Josh Lewan

Josh Lewan Surfing & Music

Born & bred in Byron Bay, raised traveling around Australia and the world for many years living on a shoe string budget. Songs & lyrics are stories of hardship, pain, career, struggle, travel, relationships, obscurity, loss, life, adversity and trying to succeed against the odds. Picked off the beach-streets in December 2005 & put into one of the best recording studios in 2006 is the story of Josh Lewan aka Whiplash aka Rapanease's first music demo song which lead to professional music recording. Josh now writes his songs & works with producers to produce professional tracks.

Inspirations to write lyrics

"I was first inspired to write rap lyrics when I was at high school in year 7 music class. I knew at that time I could change lyrics of famous songs into my own rhymes like I did for one music project at school, I would have been around 12 or 13 years old at that time. In my last year of primary school when I was 11 or 12 I got on stage for one line rapping for a school performance. I couldn't rap for shit until around 2001 when Dr Dre 2001 came out. I was asked to sing for a band at school when I was 14 and I knocked it back. I was even asked to sing for a church at one point and knocked that back too. There was a sense that people knew I could sing but I couldn't care less at the time. I started playing guitar when I was 12 or 13 but got more into it later when I started to attempt my own songs. I started with electric guitars then moved onto acoustic guitars. I was into drums and drum beats too.

I was always a huge fan of music, any artists who were really good. I grew up around a lot of musicians and surfers that were into playing musical instruments. I just had a passion for music. My passion for writing lyrics became stronger in my early twenties. I was fed up with so much shit by the time I was 22 I started writing down everything I ever had in my mind, my life or past, but I would make them into rhymes and stories, eventually songs. It started as just a thing for my website www.joshlewan.com
I really got into writing my own songs musically in 2006 and continue to do so. Now I'm learning to do more that a producer does on music programs. Rappers inspired me to write rhymes especially Eminem. When he came along I really got into Hip Hop, I was 17 or 18 at the time and from then brainwashed myself with endless beats and rhymes. I would practice along with my favourite songs. The artists out there really inspired me but it was more that life inspired me to write. It was my outlet to write lyrics to be who I couldn't be so much in society, to say things I wanted to without given a fuck. Freedom of speech is the ultimate outlet for me living in a judgemental world, that's why I like to write lyrics about things people say to me. All my influences come into my music production, whether its a guitar riff or a certain way I sound or sing. My writing is inspired from rappers, my singing is inspired by singers.
When I really got into writing lyrics I grabbed everything and anything from my life. Relationships, working, school, travel, competing on the world surfing series, my feelings, thoughts good or bad, struggle, career, I would even do things good or bad to experiment so I could live them and write about it but most of the time my writing was based on many things that happened to me naturally and there is a lot more to come out of my stories closet. I have worked on 58 songs lyrics in my song folder at home and I will be happy once I have recorded all of them. I will be digging into my lifes past, present or any moments and then I will be looking out of myself for external inspiration. Once all my grind rhymes are over I will be heading over to the next chapter."

