The ‘Turning Red’ and “Friday Night Lights” actor and “X Factor” finalist has been thinking about this album since his childhood days in Houston.
Story by Gary Moskowitz for GRAMMY.com | October 8, 2025
Ten years ago, Josh Levi was spending a lot of time asking his mother for rides. He was keen to perform and needed her to drive him to dance classes and competitions, hip-hop conventions, musical theater auditions and rehearsals, studio recording sessions, and performances throughout the Houston area.
“She was taking me to talent shows, showcases, churches, basically anywhere there was a mic and a gospel song or a Stevie Wonder song I could sing,” Levi tells GRAMMY.com , 26, says. “I’m so grateful to my mom for putting me in places where I could let it all out.”
Their tenacity paid off: Levi landed a recurring role on the Texas-set television drama “Friday Night Lights,” which required many drives to Austin but gave Levi experience in front of a camera, and a taste of success. In his teens, Levi had a heart-to-heart with his mother: In order to be the artist he imagined he was in his head, he needed to move to Los Angeles.
“My mom had faith in me,” Levi, now 26, says. “She said ‘OK, cool. I don’t have the money or the answers, but we will figure it out together.'”
Fast-forward to the 2010s: Levi was a wide-eyed, enthusiastic finalist on “The X Factor.” He released singles and videos, and toured with singer and rapper Aaron Carter. He formed a singing group called Citizen Four and made guest appearances on Nickelodeon shows.
Momentum continued in the early 2020s: Levi released two EPs, and the actress/writer/producer Issa Rae tapped him to join her Raedio record label. Levi voiced the fictional 4*Town boy band character of Aaron Z in the Pixar animated film Turning Red, which produced the GRAMMY-nominated song “Nobody Like U.”
On Oct. 10, Levi will release his debut studio album, Hydraulic. A collection of 16 modern pop and R&B songs, the album uses the mechanics and maintenance of a hydraulic car as metaphors for love and life.
Levi spoke at length with GRAMMY.com about the new album, his early EPs, his acting and dancing, connecting with Issa Rae, and his life growing up in Houston.
What was your goal for Hydraulic, and what are some of the things that inspired or informed it?
I’m the type of artist that envisions a debut album their entire career. I want this record to be a reflection of where my life is now, but more than that, to create something that is for everyone.
I was adamant about not creating solely a love album or a club album, or a heartbreak album. No matter where you are in life, you can find yourself in this album. It’s not linear, which is important to me. I’m not a linear artist. This record is me as a human being and an artist.
Talk about the experience of making this album. What challenges or surprises did you face?
Someone told me that you spend your whole life making your first album. I was working on it all last year, and the year before. There’s songs on this album that are maybe 3 or 4 years old, but it feels like I’ve been thinking about this album my whole career.
I think the things I can’t control have been the truest challenge and eaten at me the most. There were label changes, producers and collaborators coming in and out, and other artists’ schedules and processes. But I am a very determined person and I believe in God, so I have faith. The way I stay afloat and have oxygen, it’s not just about music. Faith is a huge anchor for me. When I don’t have control, I surrender it to God.
Are there specific things you learned while making this album?
Being a big dreamer has gotten me this far, but when you dream and are ambitious like I am, it can be hard to push through things that don’t pan out the way you thought they would.
I had a vision for this album, but it’s been nothing like the way I thought. I had to push through, prioritize the art, and make sure it gets out. I’ve grown so much in this process, like physically, emotionally, and spiritually, because I care so much. I’ve been pushed and refined and sharpened without even asking for it.
Your album is being released jointly between Atlantic and Raedio, the record label founded by Issa Rae. Can you talk a bit about working with Issa Rae?
I put out an EP during Covid called Disc One, which got the attention of Issa, who already had a relationship with Atlantic. Issa’s taste in music and her elaborate and intellectual understanding of music and interpretation of music is so fascinating. I’m surprised she doesn’t make music herself.
When I played her [Hydraulic], track by track, she had just come straight from a red carpet event. She took notes and paid attention to detail. That is my love language. Her ideas and questions and her care about my vision was not imposing, not steering me in any way, but she was really trying to understand what I wanted to say. She is a boss and a businesswoman, a trailblazer.
A single from your album, “Don’t Go,” interpolates the song “No, No, No” Part 2 from Destiny’s Child, who are also from Houston. Why Destiny’s Child and that song in particular?
I always connected with “No No No” Part 2, with Wyclef, so we reinterpreted the song sonically and took the melody and rewrote it completely. There’s a lot of ballads I love but I’ve always gravitated toward more energetic R&B music and see myself in the more dynamic and upbeat side of R&B, and want to bring that to the genre.
Talk a little bit about your songwriting process. How do you keep track of ideas and develop them?
Sometimes I have something very specific I want to say, like the song “Burnt Out” on Hydraulic, which speaks to the highs and lows of love and life, like a hydraulic car, the way it bounces up and down and dips and twists. I can feel burnt out from everything, my frustrations, or feeling invisible or tired from putting myself out there. Over time that can wear you out, and I wanted to talk about that.
