yourself the same. It doesn’t matter. You’re cool, you’re good, you’re talented, you know, you have a gift, you’re blessed. Just keep your eyes on the past and don’t let that change anything.

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