Meet Joshua Beauchamp | Singer, Song Writer, Producer, & Audio Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Beauchamp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Born in Miami, Dade County, and raised in New York, I am the eldest of four siblings. Growing up, music has always been an important part of my life. My father was a singer in a Haitian band named “U5,” which he and his best friend formed. They recorded many songs together. Every Friday night, he would have his band members come to the house to practice for a gig. You would always find me tiptoeing down there, curious about what was going on. I would watch them set up equipment and see my father sing while the band members played. As a kid, it was a wonder to witness something like that. It got me into listening to music in a different way, and soon I wanted to try creating music like my father did with his band.

One day, I found one of those cassette recorders with an internal mic. My aunt had stored her piano in my parents’ garage, and I had a great idea. At school, I was part of a group of friends, and there was one kid—I can’t remember his name—who could always beatbox. I found this so cool and wanted to do it so badly, but I didn’t know how. I was too shy to try in front of everyone, so I went home and practiced and practiced, showing no one. With the cassette recorder, I thought maybe I could record myself beatboxing while trying to play the piano, and so I did just that. It was probably the worst song ever, but at the time, I was really proud. It was my first production.

I naturally became interested in understanding how to create more music. To start, I joined the school band and played the saxophone. I would go home every day excited to practice after school, making all the noise possible. You can only imagine how crazy I must have driven my parents, blasting the saxophone throughout the house like I was in some marching band. But I was a proud saxophone player, so much so that they pulled me out of class one time to play with the older band for the school’s graduation because I was able to read the music notes and play the saxophone strongly. I was in the church choir growing up, so it wasn’t hard to use my diaphragm. We played Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love.” I played my heart out that day. It only opened more doors.

In February 2005, I moved from Queens, New York, to Bay Shore, Long Island. It was a very different world for me, but it didn’t take long to get used to living there. I found out that my school had an audio production program, but it was always hard to get into. Most kids picked it because they wanted to hang out and thought it was an easy elective to get an easy A. But it was frustrating because I could never get in. Finally, the school offered a different program called BOCES. I was then able to join the audio production world. I was extremely happy to finally do what I dreamed of—becoming a music producer. Being able to create what was in my mind and bring it to life was a glorious thought. I made sure to double down and learned everything I could. I started to produce and also got more into singing my songs and even songwriting to audio engineering, where I found my second love. My confidence in my abilities grew, and I wanted more. I was there for two years, got a scholarship, and went off to Five Towns College, where I met the next part of my life in music. I started to work with everyone I could and improved a lot of my skills, from working with creative groups, making EPs, working on indie film projects, to creating my own music. There is so much I can tell you that brought me here today, but this is a little piece of my music journey.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After high school, when I got into Five Towns College, I met an artist named Tayo. Ironically, we had met before, prior to college. It was actually one day when I was taking the bus, and he was rapping. He asked if there was anybody who could beatbox, and I said I could. So, I beatboxed for him while he rapped, and that was the end of it. We never really spoke again until college. We talked and discovered that he was still rapping, and I told him I could record and do different things like that. So, we decided to start recording every day, and I wanted to improve my audio engineering skills, so I thought, why not?

It got to the point where we started getting noticed because we were putting out music constantly, almost every day. After about six months of doing that, we somehow got ourselves on the radio. We had DJ Kay Slay playing our track that we recorded in my bedroom with a small computer and a mic. Hearing this man shouting us out was amazing. Ironically, two weeks before that, we were in the car, pretending to listen to the song as if it were playing on the radio. It was a very surreal experience.

From then, we met Chaz Williams, who used to manage artists like Foxy Brown and Jay-Z when they were starting and during important parts of their careers. He was a very important part of the music industry. You could say he was an OG. That’s when everything changed. We soon became connected to Sony through Massenburg Media. Things were moving a bit fast, and we were pretty young. I was 19 at the time, I think turning 20, and it was just a very different thing for me. I didn’t think I would be doing this so quickly, especially after high school and during college.

I soon started getting paid for my production, and my audio engineering skills were well respected. It was an amazing feeling because the recognition came from the record industry, and I didn’t even have that many years into it. But it was nice to know that my progress was substantial. I worked with so many people and even had a chance to work with Lupe Fiasco, but unfortunately, we accidentally left one of the songs we were trying to work with him on up on YouTube, and it ended up killing the deal due to copyright issues. It would have been really cool to have him on the track, but it was compromised at that point.

However, one thing I can say is that I was very proud to work with Fat Joe. We produced a track that was very old-school-like but modern and had a great message, and we were able to get Fat Joe on the track. It was also nice to have created a song that was played on MTV and on the MTV website. We were moving fast and moving along. But, long story short, let’s just say egos got in the way, and it wasn’t mine. I wanted more than anything for everything to work, but I just couldn’t deal with the situation anymore. It was killing my love for music, and that’s something that was very important to me. So, when it came to Sony, we had to break. It’s really saddening that that happened, but it was a big life lesson. It taught me that when you love someone or something, sometimes it’s best not to sacrifice a piece of yourself, because you could never love the same way again.

The one thing I really want everyone to know is to always push yourself and believe in yourself. The one quote that I always say is, “Never hope, always believe.” You can’t make anything happen if you’re always hoping; it just means that you’re doubtful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a very simple person, but one thing about me is that I love to surprise myself. Sometimes I don’t even want to plan anything; I just want to go out and find things to do. I sometimes feel like a planned day kills the joy of spontaneity, and that’s something I really like about myself. When the day is unpredictable, it feels like you’re actually living life.

Being a New Yorker, of course, I would take someone out to the city. I’d have to show them around and try out all the foods. One thing I enjoy in the city is live music, but I also enjoy comedy shows, and that’s something I would definitely do. If we took a trip down to Long Island, we’d probably play some golf a little bit. I enjoy that, and I tend to get my friends to do things they’re not usually used to doing. We might go down to the beach, sit by the water, and have a nice snack—things like that, you know. I’m a very simple guy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I want to thank my father. He’s always been an inspiration for many of the things I do in my life. I also want to thank my mentor, Joseph Kelly, who passed away. He gave me the boost of confidence I needed for my music to grow. He was an amazing person, a talented musician, and he was loved very much by many. He’s the reason I understand how to hear music the way I do in my audio engineering and why I can explore different ideas without fearing failure. I also want to thank my mother for her support and care. She always ensured that I was as strong mentally as possible. Of course, my friends have been nothing but supportive and honest about my music and my progression. But one last person I want to give credit to is Taylor Belle. She’s always been an inspiration and someone very admirable. She motivates me to be the best that I can be, especially when it comes to my music and my creations. She’s been nothing but a star in my world, and I appreciate every part of it.

Instagram: @bchampmusic

Soundcloud: https://Soundcloud.com/bchampmusic

Other: Spotify: BChampmusic or B-Champ