A CONVERSATION WITH... jos rivers
At The Great Escape, Jos Rivers spills all about her upcoming EP, past boy trouble, and her current life in the big city.
Photo by Imogen Mosley
Hi, I'm Jos Rivers, and I'm a singer-songwriter from up north. I'm living in London currently, and I'm having a great time.
So, for people who are getting to know you and who don't know you just yet, how would you say who you are as a person compared to who you are as an artist?
I think I am exactly who I am as a person in my artist form, which can be difficult at times, because there's not anything to switch off or on. You are just who you are. But I would describe myself as quite just a normal person. I'm down to earth. I think I write music that's quite poppy. It's got a little bit of a twist to it. I don't think I could stick it in a specific genre, because quite a lot of my songs are in different genres. I just wrote a song that's quite bluesy.
Speaking of writing songs all across the board, you’ve just released a song. What was the inspiration behind that?
It's called ‘Thank You So Very Much’. So, one day I was sat in my mum's bed after I broke up with this lad, and he was a twat. I was like, ‘Listen, Mum, I don't know how anyone's going to love me again. He loved me the most. I don't know what to do. God, Mum, help me.’
And she was just like ‘Oh, he loved you, did he?’ She pulled out this massive fucking list of everything that he'd ever done to me or said to me that I'd told her and wrote it pretty much in alphabetical order and was reading off these notes. Obviously didn't love me, let’s be real. Strangers would love me better than that. I went to the studio the next day and I asked my mum to send me the list. I made it rhyme a bit. That's basically what the song is about, with a little twist of gratitude. So it's just a ‘thank you, mate, thanks for that.’
To be honest, that's part of the reason why I was thankful because if it wasn't for that experience, I wouldn't have written a banging song. Pretty much all of the songs that I've wrote have come from something proper sparking some anger in me.
I don't know who this man is, but if you had a message for him, what would you say?
I would say: are you okay? Because I feel like once you do that to someone, and are such an unmistakable idiot to someone, I think it's really hard to live with the guilt. Guilt is such a horrible feeling, and I don't wish any bad on him. We were really young, so I'd literally just ask him if he was all right, because I wouldn't be if I was in that position.
You mentioned earlier that you write your songs when something really lights that spark. With your upcoming EP, what were the emotions behind it? And can you share anything about the EP?
I've got six songs on the EP. There's an acoustic track on there, and it's about how crazy I am.
There's also two songs that I've already released, ‘He's a Genius’ and ‘Long Time Coming’. There’s ‘Thank You’ that I just mentioned, of course.
There’s also a song called ‘Pocket of My Jeans’ on there, which is honestly my favourite fucking song ever. If you get the chance to listen to it, It feels so summery and perfect for this summer. That’s about someone coming back in your life that you've already kind of lost feelings for. And you're like, ‘Bro, you've taken my heart away. Like, what am I supposed to feel for you if you've just broken my heart and you've taken it, and it's in the pocket of your jeans now?’
There’s ‘0749’. that's the first four digits of someone's number that I used to call horrendously a lot, and it was just fucking stupid. I don't know why I called him so many times, but the last time I called this guy was New Year's, and after that, I went in the studio. That was the first session of 2026, by the way.
I made a mental note before I went in, and I was like, ‘I'm not going to fucking speak about this’, because both of the people that were in that room, Ella and Rhys, both know how horrible this guy was to me. It was just so embarrassing to say, ‘Oh, I've called him again.’ Another twat.
But I word-vomited as soon as I went in and then we came up with 0749, which is a really fun song. I really like it. That's the bluesy one I was on about.
What is a question that you wish you got asked in interviews, but you haven't, and what would your question answer be to that?
Obviously, everyone asks where did this music thing start, but I wish people asked me more about my dad and my mum. I think they're both such beautiful people. They're not together, but they're just so beautiful. If I wasn't raised by them, I'd be a completely different person.
My mum's always been my absolute hero. She literally moved to London for me when I moved. She's literally an angel, bruv. And then my dad is just so down-to-earth. He's so humble. He literally knows everyone in our little hometown. He’s the famous one of the family, because he's the driving instructor. I am so fucking blessed in this, in my generation to have two beautiful people as parents that have raised me. I couldn't have wished for a better set of parents, honestly.
Photo by Imogen Mosley
Is there anything else that you can share about 2026? Maybe any chances for people to see you outside of The Great Escape?
I've got my headline show coming on the 3rd of June, so I'm so excited for that.
Then I've got Boardmasters, Neighbourhood in Manchester, and Victorious in Portsmouth. I'm playing at the Palladium with Nile Rodgers and Kathy Dennis. I'm playing it with my best mate, Bella, she’s a drummer. We're singing a song that I wrote called ‘Boys Don't Cry’. It’s the biggest show I’ve ever played. It's a bit fucking mental to be honest. But I watched it last year, and I was saying to my mum, that I really want to do that next year. I feel like so many things in my life are aligning right now.
I also really want to do a support tour. I think that's my next thing.
Who would you want to do a support tour for?
Well, I would say Raye, not being funny, but she's got two sisters now, so I haven't got a fucking chance. Should have been born as her sister. Lily Allen, maybe.
But, obviously, she's just gone on tour and didn't think of me. Thanks, Lily Allen, for that. Next time, she knows.
I really like the idea of touring with Gerry Cinnamon. There’s also people that I really admire, like Ren. I mean, we're friends, so that could definitely happen. If he likes me enough!
In a couple of years this will just be a checklist for you. You’ve been hard at work releasing and creating music, so what’s a moment you're really proud of?
I'm proud of myself in the small, mundane moments. I think that's when I'm more likely to give myself a pat on the back a little bit.
Because I think the smaller minute tasks that everyone does, those are the most important sometimes. To keep looking after yourself is really important. So, I'm really proud that I've been doing that a lot recently. Also, having faith in my opinion and making sure I am being true to myself. I have so many people around me that do the same thing as me day to day and who know what it's fucking to be a little grafter from such a young age. Moving to the city when I was 14, it was really hard. I left all my mates, my dad, and my brother up there. I think in the last couple of years, I've proper come in tune to myself and my people. I found my people.