Many artists struggle to come up with a name for themselves, but Joshua Kuntz’s just makes sense.
The stage name came about when he performed in a youth blues band and often expressed how he didn’t like singing blues music.
The director of the blues group said Kuntz only wanted to sing pop music, then dubbed him “JKPopstar.”
“I would say I am very much pop but with like an americana or country sound, just because of my country accent,” Kuntz said.
JKPopstar rocks the “star” part of his pen name, wearing dazzling star clothing, star jewelry, and bedazzled shoes.
Kuntz said he wants to bring back show-stopping outfits like Elton John’s and the flamboyant hairstyles of his time.
“With this style, for me it doesn’t matter if you’re on stage or if you’re just walking into CVS,” he said.
Kuntz said he takes his roots with him in his eccentric and show-stopping persona.
The freshman artist’s inspiration and sound came from his fondness for Disney shows as a child.
Shows like “Hannah Montana” and “Austin & