MySpace a place for friends

“Music is in my blood,” says singer and songwriter Josiah Leming. “It’s the only thing I want to do. I’d rather die in a ditch somewhere than not be able to make music. There are no other options for me. Music is my way of getting things out. It has saved my life many times.”

Such intense statements may sound like the drama of being a teenager, which Leming is, but spend any time with this thoughtful 19-year-old and it quickly becomes clear that it’s true. Josiah Leming plays music as if his life depended on it, because for him, it does. Born and raised in the hard-luck rural town of Morristown, TN, Leming left home at 17 to make it as a musician, leaving behind eight siblings (six of whom are adopted), an out-of-work stepfather, and a mother battling serious illness. As Leming traveled around the Southeast playing open-mic nights in any club or coffeehouse that would have him, he slept in his car and took odd jobs to pay for food and gas, all the while dreaming about the album he would one day make.

Now he has finally gotten his chance. Leming has begun recording his debut album for Warner Bros. Records, with whom he signed a recording and publishing deal not long after appearing on Season 7 of American Idol. His brief, yet memorable time on the show spurred fans to turn up in droves online to demand his reinstatement. They sent him messages of support and encouragement. Many posted clips of themselves performing Leming’s original songs on YouTube.

“No matter what I’ve gone through, I have the same feelings every kid has,” Leming says. “And I think I can put those feelings in such a way that they connect with people and help them get through their hard times. If my music can give others something they can express their emotions through, that’s the whole point.”

“I try to use imagery that really sticks with people, but at the same time, every song I write is about something I’ve been through,” Leming says. “So it’s impossible for me to write a song that doesn’t tell a story. I can’t write about things I don’t feel. That’s just faking it and I want the music to be real. I can’t control what anyone thinks of it, but I can promise that it’s going to come from my heart.”