Joji has emerged as one of the most unique and influential asian artists in R&B today. Joji, real name George Miller, is one of the most unorthodox success stories in modern music, from his offensive, edgy videos on YouTube to his soulful R&B music. His rise started as many great creators do, on the open world of YouTube.
In the early 2010s, George Miller was known as Filthy Frank on YouTube, who was known for his controversial videos. His channel was a mix of skits, disgusting humor and satire that skewered internet culture as well as pop culture. His videos were often filled with rough jokes, physical comedy, and extremely strange plotlines. These videos were intentionally meant to be absurd, they were meant to provoke and confuse the audience. His iconic creations include the “Harlem Shake”- a trend where many dressed in costumes and quietly danced for the first bit of the video, and quickly transitioned into a more extreme and rigorous flail and dance. Joji also created Pink Guy, a man dressed in a skin tight suit that performed outrageous raps as well as harassed people in public.
Even though he had a huge following, Joji was aware that contention creation was taking a huge toll on him. Physical and mental exhaustion from playing such extreme characters became problems that he had to face. He eventually decided to quit the character of Filthy Frank. However, this would not be the end to his contention creation, as he had been fostering an interest for music for many years already.
In 2017 George Miller retired from YouTube, explaining that health concerns such as severe throat problems as well as neurological problems led him to quit content creation. He then introduced himself to the world as Joji. Under this new name, George would make music, but music different from the gruff rap that he would make under the name Pink Guy. He introduced new music influenced by R&B, lo-fi, and trip-hop. Combining these genres, Joji made melancholic and intimate sounding music, focusing on heartbreak and loneliness. By completely eradicating his old persona, it was expected that his old fans would not listen to his music. However, the loyal fans proved that they didn’t only care about the brash content he made, but about the creator himself.
Joji’s debut album Ballads 1 was a commercial success. His well known tracks such as “Slow Dancing in the Dark” and “Yeah Right” showed listeners a different side of Joji, a moody and sensitive one. It also showcased his ability to balance instrumentals with honest lyrics. In his song “Attention,” Joji vocalizes his pain about a woman whom he truly cares about and loves— “Girl, would it kill you just to throw a little bit of attention If I hurt you; I’m afraid God’s gonna teach me a lesson.” However, in the context of the song, she doesn’t actually love him and uses him, showing a one sided toxic relationship. Joji expresses how frustrated he is with her, but afraid to take action as consequences may arise.
“Joji’s music is the best kind of music to listen to late at night. I like Slow Dancing in The Dark because it has relaxing instrumentals that incorporate a lot of piano. I think the instrumentals pair well with his emotional singing.” said freshman Matthew Chung.
While his rise to recognition is certainly not normal, it all worked out for Miller. Going from edgy YouTuber to one of the most prominent asian R&B artists, the story of Joji is something we can all learn from. Don’t set boundaries for yourself as you can accomplish more than you think.
