What's Josh Krajcik Doing Now?

One of the most enjoyable stories I've covered since I started writing narrative profiles is that of Wooster-born singer-songwriter Josh Krajcik. 

I began writing about Krajcik for the local paper after a friend posted his X Factor audition of "At Last" on Facebook. Immediately after it ended--well, after I picked my jaw up off the floor--I clicked "replay" and watched it again. And again. And again. I'm a big supporter of singer-songwriters, and somehow, I'd missed this guy, even though he lived in the community I'd been in for more than ten years. 

And when he performed "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" at Nicole Scherzinger's home in Malibu for Scherzinger and Enrique Iglesias, I was completely sucked in. I knew with every fiber of my being, right down to the very last goosebump, that he was going all the way. I revisited those videos today. They still give me chicken-skin and brim my eyeballs with tears.

It wasn't just Krajcik's genuine talent, refreshing authenticity and that great smile that made it a pleasure to write about his successes week after week; it was also his amazing family--always warm, always open, always encouraging and affirmative--who welcomed us on their surreal and emotional journey. They pulled a whole community into their infectious excitement, and I, for one, was happy to be swept along. 

Now that the show is over, there's no definite word on when he'll sign a record deal, but Krajcik's mother, Lisa Pim, said he's loving London and having a blast working with some very talented songwriters, which has been his primary goal for a long time.

The team of songwriters is anchored by Steve Kipner, who brings with him four decades of award-winning songwriting and production. Kipner has worked with huge names--Al Jarreau, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Huey Lewis & the News, Cheap Trick, Joe Cocker, and Rod Stewart. He co-wrote "These Words" with Natasha Bedingfield, a song that jumped straight to number one on the UK singles chart for two weeks and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. "These Words" was co-written by Kipner, Bedingfield and another one of Krajcik's current collaborators, Andrew Frampton, who worked with Kipner on the hit song Breakeven with the Dublin alt-rock band The Script. Added to Krajcik's creative group is songwriter/producer Julian Bunetta, son of Peter Bunetta, drummer, arranger and producer who has worked with amazing musicians like John Prine, Smokey Robinson, and Ringo Star.

Krajcik gifted fans with this video tidbit today. Just a sweet reminder of what we've been missing these past couple of months, and what great stuff is yet to come. I, for one, am more than ready to see what kind of Krajcik magic Mr. K. has up his sleeve. 

Comments

[Juanita Jenkins]

Hi, we are both Josh fans, but I am fascinated by your name. My mother's maiden name is Heaslet. Not a lot of those around, but have heard that the name was spelled differently for various reasons. Would you share the history of your name with me? My family settled in Alabama. Some of them are buried in the Ray Cemetery in Westover, Alabama. You can google it and see some of their names, if you are interested.

[Denice Rovira Hazlett]

Huh! Interesting, Juanita. I don't really know anything about the family history of the name, since it's my married name. I'll check with a few of my family members and see if I can come up with anything.