Singer-songwriter Nasty Geographic—lawyer Joe Blackhurst by day—is a fast-paced, instrumentalist with a knack for words. Over the past few years, the artist has written and recorded multiple albums across a variety of genres; each album has taken less than a week to complete. His latest single, “The Statue” is a sneak peek into his upcoming studio album, “Chiller on the Loose,” which was engineered by Mat Lejeune, a Grammy-Award-winning engineer.
By day, Nasty Geographic is an attorney. In his free time, the artist somehow manages to develop a career in music and routinely write new songs. “I barely sleep is the answer—5 hours a day for the past 10 years and it works for me,” explains the artist of the secret to living a successful double life. “I write a song every day when I’m in writing mode. I spend three months writing then three months promoting my music and not writing. And for the first two hours of the day, I write books.”
With a full-length album set to release on July 28, the storyteller is excited to share his passion with the world. He is proudest of his lyrics, which have matured over the years. “I’ve seen how I’ve grown and become a better songwriter by putting in the hours. My upcoming album is unquestionably my best one.” His newest single, “The Statue,” is about being happy in a relationship but finding boredom in the rut of routine. “People in long-term relationships can relate,” says Nasty Geographic. “They’re sick of each other but still in love.”
The artist describes his music as “lyrically humorous and bleak.” “My lyrics are usually witty and snarky. It’s happy music but the lyrics are about dark things and difficult things to come to terms with. Dark. Catchy. Always funky.”
Mastering the songwriting process came naturally to the artist, who has his process down to an art. “What makes a difference is learning the best song structure to be effective,” he explains. “My music is structured like a pop song—gets to the point quickly. I’ve gotten better at understanding that I’m not making music for myself but for other people. It’s important to understand the way they’ll enjoy it.”
“I play every instrument you’ll hear on my songs. This one [“The Statue”] is straight forward in terms of instrumentation—acoustic rhythms mixed with 1970s Stevie Wonder horn patterns.” Nasty Geographic writes quickly and instinctually. “What comes out is the product of what I go through in life,” shares the writer of his music. “I’m not inspired so much as I write quickly and judgment-free of myself. What comes out is what comes out.”
While Nasty Geographic has performed with live bands in the past, he has yet to do so under his new moniker. He’s planning to perform the album’s songs in the not-too-distant future. For now, he’s just enjoying the experience. As an advocate for mental health and as a bipolar artist, Nasty Geographic wants to shed light on the difficulty of pursuing your dream while balancing mental health. “You don’t have to be unhealthy as an artist. You don’t have to be troubled or struggling with something. You don’t need to fit a stereotype and constantly be surrounded by drugs and alcohol to be an artist.” By standing up for what he believes in, Nasty Geographic is poised to become not just a storyteller but a role model—and that’s something we can all stand behind.
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