Artist Breakdown: Joji

George Miller, known as Joji, has become one of the most popular musicians today.  

Miller first rose to fame on YouTube creating comedy videos under the name Filthy Frank. Miller had previously stated that he began YouTube to promote his music, but that didn’t catch on. However, he generated an audience when he started creating content playing characters like Filthy Frank and Pink Guy.  

In December 2017, Miller put out a statement on his Twitter announcing that he was done creating comedy content and was going to focus on his music as Joji. 

Before Miller’s rebrand to Joji, he had released a few projects under the name of Pink Guy, releasing an EP and album in early 2017. Both of these were rap albums that focused heavily on comedy. This would be very different from the music Miller would go on to release. 

In November 2017, Miller’s first project as Joji was released, the EP “In Tongues.” This is a much more chill project than anything Miller had released before. It felt like a reset button for Miller as he shifted gears from comedy to becoming a legitimate musician. 

In October 2018, Joji released his first-ever full-length album, “Ballads 1.” This album was pretty popular, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. This album had four singles released before the album’s release, including the most popular song from the album, “Slow Dancing in the Dark.”  

“Slow Dancing in the Dark” is the perfect embodiment of this album. It is about wanting to be with someone, but knowing it isn’t what is best for either of you. Lyrics like “I don’t want a friend, I want my life in two” and “When I’m around slow dancing in the dark/Don’t follow me, you’ll end up in my arms” show this.  

This theme of Joji’s love life continues on his second studio album “Nectar.” In an interview with Office Magazine, Joji talked about how one day, he saw a line of ants by his freezer, trying to get in to get food. The ants got into the freezer but couldn’t get out, leaving them to die inside. This left Miller with the question “What would you do for your nectar?” and the concept of this album.  

Songs like “Daylight” and “Like You Do” talk about different aspects of his love life. “Daylight” is about moving on from heartbreak. Joji no longer wants to “fight the daylight,” and he wants to move on with his life. “Like You Do” is about a relationship between two people who are going down two different paths in life, but not wanting the relationship to end.  

After “Nectar” Joji stayed quiet about any new music, until June 6, 2020, when he announced a new single. This was the song “Glimpse of Us,” which has blown up, becoming his most popular song on Spotify and Apple Music. “Glimpse of Us” is about missing a past relationship, while being in a relationship that is much better for you. 

After the release of “Glimpse of Us” Joji announced a fall tour, but no other upcoming musical projects.  

Mark Warren can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarkWarren1832