Canadian-born country singer-songwriter Josh Ross, the Burlington, Ontario native whose resilient climb from a college athlete to Nashville breakout has captured the attention of country music fans on both sides of the border. With the release of his debut full-length album ‘Later Tonight' in September 2025, Ross has locked in his status as a major new voice in the genre. That project — described by our reviewer as “an instant classic jam… for tailgate parties, festival fields and football stadium floodlights” — follows his chart-topping single ‘Single Again,' which made history by becoming the first time in decades that a Canadian male solo artist achieved No. 1 at U.S. country radio.
While his career titles and streaming numbers grow, what truly stands out is Ross’s willingness to get real about where he comes from and where he’s heading. From his early years as a football scholarship athlete in Canada, through ankle reconstructive surgery and a pivot into music, to relocating to Nashville, Ross has built a narrative rooted in grit, authenticity and emotional transparency. His songwriting on ‘Later Tonight' pulls no punches — embracing confessions, regrets, hope and grit in equal measure. As the songs and success unfold, so too does the man behind them. We caught up with him just after he returned home from a frantic couple of shows in the UK.
Thank you for your time today Josh, it's great to speak to you about your amazing year and the new album — plus we get to talk about the UK shows as well!
No, thank you! That was the third time I've played in the UK! Can you believe it? I was there last year on Baliey Zimmerman's tour and then we did the in-and-out show for the Highways Festival at the Royal Albert Hall too! It was a lot of fun this time round and we got a couple of days off ahead of the show so we got to enjoy walking around the city – there's so many cool pubs and shops!!
I went to see my first musical – which was fun – we went to see the Lion King which is one of my favourite movies from my childhood. The shows were fantastic, it was great to see so many people and the progress we have made there is awesome. So rewarding.
Did you get a feel for how well received the shows were?
Yeah – for me, it was great to be able to play a range of old and newer songs and it felt like people enjoyed themselves. I thought they were some of the most fun shows we've played this year. It was a tight venue but that intimate feeling is really cool.
Artists like Kip Moore, Ashley McBryde and Old Dominion have built up a loyal fan base over here by repeatedly coming back. Is that on the cards for you, do you think?
That's something we definitely talked about with the label, Universal, whilst we were over there. Some artists don't necessarily want to travel as much but for me, that's my favourite thing to do and explore different parts of the world – there's so many beautiful places out there! I'd like to make it a yearly thing if we could.
You wanted people to really know who you are on new album ‘Later Tonight.' Is there one song on there that feels like the truest representation of who you are right now?
I think that ‘Nobody From Nowhere' speaks a lot to where I came from and where I am now. I still feel like a nobody and somebody who is new to all this – I feel like I'm still trying to prove myself and find ways of expanding and meeting new fans so that song is, for sure, important.
‘Scared of Getting Sober' is a really cool song, vocally, and a song that resonates with the lifestyle that we are living right now too.
I'm always fascinated by what songs artists choose to close down their albums with and you went with ‘Scared of Being Sober' on ‘Later Tonight.' What were the reasons for that choice?
I think I felt like I was closing down a particular chapter of my life with that song. I've been through a couple of relationships since being in Nashville and that kinda played into that song and the way we wanted to bring this chapter to an end. When I listen to records, I always listen to thew first couple of tracks and then jump into the middle and the end, everyone always listens to the last song on an album, particularly in Country music, so I wanted my last song to be an important one.
Congratulations of the success of ‘Single Again.' That's a career changing song for you.
It's done so many great things for me. From getting better time slots at festivals to recognition across the industry, it's been so important for us. The thing I'm proud of with it is that id didn't necessarily have a viral moment the way a lot of hit songs have to have these days – it slowly grew and continued to spread in across the year in the way that songs used to do before TikTok. I'm very grateful for it, it was so cool.
What changes for you as an artist and writer after you get a number one song?
For me, I try to write as much as I can and I think it's important not to get too carried away with the success. When you know that something works you want to continue to explore that without repeating yourself over and over again.
You co-wrote a good bunch of songs on ‘Later Tonight.' Songs like ‘Whiskey Tonight,' ‘Songs You Gave Me' and ‘Single Again.' When you're in a room with other writers what role do you take? Who are you in that moment or does it depend on the song and the other people involved?
I would say 85% of the time I'm usually the person with the title idea. It's important to pull from things in your own life if you are going to be the one singing them. I try to bring a hook into the room also. I'm definitely melody strong, so I feel like that is a strength of mine, my brain works in that way so I'm often the one bringing the melodies.
I also like to say a lot of words and then rely on the other people in the room to organise and grab them! (laughing) My aim is always to write real songs that come from real places.
Is there a writer in town, now that you have a number one under your belt, that you haven't been able to work with yet that you'd love to get into a room with on your next project?
I was just talking about this the other night. I'm trying to get some time with Ashley Gorley right now, I haven't written with him yet. We've met and said hello but we haven't written together yet. I'd love to make that happen for the next project although what's interesting is that you could work with the best songwriter in the world but if you don't click, it doesn't matter and you could write with someone you've never heard of before and come up with something awesome! It all kinda depends on the personalities involved.
You wake up tomorrow morning with an idea for the best song you've ever written and you need a trusted co-writer to help shape it – who are you on the phone to?
