We had the pleasure of catching up with the emerging talent taking spoken word to new levels, Joseph Roberts. The literary teen has made quite the impact in London after winning Best Spoken Word Newcomer at our Wordplay Awards last year. His superb visuals and relatable words have made Joseph one of the most captivating poets the London scene has come across in a long time. The artists passion for poetry began in sixth form when he was asked to perform at an assembly. This experience gave him his first taste of performing live and he hasn’t looked back since. At the age of 16, Joseph realised he wanted to take poetry and performing seriously as a career. He began investing in his creative practice by writing more, studying the greats before him such as Suli Breaks, and networking at different open mic events. Last year, Joseph took home our Best Spoken Word Newcomer award at the Wordplay Awards and was nominated for Best Male Spoken Word Poet at this years celebrations. His incredible piece V.I.P is what first landed him on our radar and his latest release ‘Luggage’ has landed a spot on the Voices in Power Instagram page with over 100K followers. Being a Liverpool based poet penetrating the mainstream London arts scene hasn’t intimidated Joseph in any way. Over the last year his focus has been to build on his performance style and become one of the greats himself. I like to consider my style of poetry genuine, real, and accessible. Joseph Roberts Poetry is not only an emotional outlet for Joseph but a way to inspire those around him in unique ways. As he performed more often it wasn’t long before schools were contacting him to connect with students through his work. He has worked with various educational bodies including Everton school, St Bedes secondary school, St Vincent’s school for the blind, and many more. When asked what advice he would give to those that want to establish a career as a poet he said: You have to be ruthless. You have to be persistent, know who you are, and know your worth. Joseph Roberts Joseph plans to continue producing new work and securing commissions from organisations that want to engage their students and audiences through spoken word. Very confident in his abilities to excel, the creative has big ambitions for the future. I want to become a member of the Recording Academy and one day win a Grammy for spoken word. Joseph Roberts There is always something in the works when it comes to Joseph Roberts. His profound work ethic has landed him opportunities that many established poets are yet to achieve. He plans to continue recording new poetry material and release new visuals that we know are going to be a hit with audiences due to the high creative quality he produces. The artist is relentlessly working towards becoming a prominent name in the world of spoken word poetry and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next. Creative Director/Writer: Tannika Taylor @tannikataylor Photographer: Seun Sontana @seunsontana Cover Design: Simplexity Creative Counsel @simplexitycc