Born and raised on a small cattle farm in Celeste, Texas, Josh Wright’s life is a testament to faith and perseverance. As the first-born son of Richard and Christy Wright, Josh grew up in a close-knit, rural community with his younger brothers, Justin and Jordan. Despite the town's modest population of 826 and the lack of a music curriculum offered at school, Josh's music journey began remarkably early in a setting where deep-rooted family values and a strong work ethic were established.
At just 2 1/2 years old, Josh sang "Jesus Loves Me" at Southside Baptist Church in the arms of his Sunday school teacher Michelle Powell, who first recognized his ability to sing. At the age of 4, his grandmother taught him how to play “I’ve Got A Mansion,” which led to fourteen years of formal piano lessons, a skill that has proven invaluable. Enriched by the musical influence of his father, a self-taught pianist with a voice as resonant as Elvis, evenings were often spent gathered around a century-old piano as Josh learned to sing harmony to hymns and Southern Gospel classics while the rest of his family listened in. These irreplaceable experiences set the tone for future endeavors and Josh’s desire to impact countless lives with faith-filled music.
However, the music both literally and figuratively faded when Josh’s father was diagnosed with two types of throat cancer and spent three years fighting for his life. A week into his senior year of high school at just 17, Josh lost his father to cancer but continued onward to graduate as valedictorian of his high school class. He then attended Belmont University on a Turner Scholarship, where the first day of classes marked the year anniversary of his father’s passing. Four years later, and after a semester spent studying music business abroad at King's College in London, England, Josh acquired a Bachelor of Music degree with a principal in commercial voice and a triple emphasis in songwriting, music business, and performance.
Belmont was an experience of a lifetime for Josh, as he was featured in seven showcases, the second most of any student from his alma mater. His first writer’s round was with Contemporary Christian music legend Steven Curtis Chapman when he debuted his hit song “Cinderella.” Josh was also selected for Wynona Judd’s ‘Artist in Residency’ mentorship class, sang for the Governor’s prayer breakfast, and sang for the 35th-year anniversary celebration for Tokyo Disney. He performed on Grammy and Dove award-winning records and represented up-and-coming Christian songwriters when the Songwriters Hall of Fame opened on Music Row with Dolly Parton as the keynote speaker. Other pinnacle moments included sharing the stage with Amy Grant, Trisha Yearwood, and CeCe Winans, as well as singing The National Anthem for the Vice President of the United States at a televised event.
Despite these highs, Josh’s first two years post-college were filled with mistakes and humbling moments as he stumbled through life while serving tables, teaching voice, and barely making ends meet financially. Then, in the Spring of 2012, fellow Belmont alum Alvin Love invited Josh to attend Discipleship Ministry School led by Australian missionaries, a pivotal and life-defining moment for Josh. Later that year, after six failed attempts, Josh successfully made it past round one for Season 12 of American Idol, where he was catapulted into the public eye as a Top 20 Male Finalist. He then signed a management deal with JKC Artist Group, sharing the same team as Amy Grant and The American Red Cross. However, at 25, Josh unexpectedly and tragically lost his sixteen-year-old brother Jordan in a car accident. And once again, the music faded as Josh chose to step out of the spotlight to find the healing his heart so desperately needed.
The following 12 years, though seemingly spent in obscurity as he built a business and life outside of music, were crucial in strengthening Josh’s faith and teaching him to rely solely on Christ. What started as a week-long Bible study in a living room has now turned into a thriving, multicultural, Holy Spirit-filled church in the heart of Nashville, where Josh serves as one of the main worship and Life Group leaders. Josh considers it the honor of a lifetime to be one of Nashville Life Christian Church’s thirty-seven founding members and aims to live life on purpose as his local church body joins forces to “Follow Jesus and Build Leaders” together.
Recently, Josh felt God calling him back into music with the directive, “Josh, sing.” Friends and even strangers began to affirm this calling. He rejoined the worship team at church and began combing through hundreds of song ideas and voice memos dating back to around 2006 when he first moved to Nashville. From this pile of work, "The Fall" emerged as the flagship single for his debut album set to release in 2025. To date, Josh’s music has been streamed over 4 million times, and he leads worship both nationally and internationally, recently leading over 400 missionaries in Cyprus off the coast of Israel.
Josh now resides just South of Nashville in Brentwood, Tennessee. Some of his favorite life experiences include quiet moments, quality time spent with life-long friends, a good movie, entertaining guests with a gourmet meal and riding his bike on the trail behind his home through the rolling hills of Tennessee. Overcoming devastating loss, Josh dug deeper into who he is at his core to that joy is a choice, Jesus is the answer and only God’s love is strong enough to cast out all fear. With a heart full of dreams and resolute determination intact, Josh believes the best is yet to come.
A Journey of Faith Music and ResiliencE