Usually that would be Mason Thornley. He's one of the first people I met when I moved to town. He gets me as a person.
Is there a song on the album that people like me aren't talking to you enough about? A hidden gem you are really proud of?
I think that ‘Whiskey You' is a really cool and catchy song. It kinda has the same feel to it as ‘Later Tonight' so I can understand why there's a kind of ‘pick one or the other' vibe to them but I think it's such a fun song with a great vibe. Both nights in the UK ‘Smith & Wesson' was requested and we had so many songs to get through that we couldn't play it so I will get to that one next time! That song is picking up a lot of interest, for sure.
You're also building up a reputation as a trusted collaborator. The Akon duet was cool and you've just released ‘Lay It On Me' with Frank Walker and Norma Jean Martine. Stepping outside the norms of Country music – is that something that is important to you in the way that it has been for someone like Kane Brown?
I wouldn't say that I feel like I have to do it but if you listen to the record I feel like you will hear a lot of styles and influences on there that are slightly different. It's something I want to continue to do if it happens organically but I want to make sure my own music and my own catalogue of songs is strong and what I am known for, first and foremost.
How did the Akon collab come about?
Drinking and having fun! I grew up listening to a lot of Akon, always loved his songs and melodies. One day I was hungover and got this idea to rewrite one of his songs, he came up with ‘Drunk Right Now' and demoed it. Through management we sent it to his team, not really expecting him to be that interested in it but we were wrong there then! (laughing) It is a pretty cool, full-circle moment, for me, for sure.
Tell me about ‘Lay It On Me' with Frank Walker – that's a more unusual song for you, in some respects.
That was a song that got sent to us. I know Frank through the Canadian side of things and we were recording our album so the idea got kinda pushed to the side for a minute so I'm grateful that Frank and his team were willing to wait to get the vocal on it. I'm an Avicii fan too so, for me, to do something in that style of music was pretty cool for me to do and hear my voice on.
We loved your cover of Ozzy's ‘Mama, I'm Comin' Home' too. Where does your Ozzy connection come from?
That would be my dad! He is a huge rock fan from the 80s. Only last night I was sending him pictures of this really cool Cinderella T shirt that I got him. He was a big hair metal guy and Ozzy and Black Sabbath were definitely a part of that. The day after ‘Single Again' went number one we were on the bus and we were talking about putting ‘Mama, I'm Comin' Home' in the set – this was right after the final show over in Birmingham – and then we found out he passed so it felt extra right to put it into the set.
You've talked before about the differences between working in Canada and working in Nashville. What was the one thing you found about Nashville that has surprised you since you moved here?
I think the writing community is something you don't understand until you get here. Most of the time it is scheduled and every day, a bit like speed dating really! (laughing) You come in at 11am and get right down to a scheduled write – you can't find that anywhere else in the world and it takes a minute to get used to when you first get here.
Did you have to learn to co-write when you moved to Nashville or was it something you were already doing up in Canada?
I would write with some buddies a little bit back home but we were not good at all! (laughing) Part of the reason I moved here was to become a better songwriter and understand how it all works. I had to learn how to collaborate and I had to learn patience too because some of these writes can be quite painful when you are not really sure where you are going with certain things – you don't always end up with something that is workable or that you like!
You've toured and played shows with some big artist. Is there any one artist in particular that you've watched and learned from in terms of how they treat their fans, engage with fans onstage and how they treat their crew and musicians backstage?
I would say Nickelback made a huge impression on me. That was my first large tour and to see an act that is 25+ years old up close is really cool. They have the same crew out with them on the road and it's very much a family atmosphere which is something I very much would like to create. I learned a lot from them in terms of how to treat people, how to entertain fans and how to run a big organisation without it becoming impersonal.
We had Brantley Gilbert out on that tour too so there was a good blend of styles and fans. Chad might kill me for saying this but I don't think Nickelback are that far removed from Country music so there was a lot of crossover in the fans coming to the shows.
There's a big tradition of Christmas songs in Country music and I notice that you don't seem to have stepped into that arena yet. Is that something you've been avoiding or just not go around to as yet?
I love Christmas but I feel like I would want to write my own Christmas song for it to make sense to me, right? I don't think I'm there yet in terms of covers and I don't think people want to hear me on Christmas radio quite yet either! (laughing) We'll wait till the time comes!!
I hope you've got a good break planned after this hectic year. Are you heading home to Canada or is it Christmas in Nashville this year?
I actually don't know yet! I'll be up there a little before Christmas so I might just stick around or I might decided to have a very quiet Christmas in Nashville which will be nice too!
What's the plan for 2026? Is it better for you right now to get involved in a big arena tour as support or play longer headliner shows to your own fans in smaller venues?
I think right now I need to have a balance of both. To make new fans you need to get on tours to play infront of crowds that aren't yours. We're doing Canada at the top of the year and a lot of those shows are sold out which I'm very grateful for! We head to Australia after that so I get to make some new fans over there, which is really cool and then we're rolling into festivals with a view to maybe doing our own headline tour here in the US next fall and maybe even come back to the UK around then as well!
Check out Josh Ross' new album ‘Later Tonight' in all the usual places right now.
