Josaleigh Pollett | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Indie |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Labels | Lavender Vinyl, Cupboard Music, Audio Antihero |
Josaleigh Pollett is a Salt Lake City-based musician and songwriter. They've released material via Cupboard Music and Audio Antihero, and have collaborated with Icarus Phoenix and Ekko Astral.
Growing up in Salt Lake City, Josaleigh Pollett began writing and self-releasing their songs as a teenager, while performing solo sets. [1] In 2014, they contributed vocals to the Salt Lake City: A Love Story album by Charles Ellsworth and Vincent Draper. [2] [3]
In 2017, they issued their debut album, Strangers, via Lavender Vinyl on July 8. [4] [5]
After the release of Strangers, Pollett was relatively inactive musically, [6] but continued to perform live. [7] [8] [9]
In 2020, Pollett began collaborating with Crowd Shy (Jordan Watko). [10] The creation of their second album used a full-band lineup, and No Woman Is the Sea was released on March 12, 2020, again through Lavender Vinyl. [11] [12] Pollett received local press and radio support, [13] [14] but they were unable to support the release with live shows due to COVID-19 pandemic. [15] [16] [17] The album was re-issued on CD by Cupboard Music and cassette via Lavender Vinyl in 2023. [18] [19]
The following year, Pollett issued Bedroom Demos 2021, [20] recorded a You Have Until Lunch session, [21] [22] and supported St. Vincent. [23]
Pollett also collaborated with Icarus Phoenix on releases in 2021 and 2022. [24] [25] [26]
Pollett returned in 2023 with their third album, In the Garden, By the Weeds, released on July 14. [27] [28] [29] and Pollett recorded a session for KRCL in November. [30] The album was again made in collaboration with Watko, who re-located to Japan after its completion. [31] [32]
In 2024, Pollett issued a remixed edition of the previous year's album, [33] [34] and collaborated with Scott Lippitt, [35] [36] and Ekko Astral. [37] [38] [39] The latter collaboration, "i90," appeared on the pink balloons album, [40] [41] and was re-released as a live version the following year. [42] [43]
Pollett began 2025 with a collaboration with phoneswithchords [44] and a daily songwriting challenge, which was released as bro's bad january, [45] [46] [47] and performed at the Kilby Block Party in May. [48] [49] [50]
On October 28, they released the "Radio Player" single, an international collaboration with Watko, through the Audio Antihero label. [51] [52] [53]
Pollett's debut album, Strangers, and its follow up, No Woman Is the Sea, received praise and support from local Utah-based publications including SLUG, [54] KRCL, [55] [56] KUAA, [57] Salt Lake City Weekly, [58] and Salt Lake City Magazine, [59] in addition to other independent outlets. [60] [61]
Third album, In the Garden, by the Weeds, saw Pollett receive national coverage from NPR Music (All Songs Considered), [62] Gorilla vs. Bear, [63] and Hype Machine's "Stack" feature, [64] [65] as well as Best of the Year lists from Columbia Daily Tribune, [66] Atwood Magazine, [67] KRCL's listeners and DJs, [68] [69] [70] the North American College & Community Radio Chart, [71] and others. [72] [73]
Pollett was awarded "Best Singer-Songwriter of 2024" by Salt Lake City Weekly in 2024. [74]
The 2024 and 2025 Ekko Astral collaborations were covered by BrooklynVegan [75] [76] and placed in Best of the Year lists for Paste and Uproxx. [77] [78]
In 2025, they were featured by PopMatters, [79] and the "Radio Player" single received positive coverage from Under the Radar, [80] The Alternative, [81] God Is In the TV, [82] Muso's Guide, [83] and others. [84] "Radio Player" was Loud Women's "Track of the Day," [85] placed at No.5 in the Rosy Overdrive 2025 reader's poll, [86] and was also No.1 in Hype Machine's "Popular Now" and "Most Posted" charts. [87] [88] [89]
Airplay for Pollett's releases has come from WFMU, [90] [91] WMFO, [92] WNYU's Leilani Patao, [93] WSUM, [94] WRFI, [95] WORT, [96] K-UTE, [97] and others. [98] [99] In the Garden, By the Weeds peaked at No.110 in the NACC 200 on January 9, 2024. [100]
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