How Badflower's Josh Katz Learned to Sing

Our guest in this episode of How I Learned to Sing is Badflower's Josh Katz.

It's been a full decade since the alt-rock group released their first single, "Soap," and they've just dropped No Place Like Home, their third album on longtime label home Big Machine.

It's been four years since 2021's This Is How the World Ends as Badflower have put in tons of time on the road, playing well over 200 shows since. That means an incredible demand on any singer, especially when we all know that musicians get sick on tour and have to find ways to power through the show, as Katz explains in the video below.

Katz's story as a singer begins with two primary influences, one of which is actor and musician Reeve Carney. "He had this really light, delicate, almost feminine kind of voice. And it was over the top of this really dirty, bluesy rock band and I really liked that," he says, informing fans on a key element of how Badlower's sound materialized.

The other? "Emily Armstrong from Dead Sara, before she was singing for Linkin Park. I was a massive Dead Sara fan when they were just an L.A. band. Her voice was just insane and I always admired that. I tried to get a little bit heavier and screamier when I heard that," the singer adds.

It wasn't until he was 18 or 19 though that the idea of being a singer in a band really entered his mind. And that was mostly out of necessity. "I never sang at all, really. I had no interest in singing. I just love music, I made music my whole life. When I decided to go down the route of doing band thing, somebody had to do it... and so I did it," Katz reveals.

And he's candid about his raw abilities, acknowledging that he's never taken proper singing lessons, but that some may help with "consistency" from night to night.

After embarking on Badflower's first proper headlining tour, Katz learned a lot from the experience and the impact this kind of load can have on his voice. He says, "I realized things the set had to be tailored a little bit for the voice."

And what about getting sick?

"When I'm sick, I kick and scream. I yell. I complain and I made sure the audience knows that I'm sick and I don't feel good," he says with a laugh, but is quite serious. While it may be an off-night, which all singers experience, he's concerned about a negative impression a fan may have, which could prevent them from seeing the band again. If the audience knows you're not feeling well, it alleviates the notion that he can't cut it live, which is just not true.

Learn more about Katz's journey as a singer and watch the full episode of How I Learned to Sing directly below.

Badflower's new album 'No Place Like Home' is out now and can be purchased from the Loudwire Record Shop. Follow the band on Instagram, X, TikTok and Facebook and catch them on tour now in the U.S. through late August. See all upcoming dates at Badflower's website.