Other songs like “Care For Me,” was just a feeling I had, and wanted to tell the story of the weirdness of love, not just sunshine and rainbows. On the song “Crash Out,” I had been speaking with my therapist about how I never had a chance to crash out. I’ve always kept it together. I am one in my family who everyone looks to as a leader with positive energy, like a spiritual leader.
That sounds like a lot of responsibility to carry around.
It is a lot of responsibility, but God gives certain callings to people. I have asked “why” a million times, but I’ve learned to be grateful. When God gives you a gift, it comes with purpose and responsibility. You gotta learn how to work it and navigate it one day at a time.
How does the culture of Houston seep into your sound?
I was born in Chicago but my parents moved to Houston when I was 1, and I was raised there. That’s where my music relationship began, where I discovered what I like, what I didn’t like. Houston is so music friendly. All of my stage presence and vibe comes from Houston, Texas. Houston is unique.
It has its own swag and culture and it has a liveliness and a bright energy that gives people the motivation to do something. I’m grateful for that. Houston has more of a culture than other cities in Texas. It’s a music city, it’s ambitious, it’s a lot. It’s a melting pot, with a mixture of people and flavors. There is this openness there, a beautiful blend of what you can do with your life, it’s a great foundation for a lot of things.
Growing up, what do you think inspired you to want to dance and sing and perform? What were your early performance experiences like?
I was doing everything I could, like talent chows, showcases, churches. Singing and dancing. I grew up dancing competitively and was classically trained. Dance was like the major avenue of discovery of music for me. The first time I heard a lot of contemporary music was through dance classes. My first exposure was gospel. My parents didn’t have a taste for pop culture. They weren’t sitting around watching the MTV Music awards or anything.
You starred in “Friday Night Lights” for two seasons as Darius Merriweather. What drew you to pursue acting, and what was that experience like for you?
I’ve always been passionate about music over everything else. I have photos of me with a mic in my hand at 5 or 6. I always wanted to do music, but in the early 2000s there weren’t tons of opportunities for young singers like me. There was only so much I could do as a 7 year old, so acting opened doors for me. It was like a jackpot, an opportunity.
My mom drove me to Austin all the time for filming, and they gave us gas money. I used acting as an open door for money, opportunity and experience. I would still love to do more things in TV and film. I’m a storyteller.
In 2013 you appeared on “The X Factor.” You were only 14 at the time; what did you take away from that experience?
I’m just proud of how privileged I was to be there. The older I get, I appreciate the bravery I had as a kid, being 13 and singing live on national TV every week. What a crazy concept. I remember being viral on Twitter every week and not really knowing what that meant, not knowing how to use Twitter. I’m proud of that 13-year-old for putting himself out there, and just singing. It was what I loved doing, there was no doubt in mind. I was just like, cool, let’s do it.
In the years that followed you released EPs, performed, and worked with a group called Citizen Four. What were those years like for you?
Those EPs mean a lot to a specific group of fans and that brings me joy. I was crafting something that I think was very forward and ahead of its time. I’m proud of that music, and still perform it. That music reflects that time that we all were in during Covid. Both of those EPs are stepping stones to where I’m at today.
In the 2022 film Turning Red, you played Aaron Z, a member of the fictional boy band 4*Town. Their song “Nobody Like U,” was written by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, which was nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2023 GRAMMYs. What did you take away from that experience?
In a lot of ways it was a dream come true. The Incredibles is one of my favorite movies, so it was a dream to vocalize a character who was brown-skinned. And the lines I was singing reflected on brown skin and curly hair. That was inner healing for me, and it came so organically. Finneas and Billie had me in mind, so I didn’t have to audition. It was a blessing.
What genre do you think your music fits into? Do you see yourself as a modern R&B artist or something different?
I don’t honestly subscribe to genres. I didn’t go into this album saying I am making an R&B album; it’s a box people put me into. That’s fine to organize things, I understand that. R&B is a big part of who I am, but my approach is not one genre. For Black artists, we are historically boxed into someone else’s idea of what we should be or what we are. With Hydraulic, I’m trying to dismantle notions about anything sonic. There are songs here for dancing, to move your body, to make you cry, and make you think. And there are soundscapes that are different and out of the box.
What have you been listening to lately?
Hydraulic! I’ve been isolating myself with my album and have been kind of oblivious to new releases and new music. I’ve been listening so much, so all-consuming, every day it’s a different piece and fine tuning it to make it the best debut album that I can stand behind years from now.
Aside from that, I’ve been listening to a lot of Lauryn Hill, Tems, and NLT, an older pop boy band. It kind of depends how I feel, but I like French music, Latin music, or just instrumental music. Or just listen to the quiet. Silence is sometimes my favorite.
So what’s the plan for the rest of this year and looking ahead to 2026?
All things, everything, Hydraulic. My biggest plan is just to make sure everyone feels the heartbeat of this album. I’m doing a tour to bring it to life, and connect more with fans. We’re hosting listening parties in various cities, just trying to spread the message of the highs and lows of life. I’m a huge Fall person. My birthday is two days before the album comes out. I’m just so excited to tell the story I’ve been trying to tell.
