Josh Ross (born May 27, 1996) is a Canadian

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer and songwriter. He is managed by The Core Entertainment and jointly signed to

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group (UMG) owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to the UMG official website, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Gra ...

and

Universal Music Group Nashville Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville which opened on New Year's Day 1950 a ...

. Ross has charted with the singles " First Taste of Gone", " On a Different Night", "

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

", " Ain't Doin' Jack", " Single Again", " Leave Me Too", and " Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)". In March 2024, he released the extended play '' Complicated''. His debut album ''Later Tonight'' is set to release in September 2025.

Early life

Ross was born in

Waterdown, Ontario Waterdown is a community in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. Waterdown is approximately 60 km west of downtown Toronto and, as of 2021, has a population of approximately 24,400 residents. On Jan ...

, and later moved to nearby

Burlington, Ontario Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is a city and List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipality in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region at the west end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Can ...

for school. He spent most of his youth playing sports such as

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

. He has extended family in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, and visited the United States often as a child. Ross attended Western University on a football scholarship and was a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

He did not actually play for Western. He had hoped to play in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. A series of injuries coupled with two surgeries derailed his football career in university, and he elected to pursue a career in music as a result. Before his solo career, he initially formed a band in 2016 with Will Finch, a fellow former Western football player, named "Silver Lining". Ross listened to both

and

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

growing up, and cites

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

as one of his biggest musical influences.

Career

Early career

While working in construction management, Ross entered several music competitions including the Magna Hoedown in

Aurora, Ontario Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridge ...

, and the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artists Showcase. He began making trips to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 2018, with the support of fellow Canadian country artist

Aaron Goodvin Aaron Goodvin is a Canadian-American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 2016, he has charted multiple singles on the ''Billboard'' Canada Country charts, including the number-one hits " You Are" and " Boy Like Me", and the double p ...

, before making a permanent move there in 2019. Ross released his first radio single "If You Were a Song" as an independent artist that year. He released the five-song extended play ''Do What You Love'' in 2020.

2022–2023: Universal Music Group, Grey Cup halftime show

In February 2022, Ross released the single " First Taste of Gone", which he co-wrote with Mason Thornley. He then became one of the final eight finalists for

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

's "Top of the Country" contest. Ross subsequently signed a joint recording and management deal with The Core Entertainment and

in April 2022. With Universal taking over promotion of "First Taste of Gone", the song moved into the top five of the

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart, and entered the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

. Ross released the song " On a Different Night" in July 2022, which would become a radio single later that September. He received a nomination for "Rising Star" at the

2022 Canadian Country Music Awards The 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards, honouring achievements in Canadian country music, were presented on September 11, 2022 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, and broadcast by the Global Television Network. The ceremony was host ...

. Ross performed at the halftime show for the

109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 CFL season, 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regin ...

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

, alongside

Tyler Hubbard Tyler Reed Hubbard (born January 31, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as a member of the Nashville-based duo Florida Georgia Line. After that duo went on hiatus in 2021, Hubbard began recording as a solo artist on ...

and Jordan Davis. In January 2023, Ross released the single "

". He opened for

Bailey Zimmerman Bailey Lynn Zimmerman (born January 27, 2000) is an American Country music, country singer. In 2022, he charted the singles "Fall in Love (Bailey Zimmerman song), Fall in Love" and "Rock and a Hard Place (Bailey Zimmerman song), Rock and a Hard ...

at the end of his headlining tour in the United States in the same month. In March 2023,

signed Ross in partnership with

and The Core. Ross subsequently released the song "Red Flags" later that month. He joined

Lee Brice Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr. (born June 10, 1979), known professionally as Lee Brice, is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Curb Records. Brice has released five albums with the label: ''Love Like Crazy'', ''Hard 2 Love (Lee B ...

