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Singer-songwriter Josie Man on vulnerable lyrics, feeling like an outsider and why sometimes the most painful experiences make the best songs
If you’re in need of a chirpy, feel-good playlist (and let’s face it, who
isn’t right now…) Josie Man’s new sugary sweet EP, aLOVINGboothang ticks all the boxes. The 21-year-old’s first self-penned single, Colours was released last year (stream at your peril, it’s a serious earworm) and on first listen feels cheerily upbeat, with its quirky, dream-like video to match. But behind the lyrics to many of her songs, she says, has been a deeper struggle to find self-acceptance. Growing up in South London in a dual heritage family (Man’s father is from Hong Kong but grew up in Forest Hill and her mother hails from Catford) her music – she terms it ‘identity pop’ – has becom