For 13 years, he tapped his SAS Card at the pedestrian gate dressed in blue shorts and white polo with a backpack strapped to his back. 

Today, he stepped onto campus in baggy denim, a T-shirt, jacket, and Yankees hat—all black everything. His hair is longer than it was senior year and much longer than the two years he spent in Officer Cadet School during his time in National Service (NS). 

After 13 years of entering campus as Joshua Goh, today the visitor registration form read Josh Makazo.

I spent four years with Josh as one of his high school advisors. For four years, he would drop his bag on the floor and fall into one of the bean bag chairs before eventually making a joke about something. 

Now, in my office, Josh leans back in the chair and smiles as our conversation picks up where it left off when he graduated in 2021. At one point, I had to remind myself that I was chatting with Josh Makazo, recently named one of Spotify’s Radar Artists, whose top 10 songs collectively have almost 15 million streams.  

While his peers prepare for their final year of university, he has four new singles, an album, and several music videos on the horizon. He thought about entering university after completing his NS but ultimately decided to go all in on his music career.

“I have some really smart and academically gifted siblings and parents who I went to for advice and guidance as I was deciding what to do. My mom and siblings encouraged me to do university. Eventually, my dad said, “if you go to school while you have this music thing going on, you’ll only do school halfway and music halfway and won’t be able to see what’s really possible in either of them,” said Josh.

He has already tried the balancing act once and understands the discipline needed to get everything done. While in NS, Josh would spend the day organizing cadets while training to be a leader and nights and weekends writing, recording, and producing music. 

“I tried my best to incorporate music into my life and properly balance everything. But it’s difficult when I’m in the middle of the jungle and need to stay alert and focused on the tasks in front of me,” he said as he remembered the challenges of being pulled in two different directions. 

As I asked him about some of his SAS memories, he laughed and excitedly began talking about his most unique and lasting SAS experience, Quest.

“I still use something I learned in Quest today. We talked a lot about sustainability but not just through the lens of the environment—but in life. I thought about that as I made the decision to pursue music. I think about it now as I create music. I can easily get lost in the creation process and not eat or sleep for a while. But that’s not sustainable. I want to be creating for a long time and that means that I need to look at my routines to make sure they can last,” he said.

"I still use something I learned in Quest today. We talked a lot about sustainability but not just through the lens of the environment—but in life."

As a Quest student, Josh worked with Jason Gelchen at Homeground Studios to learn more about the music industry. The relationship continued long after his time as a student, and Jason actively supports and guides Josh as a mentor and manager as he moves into a new era as a musical artist. 

Music was an integral part of his life growing up, but if you look at his transcript and list of after-school activities you won’t find the words "music" or "choir" anywhere. 

“I got started in musical theater outside of school when I was around 10. It was my first real exposure to a piece of the music industry. I loved it but quickly realized I didn’t want to sing other people’s music. I didn’t want to do cover songs or anything written by someone else. I became obsessed with the idea of writing my own songs and telling my own stories,” he said. 

In advisory, there was a running comment expressed by many of us that if Josh ever made it big, we wanted to be invited to the concert he would someday play in a huge arena surrounded by thousands of fans. 

But for him, it never was and still isn’t about the fame. “It’s about creating something people can connect to,” he said.

For Josh, the best artists do more than publish songs—they create worlds that people can immerse themselves in. What world is he trying to create next? “This next album is called Ultraviolet. The best way to describe the world is like Blade Runner,” he said.

He gets his phone and begins swiping through the concept files for the music video shoot he has coming up. There are character screenings, detailed costume sketches, and digital renderings of the world being created. The energy in his voice builds as he talks through each of the details he has worked on for months with his team of artists, designers, and media specialists. This will be his first-ever music video. 

He pauses and recounts a question he received once from a fan about what his biggest moment of pride was. “I couldn't think of any specific moment in time. But I know that in the future, what would give me the most joy is being able to be successful with the people that I love. That always brings me so much joy. Just to be able to like, yeah, we did it—we did this. I can't wait for this music video to be completed so we can celebrate it together,” he said.”

"It never was and still isn’t about the fame."

 “It’s about creating something people can connect to.”

Want to meet Josh Makazo?

“I go on live every single Sunday. The idea is to create a parasocial dynamic between myself and my fans, because honestly, I genuinely am interested in what my fans have to say. I think before it was like 30 people, but now it's like 200 and I hop on and I'm just like, hey, guys. Hello. And they're just hanging out with me,” he said.

The name, fashion, and success might be new, but over the course of our time together, it was clear that Josh is still the same kid with a kind heart who likes to crack jokes and has the discipline needed to pursue his passion. 

Oh, and the name Makazo? While he may not have followed his mom or sibling's advice to attend university, he did implement a crucial piece of advice offered early on.

“Makazo is my mom’s maiden name. But it’s spelled with a 'c' instead of a 'k.' It was my sister who said I should change it to a 'k' so it popped more—she was right,” he said.