Josh Lewan's Biography

Josh Lewan aka Whiplash aka Rapanease was born into professional music recording in Byron Bay December 2005 at the SAE World Institute thanks to multi-millionaire Tom Misner. Picked off the street-beach and put into one of Australia's leading recording studios is the story of Josh Lewan's professional recording career. Josh recorded a cover song called 'She will be loved' by Maroon 5 in the SAE studios which successfully secured a recording opportunity to record his first professional track called 'Vision' in the luxurious studios which was later featured in Cosmopolitan magazine 2007. Josh's myspace site www.myspace.com/joshlewan was featured and ranked number 6 out of 35 up and coming artists in the Cosmopolitan Entertainment 'Cool list' a list of things people will be going bust over, finishing in front of Jay-Z labels rapper Lady Sovereign from the UK and right next to a famous actor named Josh Henderson from the Hollywood movie 'Alpha dog' a Justin Timberlake movie. Cosmopolitan magazine labelled Josh "Hotter than Jack Johnson"
Josh started writing rhymes while traveling the world pursuing his professional surfing circuit career. Since 2006 Josh Lewan aka Whiplash has recorded 20 songs all unreleased and in the underground. Josh is a singer songwriter lyricist and plays the acoustic guitar to write his material and recorded his first EP and LP tracks with fellow guitarist and producer Mark Ward at Big Sweat Recordings. Mark was Australia's number one guitarist who supported Gun's N Roses, he was voted top 4 guitarists in the world by Rolling Stone magazine. Professional masterer Paul Gomersall, who has worked with George Michael and Phil Collins, masters all of Josh's demos, singles, ep's and lp music. Josh performs his music with a band or solo with his mixes at events in Australia and overseas.
The music is a mix of rap and singing, hip hop, rock. Josh's lead vocal style is rap and singing. His previous demos have been the 'Josh Lewan EP' and the 'Whiplash EP' the demos have had radio play from various stations one in particular a local support station Bay FM 99.9. Josh has had national media attention from Cosmopolitan magazine, RA TV, FOX 8 Channel, Curl Magazine, Rush magazine and local press papers, The Byron Shire News, Echo newspaper. Josh's music has opened the doors to gigs in Australia, The Great Northern Hotel Byron Bay, The Byron Bay Beach Hotel, The Byron Bay Entertainment Centre's Ocean benefit, The Byron Bay Dazzled Dance concert, also overseas at Rip Curl Festivals in Zarautz and Pantin in Spain, in Lanzarote which is in the Canary Islands. Josh Lewan aka Whiplash opened a show for the famous hardcore group 'Parkway Drive' in Byron Bay, as part of the their June tour of Australia. Josh has been performing ever since and continues to record more material.
Free Music Downloads:
Josh Lewan EP
Whiplash World EP
Whiplash EP
Whiplash LP
Rapanease EP
Josh Lewan Singles
Josh Lewan's Surfing

Traveling the world & competing in the world surfing series, Josh has been traveling & competing in surfing events since the age of 11. Eleven years of surfing competitions has led to numerous high placings in Australia & overseas. Leaving Byron Bay on & off for the WQS was an unexpected path in Josh's life, "You know I just wanted to be really good at surfing, I never really aspired to compete around the world, it was never a reality, especially financially to think you're going to travel the world for a sport. I'm down to earth & would never have high optism like I'm going to travel the world to pursue professional surfing events, I didn't even pay attention in geography classes at school because I was like 'pfff!, I will never go around the world'. Now I'm addicted to traveling, competing."
"My dad encouraged me a lot to compete surfing around the world because he believed my surfing skills could take me places. I couldn't have competed without that support, letting me come & go from their home. At the end of the day it's my choice to surf professionally, but I do need help to pursue my chosen careers of surfing & music, financially I couldn't do this without sponsorship, friends & family help, working, winning prize money ext. I'm mentally tough for many reasons but one is I've been brought up in my surfing career always doing everything pretty rough. At times I've lived better on the world surfing tour mainly thanks to some good friends around the world.
I have trained with professional surfing coaches throughout my years, until I started formulating my own ways, that independance in me really kicked in too much. My personal coach passed away a few years ago, R.I.P Craig. I learnt a lot from coaches Craig Gisen (R.I.P) and Steve Foreman, both contributed towards my progression. Even my father was like a surfing coach to me, plus anyone around me always seemed to be critical on me & themself. I have been doing the professional wqs tour hard for many years & even still struggle to compete full time as it is too expensive to pursue without major backing from sponsors, family or working income. It's kind of turned into a game for the rich, which ever kind of rich you're from.
I'm looking forward to the surfing events that I do compete in when I can. I'm surfing for the long term. I can't compete forever but I'm motivated for the events. The new world surfing series criteria makes entry into 5/6 star WQS events more difficult only allowing the top 144 in the world, like a shut out system now. It's evolved into a game for the wealthy or the well looked after company surfers, and the wealthy companies run the world show in a way that has blown up and they are playing monopoly with it all. I will have to let my surfing do the talking in the events that I do compete in, whenever that will be will be. I have been doing contests part time around Europe mainly for 6 years so I'm getting more comfortable with it all. I'm just looking for more of a chance to do this tour stronger & better, learn more & achieve faster. It has a been a long learning process for me, learning it takes a lot to do well sometimes, everything needs to work well & be done well to achieve."