Get To Know: Joshua Baraka

At the tender age of 24, Joshua Baraka has taken the music industry by storm. He is the most-streamed artist from his home country, Uganda, and it's the most talked-about export in recent times, despite how "crazy" he thinks this all is.

With outstanding EPs on his shelf, the young musician has now returned with his debut album Juvie - a work of art, executively produced by Grammy-winning producer, JAE5. Joshua has taken the time to chat to New Wave Magazine about Juvie, why it's one for the books and how he's been praying for "more and more wins."

“Juvie is a short form of juvenile, which means a young adult", said Joshua, as he explained the concept behind his album title and proclaims that this point in his career felt like the perfect time to put out the album. 

"If you followed, my first project ever was Baby Steps, then Growing Pains, then Recess, and now 'young adult', you know, Juvie. The whole album is a reflection of life through the eyes of a young adult."

Raised in Kampala, Uganda, success wasn’t offered to Baraka on a platter of gold. However, what he lacked in finance, he had in abundance in familial love. Despite wanting her son to become a medical doctor like most African parents, his mother would walk him miles to a music school every morning in his younger years. 

“Music is something that my mum and I are very passionate about.” The NANA crooner said when speaking about those times.

Commending his mother, he adds: “She has always known that I love music and, seeing how I responded to music from a young age, she just supported me every way she could.”

Although Joshua didn’t pursue the medical ambition that his mother desired for him, he thinks “she came to terms with it (his music career)”. Still feeding well off of the love and warmth a supportive family gives, he expresses his gratefulness having parents, who “ just let me be me. They let me do my thing, honestly.”

Influenced by musicians like Bob Marley, Chronixx, Brent Faiyaz, and a few Ugandan artists, Joshua started out with being an adolescent instrumentalist in uptown bars and in 2023, he released ‘NANA’, the song that catapulted him into recognition. 

“NANA was my breakout song. I think that’s the song that really got a lot of people to know me. It really set the pace for me.” In the same year, he unveiled his second EP, Growing Pains. He followed up with a deluxe album three and a half months later in 2024, before wrapping up the year with yet another EP, Recess. 

Staying true to growth, the talented singer had a homerun in 2025, working with British-Ghanaian producer JAE5, and co-headlining the Blankets & Wine Festival in Kenya alongside Nigerian sensation Tems. 

“It was amazing, she’s an amazing person.” Joshua narrates his experience co-headlining with Tems in the neighbouring Nairobi, Kenya.

“I really love her music", he adds. "I think it’s very soulful, very thoughtful. I'm a big fan of her music. I was just happy to be sharing a stage with her, and we both did really well. Honestly, I was just happy to be there.”

When asked if he’s aware that he sounds similar to Tems, he responds with “I get that a lot", before commenting that he believes their choice of "melodies is similar.”

“God willing", he replies when asked if collaboration between Joshua and Tems is in the works. "She recently put out a project as well. Let’s just see (how things go).” Baraka hangs us in a somewhat-promising suspense. 

Moving on to his debut album, and what it was like to work with JAE5, who executively produced it. Joshua reveals that the pair began working together through a mutual acquaintance.

“I met JAE5 through one of the people I work with, who doubles as a good friend of the producer,” Joshua remembers. “We went to his house. I played him a few songs, and a few things I was working on, and we just bonded.

"We are very similar, we like each other, and we respect each other as artists. I’m a really big fan of JAE5 as well. We decided to pick things up and work on the project.” There goes the lore behind how this joint album came about. 

As much as Juvie continues the storytelling of Joshua’s coming-of-age journey in line with the preceding EPs, the album still differs as a body of work in its own right.

“First and foremost, why it surpasses the others is the level of creative quality, I would say.” Joshua walks us through his recent brainchild. 

“The level at which I was writing, the level at which the music itself was produced, having producers like JAE5 and him executive producing the album. The songs and musicality are going to be different. Even myself, the growth that I’ve experienced over the years can be felt, and a growth where I’ve written some of my best music on that version.” 

For the creative process behind Juvie, Baraka did most of the songs with JAE5. As a result, the singer had to travel a few hours every day to go to the studio because JAE5 “stays out of London, and I stayed in London. I also added some of the songs that I did around. The project is a combination of songs and times that I’ve travelled and done all these things. It took me a while to put together, but I think when you listen, you can tell why.”

An epitome of versatility, the Ugandan star prides himself on being a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Known for producing some songs on his past projects, Baraka resurfaces his production skills on his debut album. “I co-produced all the songs, and I fully produced ‘Normal’ and ‘Sorry’,” Joshua said, informing us about his involvement in the production of Juvie.

“A rich, soulful and exquisite sound” is how he describes the sound of his debut album. “There’s a level of quality that the album has, you know, and I’m really proud of the whole project.”

Bringing on a Kenyan vocalist, a fellow Ugandan artist, and a British-Ghanaian band, Baraka says he intentionally kept the few features on the album close to home. “I definitely wanted it to present more of me,” he further underlines that passing a message has always been the core of all his projects. 

“I don’t just want to add people to the song; I want to add someone who I feel is going to add to the message I’m trying to convey in the song. The people I collaborated with on the project made me feel like they’d add to the songs, which they did. I just wanted to keep the project centred around what I had to say and what I’m trying to pass across.”

Keen on progressing, Joshua confesses that he is already thinking about his next album. “There’s a lot of music that didn’t make it to the album (Juvie). I have a lot of music that I’ve worked on. Definitely more music coming out,” he assures. 

“Let me start with Tems,” Baraka revisits the hanging conversation when asked to mention artists he looks forward to working with. “I’d love to work with Rema, Omah Lay, Beyoncé, Rihanna.” He lists on, “I’d also like to work with a lot of Jazz musicians, actually, like Cory Henry. Ed Sheeran and Chronixx as well.”

Undeterred by his rough beginnings and focused on what the future holds, Joshua Baraka is scratching the surface, and he is going to be a force to reckon with in the world of music.

Listen here