On October 7 at 8 p.m., the soulful multi-platinum singer and songwriter, Joan Osborne will take center stage at The Ark in Ann Arbor to play a host of hits spanning her illustrious career. Accompanying Osborne is folk singer and songwriter Joshua Radin.
Osborne’s career began in 1995 with her debut album “Relish,” which featured her breakout hit “One of Us” a song that asks how one might relate to God. While the track reached number one throughout multiple countries, it was the launching point for the now award-winning superstar.
Fast-forward to 2024 and the Anchorage, Kentucky native still has the world captured in her musical grace. She maintains 1.6 million listeners on Spotify with recent projects like her albums “Trouble and Strife” (2020) and “Nobody Owns You” (2023), both of which earned universal praise for their themes and incredible production.
Osborne, approaching her 30th year in the music industry, said that her music comes from a place of leaving a lasting impression on the world.
“Nobody lives forever, and nobody gets to do this forever,” Osborne said. “Whenever I sit down to write, I ask myself, what is important to leave behind? You are not going to be here forever. What do you want to be your legacy? And not to be too grand about it, but it helps you weed out things that don’t seem important and hone in on the more important things.”
According to Osborne, she described the writing process for “Nobody Owns You” as a morning routine born from personal challenges, dealing with a litany of struggles such as her mother fighting dementia and ending a 15-year relationship. Osborne called the project a rich writing experience, allowing her experiences to connect with her longtime and new-age fans.
“I think so many of the things that I have been going through are things that my audience is also going through,” Osborne said. “I started this practice of writing the minute that I wake up. I would have books of poetry next to the bed. That was priming and getting my brain to think that way, and something would occur to me to write down, or I would write down a dream. I was trying to get that moment between sleeping and waking when your conscious mind has not completely taken over. I thought that that would be a rich place to go to, and it was.”
For first-time listeners, “Nobody Owns You” is a guttural emotional fight. Throughout the 12-song project, Osborne crafts a project that, while entertaining, showcases the singer in her familiar light, not tasked with writing catchy hooks or singing over infectious melodies but burdened with preaching hard-earned wisdom over crashing drums and powerful guitar riffs.
This musicianship is evident throughout the project, where fans are treated to songs like the album’s namesake track, “Nobody Owns You,” which preaches welcoming autonomy for her daughter, who she describes as beginning a new chapter in her life as she begins her college career.
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“Despite this being a record that I wrote at a time that was very turbulent, there is joy in it as well,” Osborne said. “Being the age I am now, I care less about what other people think about me. I think that makes it easier to go to these very exposed places and to risk feeling like somebody is going to kill you or judge you. I care less as I get older. That is very freeing, to be an artist, to be able to use anything and not worry about what other people will say or think about you.”
For her upcoming performance at The Ark, Osborne described the performance as an eclectic treat for longtime fans, who will be treated to classic anthems throughout her career like “St. Teresa” and “I’ll Be Around,” along with new aged tracks like “Woman’s Work” from the aforementioned, “Nobody Owns You” album.
“It’s a real privilege to be able to do music for your livelihood,” Osborne said. “The only reason I can still do this is because I have great fans who come to the shows, who support the music, who are there and interested to hear the new stuff. I want to tell everybody I do not take that for granted.”
For those looking to attend, tickets can be purchased on The Ark website with prices ranging from $50 – $90. The show is set to begin at 8 p.m. on October 7.
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