's "Beer Drinking Opportunity Tour" with

Tenille Arts Tenille Jade Dakota Arts (born April 19, 1994) is a Canadian country music singer from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. She released a self-titled extended play and her debut studio album ''Rebel Child (Tenille Arts album), Rebel Child'' with 19th & Gran ...

in Canada in the spring of 2023, and signed a publishing deal with

Warner Chappell Music Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

shortly thereafter. He was named "Rising Star" at the 2023 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards. In the summer of 2023, Ross was an opening act for

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...

on their North American "Get Rollin' Tour" along with

Brantley Gilbert Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released '' Modern D ...

. In July 2023, he released the song " Ain't Doin' Jack". That same month, he made his debut performance at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

. At the

2023 Canadian Country Music Awards The 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards, honouring achievements in Canadian country music, were presented on September 16, 2023, at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario. For the first time in 25 years they were broadcas ...

in September 2023, Ross was nominated in six total categories, and won the award for "Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year". He released the song "Ain't the One" at the end of the month.

2024–present: ''Complicated'', The Trouble Tour, and the Single Again Tour

In 2024, Ross released the songs " Single Again" and "Truck Girl". Ross also embarked on his debut headlining tour "The Trouble Tour" in Canada in early 2024, and he joined

again for his headlining "Religiously: The Tour" in the United States, Great Britain, and Ireland. He released his extended play '' Complicated'' on March 29, 2024. He followed that up with the release of the promotional singles "New Me" in May 2024 and "Want This Beer", a duet with

Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...

, in July 2024. From August to November 2024, Ross embarked on his debut American headlining tour, the "Single Again Tour". He won five awards at the

2024 Canadian Country Music Awards The 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards, honouring achievements in Canadian country music, were presented on September 14, 2024, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. For the second year in a row, they were broadcast by CTV over its television ne ...

, including "Entertainer of the Year" and "Single of the Year. Ross also won the Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award at the

58th Annual Country Music Association Awards The 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on November 20, 2024 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC and was available to stream the next day on Hulu. Background On September 30, 2024, th ...

. In February 2025, Ross released " Leave Me Too", the lead single off an upcoming project. He tied with

Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer. She first gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Th ...

for the most nominations at the

Juno Awards of 2025 The Juno Awards of 2025 were held on March 30, 2025, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, to honour achievements in Canadian music in 2024. The ceremony was hosted by Michael Bublé. Nominees were announced on February 11, 2025. Jos ...

, and won the

Juno Award for Country Album of the Year The Juno Award for "Country Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best country music artist in Canada. A number of previous award categories have been combined under this name, including "Best Country ...

with '' Complicated''. In April 2025, Ross released the song "Hate How You Look". In May 2025, Ross collaborated with

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artist

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

on the song " Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)", a reimagined version of Akon's song "

Right Now (Na Na Na) "Right Now (Na Na Na)" is a song by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon. It is the lead single from his third studio album, ''Freedom (Akon album), Freedom.'' The song contains elements from "Remember" by Summer Love. The song was added to ...

". In July 2025, " Single Again" reached number one on the

Mediabase Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...

Country chart, making Ross the third Canadian man ever, after

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian country music guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' country charts betw ...

and

Paul Brandt Paul Rennée Belobersycky (born July 21, 1972), known professionally as Paul Brandt, is a Canadian country music artist. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric nurse at the time of his big break. In 1996, he made his mark on the country music ...

, to land a number one country radio single in the United States. Ross will release his debut album ''Later Tonight'' on September 19, 2025.

Controversy

In June 2025, Ross apologized on social media after a video of him calling United States "the best country in the world" while performing at the Tailgates 'N Tallboys Festival in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

trended online and led to a barrage of criticism from Canadian fans due to the ongoing

trade war A trade war is an economic conflict often resulting from extreme protectionism, in which states raise or implement tariffs or other trade barriers against each other as part of their commercial policies, in response to similar measures imposed ...

between the two nations. Weeks later, he performed at Heritage Canada's

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

concert in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Tours

*''The Trouble Tour'' (2024) *''Single Again Tour'' (2024)

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Josh Living people Universal Music Group artists Canadian Country Music Association Entertainer(s) of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Male Artist of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Single of the Year winners Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Singers from Ontario People from Burlington, Ontario Western Mustangs football players 21st-century Canadian male singers 1996 births 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Juno Award for Country Album of the Year winners