Joshua Burnside is a folk singer, songwriter and producer from N.Ireland. His new album, “It’s Not Going to be Okay”, will be released in March 2026
He was trying to survive. The album was born from loss, written in the quiet aftermath of his closest friend Dean Jendoubi’s passing. In that stillness, Burnside stripped everything back. Gone were the dense textures and surreal folk tales; what remained were bare, trembling songs that told the truth.
The songs are so to the point lyrically that it seems almost silly to do so but here you are.
I wrote and recorded this album after the death of my best friend Dean Jendoubi. He was an incredible person and I miss him every day. He drifted unawares into the deepest sleep, and died of a drug overdose on August 17th, 2024.
Grief has always been a big part of my music, it’s the reason I started writing songs when I was
13. And so, as I did all those years ago, I reach for the guitar, try a few chords and sing a few
words and for a brief moment I feel like it’s going to be okay.
Many of the songs on this record are noticeably starker in production compared to previous
albums. I didn’t want to rely on weird sounds or quirky production – I wanted the songs to stand on their own two feet, and the lyrics to be the focus. The lyrics are quite straightforward as well, sometimes the best way to say it is the simplest way.
he songs are so to the point lyrically that it seems almost silly to do so but here you are.
I wrote and recorded this album after the death of my best friend Dean Jendoubi. He was an incredible person and I miss him every day. He drifted unawares into the deepest sleep, and died of a drug overdose on August 17th, 2024.
Grief has always been a big part of my music, it’s the reason I started writing songs when I was
13. And so, as I did all those years ago, I reach for the guitar, try a few chords and sing a few
words and for a brief moment I feel like it’s going to be okay.
Many of the songs on this record are noticeably starker in production compared to previous
albums. I didn’t want to rely on weird sounds or quirky production – I wanted the songs to stand on their own two feet, and the lyrics to be the focus. The lyrics are quite straightforward as well, sometimes the best way to say it is the simplest way.
It’s a masterwork in capturing grief and the celebration of a life without clichés or platitudes. A work that feels vulnerable and candid, with vivid lyricism and intriguing melodic choices.
The album was recorded and mixed in my little studio at Vault Artist Studios, Belfast.
The Fat Angel Sings 