Josh Krajcik
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Joshua Andrew Krajcik ( ) is an American singer-songwriter who currently resides in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. He began his career as a solo artist and later went on to form the Josh Krajcik Band with Corey Gillen and Mitch Pinkston. He was the runner-up in the first season of ''
The X Factor USA ''The X Factor'', also known as ''The X Factor USA'', is an American reality television music competition show created by Simon Cowell and produced by FremantleMedia North America and SYCOtv, a partnership between Cowell and Sony Music Entertai ...
'' in 2011.


Early life

Josh was born in
Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...
to Lisa and Ron Krajcik. Josh has an older brother named Zack. He began taking piano lessons at an early age and has indicated that he had one piano teacher that taught him basic music theory as well as how to read music, while another piano teacher taught him how to play by ear. Josh was in junior high when he began playing guitar. He received his first guitar, a
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
, from his dad, Ron, when he was 12 years old. His father also plays guitar and the two have been known to often jam together.


Triway High School

While Josh's hometown is Wooster, he did not attend Wooster City Schools. Josh attended nearb
Triway Local Schools
where he graduated from
Triway High School Triway High School is a public high school in Wooster, Ohio, Wooster, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Triway Local School District. Their nickname is the Titans. Background Triway serves primarily the townships of Wooster Township, Wayne ...
in 1999. Josh was a member of the choir during his high school years and is still an ardent supporter of the arts in education, specifically th
Triway Local Schools Music Boosters


Performing career


Early years

Some media outlets have reported that Josh began performing in front of live audiences during his teenage years. Josh himself admits to lying about his age in order to get early gigs at bars around
Wayne County, Ohio Wayne County is a county located in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,894. Its county seat is Wooster. The county is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Wayne County com ...
. His first gig was at a bar near
Lodi, Ohio Lodi ( ) is a village in Harrisville Township, Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is located southwest of the City of Medina along U.S. Route 42. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,746. History Founded in 1811, Lodi is the oldest ...
, called The Shady Glen. Despite being only 16 at the time, Josh convinced the owners he was 22 and received $100 for the gig. After high school, Josh fronted a number of bands and projects while living in the
Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...
, area. Unreleased tracks are in limited circulation from Josh's time with "''Etherface'' " and ''Love Lies Bleeding''. He has played various venues in Ohio, including in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Bowling Green, Wooster and others.


Josh Krajcik Band

After years of performing solo and in bands, Josh was introduced to bass player Mitch Pinkston in
Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...
. Once Mitch graduated from
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...
, he moved to Columbus. Josh would visit and play acoustic shows with Mitch. In 2005, Josh booked a full band show at a venue called The Blues Station (now The Garage Bar) without having a drummer for the band. Josh asked the sound engineer at the club, Eric French, if he knew anybody that could sit in and play drums for the show. Eric introduced Josh to local drummer Corey Gillen, and the three would continue performing together as Josh Krajcik Band through 2011, with rhythm guitar player, Eric French, added to the band in early 2011. After the formation of Josh Krajcik Band, Josh promptly recorded the band's first record "Ghosts" (2005) with Joe Viers at Schwab Studios in Columbus, Ohio. Shortly after, the band went on tour to support
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
artist, and fellow Ohio native, Gran Bel Fisher. On tour they opened for such prestigious artists as:
Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; née Bailey; born 26 February 1979) is a British singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an a ...
,
Brandi Carlile Brandi Marie Carlile (born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Her music spans different genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. Throughout her career, she has received eleven Gramm ...
, and
The Fray The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King. Their debut studio album, '' How to Save a Life'' (2005) was released by Epic Records and received quadruple platinum certific ...
. After performing at
Bonnaroo Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) far ...
in 2006, they appeared on
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's ''
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'' and
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's renowned '' World Cafe'' in 2007. Upon their return to Ohio, Josh Krajcik Band continued building its fan-base in the mid-west by playing live shows in Columbus ( Comfest), Wooster (Javapalooza, WoosterFest), Cleveland (Brother's Lounge), Cincinnati ( Mt Adams Music Festival), Toledo, Newport (Southgate House), and Nashville (The Billy Block Show). They also began working on songs for their second record, "Atavistic." Looking to build upon the feel and mood of "Ghosts," they again worked with co-producer/engineer Joe Viers, this time at Sonic Lounge Studios in
Grove City, Ohio Grove City is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1852, it is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 41,252 at the 2020 census. History Until the mid-19th century, the area that is now Grove City was a wil ...
. A release party was held for "Atavistic" on February 11, 2011, at Victory's in the Columbus, Ohio, Brewery District.


