One month away from his highly anticipated May 9 debut album Before You Go, 27-year-old singer-songwriter Brandon Joseph, known simply as Brandon, has released the third single ‘Seeing Stars’ from the forthcoming project. ‘Seeing Stars’ has the steller vocals fans have come to love in a Brandon song. The single is a timeless R&B love song driven by its ethereal rhythm and bass section, vocals, and songwriting that perfectly captures a familiar feeling both for the artist and listener. The lyrics explore a love-at-first-sight type feeling while also containing a nostalgic reflection of the moment life changed by meeting someone and a yearning to return to specific moments.
“This song is about being lovestruck. I think this song was about the first time I’d seen this person in a long time. Thinking about how good things were when they were good, and wanting to travel back in time to feel that feeling again,” Brandon explains.
Seeing Stars is the latest in a line of impressive singles from Before You Go. It follows the impossibly catchy lead single, ‘Right Back,’ which has earned Brandon rightful comparisons to other guitar-driven, alt-R&B breakout stars like Frank Ocean and Mk.gee. Rises like those two artists are something Brandon is striving for with his upcoming full-length debut.
“A lot of my favorite artists are stuck like Gorilla Glue on the planet; they’ll never be erasable,” he offers. “I want to create timeless music like that too.”
Based on the first three tracks, it’s safe to say that Brandon is on a similar path. It’s impossible not to notice the artist’s standout vocals, which pair beautifully with timeless songwriting and music that can blend genres with R&B and bedroom pop and really stands out in a style all its own.
Before You Go is set to be Brandon’s most personal and fully realized work yet as it looks back on past love, dealing with change, moving from home, and losing relationships he never thought he’d lose.
Brandon has been working up to his full-length debut since the early success of his 2020 Coming Clean EP. Brandon credits his approach over the last six years leading up to this project, saying, “Taking my time with this record—allowing it to grow and not rushing the process—has made me the happiest I’ve ever been with my music.”
In that time, it’s clear to see how Brandon’s music has already evolved. The 2024 four-track EP Blush was an excellent step in which he coupled folk and acoustic melodies with intricately layered vocals that displayed an evolution as a songwriter for Brandon, as well as overall production value. Now, he is set to release his debut, which was written, recorded, and produced entirely in his home studio. An impressive work to be released May 9 via Secretly Canadian.
Pre-save the album here.