Five years ago, Joseph Nevels received some advice that stuck with him. It came from a businessman, who told him to look at the full picture when it came to his career as an artist. “When you look at the front cover [of your album],’” the businessman said, “you want to be able to turn it over and see your name on the back as well.
” Nevels took this to mean he needed to be in full control of his projects – and he’s now a lawyer, CEO, songwriter, and artist who is dropping his debut EP I Should Write A Book in the fall. And yes, his name is plastered on both the front cover and back credits I Should Write A Book chronicles Nevels’ life and philosophical approach to the world. Raised in Florence, Kentucky, he was a preacher’s kid who grew up alongside three brothers and two sisters.
His reserved nature made others brand him the “shy” one” — a mislabeling, he says. “I was more so watching and I would pick up on different things,” Nevels explains. He’d observe the habits and patterns of those around him, which would later help develop his knack for songwriting.
Because of Nevels supposed bashfulness, his family was unaware of his ability to sing until one day, his father overheard him singing Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth’s baseball anthem, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.” “I wouldn’t say it’s an antisocial thing,” he explains thoughtfully. “I feel things heavily, whether I want to or not.
Even when I’m writing, it’s like �.