Discography

* ''Ghosts'' (2005) :# The Push :# Way of the World :# I Knew You Once :# Easily Lost Easily One :# The Pull :# The Harrowing :# Faces :# Obtenebration :# Rooftop 39 :# Wide Awake :# Nearing Neptune * ''Atavistic'' (2011) :# Pariah :# Suzzane :# Shorn :# As Long As It Takes :# Lunatic :# Tempest :# Crawl Out :# Statue :# Low :# Elephant :# Harlot :# Atavistic *''Josh Krajcik'' (2012) :# Nothing :# One Thing She'll Never Know :# Don't Make Me Hopeful :# Let Me Hold You *''Blindly, Lonely, Lovely'' (2013) :# Nothing :# Back Where We Belong :# No Better Lovers :# The Remedy :# Close Your Eyes :# When You Go :# Don't Make Me Hopeful :# One Thing She'll Never Know :# Her Song :# Let Me Hold You :# Lost at Sea (iTunes Bonus Track) *''Oblivion'' (2017) :# Goodbye :# Let's Disappear :# Oblivion :# All That's Left of Me :# Don't Save Me :# Never Wanted


''The X Factor''

Josh auditioned for the first season in
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
of
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
's ''The X Factor'' USA in front of Cowell,
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...
,
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...
and
L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...
. Josh performed "
At Last "At Last" is a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film ''Sun Valley Serenade'' (1941). Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US ''Billboard'' pop ...
" at his audition. The video of his audition has been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube. He went on to become one of the Top 32 and performed in the Judges Houses round "
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his third wife. At that time, MacColl was still married to his second wife, Jean Newlove. ...
" in front of special guest
Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...
and mentor
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
, who replaced Cole. From there, he moved on to become one of the finalists (Final 16), qualifying for the live shows in the Over-30s category mentored by Scherzinger. During the live shows, he gave the following performances:


Performances and results


After ''The X Factor''

After finishing ''The X Factor'', Josh began working on his album and touring regionally in the midwest. Recording for the album took place between Los Angeles and London. Throughout the recording process Josh worked with producers Eg White, Steve Robson, Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton, and more. He continued to play sold-out shows throughout the midwest while the album was mixed and mastered. On November 29, 2012, Krajcik performed as a guest artist on ''The X Factor''. He performed his song "One Thing She'll Never Know" and released a 4-song EP on iTunes, titled Josh Krajcik EP, that same night. In recent interviews Josh has stated that he will continue to tour and release a full-length album in Spring 2013. On February 8, Krajcik confirmed the release of his first album ''Blindly, Lonely, Lovely''; it was released April 2, 2013. Josh released his first solo independent album - ''Oblivion'' - on May 18, 2017. Co-written and co-produced with Bill Patterson (The Wet Darlings) the six song EP "traded in horn sections and other big-budget production flourishes (of ''Blindly, Lonely, Lovely'') for an up-close, personal sound". In December 2018 Krajcik released a cover of the Etta James song that won him a spot on The X Factor - At Last.


References


External links


Official Josh Krajcik websiteThe official site of THE X FACTOR USA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krajcik, Josh Year of birth missing (living people) The X Factor (American TV series) contestants Living people American people of Slovak descent 21st-century American singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers