Josephine Foster

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Josephine Foster
Josephine-foster-optimal.jpg
Background information
Born
Colorado, United States
Genres Folk, art song, psychedelic rock, experimental, New Weird America, [1] Americana
OccupationsSinger, songwriter, musician, music producer
InstrumentsGuitar, piano, harp, organ, autoharp
Years active2000–present
Labels Fire Records, Feeding Tube, Drag City, Nyahh, Windbell, Bo' Weavil Recordings, Locust Music
Website www.josephinefoster.info

Josephine Foster is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Colorado. She is known for her anachronistic voice and work that weaves older styles with the modern, escaping simple classification. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

As a teenager, Foster worked as a church singer and aspired to become an opera singer. She moved to Chicago in 1998 to further her opera studies, [3] and began home-recording her songs, resulting in the albums There Are Eyes Above, influenced by Tin Pan Alley, and an album of children's songs, Little Life. She then released collaborative albums with local folk bands The Children's Hour (SOS JFK), Born Heller (S/T), as well as All the Leaves Are Gone , a psychedelic rock album with backing band The Supposed. [5]

A number of solo records followed, including the all acoustic Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You , [3] an unorthodox collection of 19th century German Lieder titled A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing , [6] and This Coming Gladness , a psychedelic folk-rock album. [7] [8]

Foster released most of her recordings the following decade with Fire Records, including Graphic as a Star, her settings of 27 Emily Dickinson poems. [9]

Thereafter she began to record frequently with engineer Andrija Tokic, who co-produced with Foster her solo albums Blood Rushing, [10] I'm A Dreamer, [11] and Faithful Fairy Harmony ; [12] also More Amor, a psych-folk album by her new band Mendrugo formed with Victor Herrero. The latter was Foster's first foray into writing lyrics in Spanish. [13]

Foster lent her voice to the soundtrack for the 2020 film, The World to Come, and sung (as well as co-wrote) the titular song over the end credits. [14]

Discography

Studio Albums

Solo studio albums
TitleAlbum details
There Are Eyes Above
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: Self-released
Little Life
  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Self-released
Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You
  • Released: 2005 [15]
  • Label: Locust Music
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
  • Released: 2006 [16]
  • Label: Locust Music
This Coming Gladness
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: Bo’ Weavil Recordings
Graphic as a Star
  • Released: 2009
  • Label: Fire Records
Anda Jaleo
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: Fire Records
Blood Rushing
  • Released: 2012
  • Label: Fire Records
Perlas
  • Released: 2013
  • Label: Fire Records
I'm A Dreamer
  • Released: 2017
  • Label: Fire Records
No More Lamps in the Morning
  • Released: 2016
  • Label: Fire Records
Faithful Fairy Harmony
  • Released: 2019
  • Label: Fire Records
No Harm Done
  • Released: 2020
  • Label: Fire Records
Godmother
  • Released: 2022 [17]
  • Label: Fire Records
Domestic Sphere
  • Released: 2023 [18]
  • Label: Fire Records

Collaborative Albums

Collaborative albums
TitleAlbum details
SOS JFK
(with The Children's Hour)
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Self-released
Born Heller
(with Born Heller)
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Locust Music
All the Leaves Are Gone
(with The Supposed)
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Locust Music
Mystery Meet
(with The Cherry Blossoms)
  • Released: 2020 (recorded 2007)
  • Label: Feeding Tube Records
More Amor
(with Mendrugo)
  • Released: 2016
  • Label: Fire Records
Stars of Tennessee
(with The Cherry Blossoms)
  • Released: 2022
  • Label: Feeding Tube Records
Going Home
(with The Children's Hour)
  • Released: 2024 (recorded 2003) [19]
  • Label: Drag City
  • Notes: Featuring David Pajo and Andrew Bar

References

  1. Mehr, Bob (November 3, 2005). "Which Way to the New Weird America?; That Mellifluous Mojo". Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  2. Lewis, John (April 29, 2019). "Endearingly Odd Musician Casts a Spell". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Mehr, Bob (November 3, 2005). "Which Way to the New Weird America?; That Mellifluous Mojo". Chicago Reader.
  4. "Album Review: Josephine Foster - Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You". DrownedInSound.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  5. "Josephine Foster / The Supposed: All the Leaves Are Gone". Pitchfork.com.
  6. "Josephine Foster: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". Pitchfork.com.
  7. "This Coming Gladness - Josephine Foster | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  8. "Music Review: Josephine Foster - This Coming Gladness". Tinymixtapes.com.
  9. "Graphic as a Star - Josephine Foster | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  10. "Blood Rushing - Josephine Foster | Release Info". AllMusic.
  11. "I'm a Dreamer - Josephine Foster | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  12. "Faithful Fairy Harmony - Josephine Foster | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  13. "Music Review: Mendrugo - More Amor". Tinymixtapes.com.
  14. Jonathan Romney (September 6, 2020). "'The World to Come': Review". screendaily.com.
  15. "Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You". AllMusic. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  16. "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". AllMusic. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  17. "Godmother". Bandcamp. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  18. "Domestic Sphere". AllMusic. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  19. "The Children's Hour (Josephine Foster, David Pajo, Andy Bar) Releasing Lost Album". Stereogum. January 5, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2025.