Zack Joseph Releases New Album 'Keeping Me Sane'

Today, Nashville-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zack Joseph releases his new album, Keeping Me Sane -- available now on all digital service providers and for physical purchase at www.zackjosephmusic.com/shop. Premiering the title track earlier this week with The Boot, Keeping Me Sane marks the first release from Zack Joseph after a three-year musical hiatus where the Americana artist took much-needed time to soul search. Joseph returned to his musical roots with a stronger sense of self-identity within the queer community and channeled these revelations into his forthcoming album, Keeping Me Sane. The resulting collection of songs is a reflection on life, love, and the never-ending search for self.

Joseph recently released the first two singles from the album to critical acclaim, including the upbeat track "High," and the title track "Keeping Me Sane." Covering the spectrum of emotion, Joseph explores the innately human tendency to overindulge with "High," and reflects on how a long-distance relationship helped him cope with feelings of loneliness - feelings more relatable than ever amidst the trials of the past year. While describing "High," Music Mecca states, "With the catchiness of pop and a distribution of folk and country throughout, the near-theatrical song is full of such emotion and confidence that it possesses a dose of universality helping it appeal to a wide audience." Country Queer describes Joseph's songwriting, "the Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist has a knack for tight pop melodies and vulnerable lyrics." Listen to "High" here, and "Keeping Me Sane" here.

Joseph, originally hailing from rural upstate New York, first found his musical voice in the cello. After engrossing himself in the instrument for years and ranking among the top 10 youth cellists in New York State, it was his Great Aunt who introduced Joseph to folk music as a teen. Soon his weekends were spent on her farm where he taught himself the "Carter scratch" style of guitar, devoured folk traditions, and learned to play mandolin, fiddle, and tenor guitar while developing his own unique voice. With a religious upbringing, it was fitting that Joseph's first performances were at the Sunday community church services. From there, Joseph went on to study cello, folk music, and the music industry in college before making the move to Nashville to pursue his musical ambitions full time.

Once in Nashville, Joseph released his debut album All in Time in 2014, which introduced Joseph on the Nashville folk and Americana scenes. After touring nationally for the following few years, Joseph stepped back from music and took a hiatus which he spent coming to terms with his sexuality. Torn between rights and wrongs, the faith he was raised with, Joseph spiraled. Unfulfilled and feeling astray on his musical and life paths alike, he decided to stop performing and creating music for the next several years. "I kept feeling like I was drowning and failing, and I didn't know how to get out of that hole," explains Joseph. "It was like everything I had planned, had dreamed, and had thought was important for being a 'good' human being was turned upside down."

Yet, Joseph emerged on the other side stronger than ever and channeled his new discoveries into the songs that became Keeping Me Sane. As Joseph says, "This music is about feeling acceptance, regardless of your walk of life, and knowing that everything will be okay. The process of creating this album was just that for me." The result is a collection of songs that embrace every inch of life, and capture Joseph's realizations along the way. Keeping Me Sane reminds us all to embrace the freedom in letting go.

Listen here: