Josh Dre

Born in Lagos from Akwa Ibom state, with maternal roots from Osun state, Nigeria, singer-songwriter Joshua Akpan popularly known as Josh Dre started making music from a young age, playing Djembe drums and back up singing in church. He began writing covers in high school and continued through college, where he also recorded his first few demos. In 2014, he self-released his debut original song, and since then, he has been growing his fanbase.

Fine tuning his sound with each release, it was no surprise he became one of Central University's hottest music artists around 2016/2017, with two consecutive nominations for most entertaining students. His ability to engage with live audiences and deliver electrifying performances at events or concerts, like the Black Star International Film Festival in 2020, where he was the headlining act, is a career-defining skill. During his set, he performed an unreleased feature with Quamina MP to massive applause from the audience. In addition to heavy rotation from radio DJs including DJ Lord from Class FM Ghana, DJ Isaac Cool and Sheldon The Turn Up from Star FM among others, Josh Dre has been profiled by Berla Mundi, Jason El-A, and tagged as one to watch.

Josh Dre dares to be different as he embraces new soundscapes and creativity at every level. He mixes his unique silky vocal texture with an eclectic range of groovy rhythms, sounds and catchy melodies. Particularly known for his euphonious harmonies and daring composition arrangements, some of his primary influences include the likes of Burna boy, Styl Plus, Paul Play Dairo, Wizkid, 2face, Kwabena Kwabena, R2bees, Sarkodie, Wande Coal, Don Jazzy. International influences include Drake, Sean Paul, Beyonce, and Chris brown. He draws inspiration from life and its experiences, love, pain, women, his environment, hustle, and most importantly God.

Twitter & Instagram - @iamjoshdre