JJ Voss: Making Art Compelling

Raised on a small farm in southern Saskatchewan, JJ Voss began his journey in music at age eight, and has been following in the footsteps of legendary troubadours like Steve Earle, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen ever since. The Americana artist draws from the well of his farm upbringing to craft songs about real life.

JJ recalls the challenges and joys of farm life. “It was a great way to grow up. It was hard work…but when you look back on it later, it helped instill a work ethic in myself and my siblings.”

The fateful moment when music grabbed his attention came when he found his dad’s guitar. “He had a National Duolian Dobro, one of the old steel-bodied ones…He taught me a few chords and I was pretty fascinated with it.” By about age 12, JJ was jamming with others his age in his first band. Despite the ascendancy of sports in his rural community, he had connected with some fellow-travelers. “There were four or five of us who really got bit by the music bug. We would have band rehearsals and they lasted a whole weekend…”

Now, with over two decades of dedicated musical craftsmanship under his belt, JJ Voss has focused his passion for songwriting and performing, drawn from his many experiences in life.
October 2022 saw the release date of his new, emotional single, “A Letter to Dad.” The Voss family farm reached the 100-year milestone in 2022 but faces an uncertain future. “The last time I spoke to my father before he passed,” JJ explains, “I promised that I would do everything I could to keep the land in our name and preserve our family’s home. I wrote ‘A Letter to Dad’ to give him an update and to reaffirm my resolve to find a solution.”

“With my writing, I’m pushing myself to drill down deeper into my own truth, which is both scary and exhilarating,” he says. “… The imperfections of humanity are, to me, what makes art compelling. I’m working hard to write unvarnished, un-calculated truth.”

To find out more, visit www.jjvoss.com. Listen to full interview here.

By Dan Walsh