“I’m Excited To Just Take The Whole Thing In”: Josh Ross On Taking His Country Charm To British Soil

With his genre’s eyes increasingly fixed on him, the Canadian star is preparing to meet his UK fans.

Josh Ross’ meteoric rise in the country genre is turning heads. Along with earning his first US Country Airplay No 1 in June (“Hate How You Look”), the Nashville-based artist has also surpassed a billion streams and holds one of the highest numbers of nominations for this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards.

The fanfare really accelerated following 2024 breakthrough track “Trouble”, propelling him to the forefront of country’s most exciting coterie of up-and-comers, achieving Double Platinum status in Canada and Gold in the US. This led to his landmark EP “Complicated”, which picked up “Country Album of the Year” at the 2025 Juno Awards, where he also ranked among the most nominated artists alongside fellow native Tate McRae. He followed that up with critically acclaimed debut album Later Tonight in 2025, and somewhere amongst it all has found himself supporting legends spanning Nickelback to Luke Bryan. 

Now set to make his mark on UK soil – hitting the stage at Leicestershire’s The Long Road festival this weekend – Man About Town caught up with Ross on his accelerating stardom, his tour family and learning from the greats.

You’ve had a pretty meteoric rise over the past few years. When did you first realise that this career could become something much bigger than you’d imagined?

I think there have been a few moments where it’s really hit me. Hearing “Single Again” go No 1 in the US and Canada was definitely one of them. You spend so many years writing songs, playing shows and hoping people connect with what you’re doing, so when something like that happens, it makes you realise how far it’s actually travelled.

Then having “Hate How You Look” go No 1 this year was another big one because it showed me that the first one wasn’t just a moment. We were actually building something. But, honestly, some of the biggest moments for me are still being onstage somewhere far from home and hearing a crowd sing the words back. That never gets old.

You’ve described your sound as emotional, rock-tinged country. Has that identity always felt natural to you or has it evolved as you’ve grown as an artist?

It’s definitely evolved, but I think the ingredients have always been there. I grew up loving country music, but I’ve always been drawn to rock too and to artists who put a lot of emotion into what they do.

As I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve gotten more comfortable leaning into all of those sides of myself instead of feeling like everything has to fit perfectly into one box. I love songs that can really hit you lyrically, but when we play them live, I also want them to have some weight and energy behind them. That combination feels the most like me.

Do you ever write something and immediately know that it’s going to be special or does that only become clear once people start hearing it?

Sometimes you definitely get that feeling in the room. There are songs where the hook lands or you finish the chorus, and everybody looks at each other like, “Okay, there’s something here.”

But I’ve also learned that you never completely know. Sometimes the song you think is going to be the one isn’t the song people grab onto, and another one takes on a life of its own. That’s one of my favourite things about releasing music – once it’s out, it stops being just your story, and people start attaching their own lives to it.

You’re heading to The Long Road for the first time, what are you most excited to experience about the festival beyond your own set?

I’m excited to just take the whole thing in. We spend so much time travelling where it can become airport–bus–venue–show–repeat, so I try to actually experience the places we get to play whenever I can.

I’ve heard a lot about The Long Road and how passionate the UK country fans are, so I’m excited to walk around, catch some other artists and hang with the fans. There’s something really cool about coming all the way over here and seeing how big the country music community has become.

If someone at The Long Road has never heard Josh Ross before, which song would you want them to hear first?

That’s tough, but I’d probably say “Single Again”. I think it gives you a pretty good introduction to who I am as an artist. There’s emotion in it, but it still has that energy that translates really well live.

If you like that one, then I’d tell you to dig into “Hate How You Look” and “Kicked Out of Bars” because those show some different sides of what I do too.

What’s something about the Josh Ross who people see onstage that is completely different from the Josh Ross off the clock?

Onstage, I’m pretty much turned all the way up. I love the adrenaline, interacting with the crowd and that feeling of everybody being in the same moment together.

Offstage, I’m probably a lot more laid-back than people expect. If I’m actually home and have some time off, I’m happiest being outside, working on something around the property, fishing, hunting, hanging with my dog or just being around friends and family. Touring is pretty nonstop, so when I get home, I almost go in the complete opposite direction and enjoy things being simple.

You’ve played alongside everyone from Nickelback to Jelly Roll. What have you learned from watching artists who can completely command a huge crowd?

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you can’t fake connection. The artists who are incredible at that level make a massive venue somehow feel personal.

Watching people like Nickelback and Jelly Roll, you see how intentional they are about the show, but you also see how much of themselves they give the crowd. It’s not just about singing the songs perfectly. It’s about making the person in the very back feel like they’re part of something. I’ve definitely tried to take pieces of that and bring it into our own show.

You’ve spent a lot of time on the road now. What’s something about yourself you’ve learned through being on tour so much?

Probably that I need a balance between chaos and normal life. I absolutely love touring and playing shows – it’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time – but being away so much has made me appreciate home a lot more too. It’s also taught me how important the people around you are. When you’re travelling together constantly, your band and crew really do become a family. There are long drives, very little sleep and days where things don’t go according to plan, so having a group of people who believe in what you’re building makes a massive difference.

It’s been almost a year since your last album, what can we expect from your next full-length project?

I think the next project is going to give people a pretty good picture of where I’m at right now. There’ll always be that emotional side because those are some of my favourite songs to write, but I think there’s gonna be a lot more energy on this one too and songs that really reflect what our live show has become.

This past year has been pretty wild with touring, the No 1s and everything that’s happened in my life and career, so I’ve got a lot more to write about. I want there to be songs that really hit you and make you feel something, but also songs that are just fun and high energy.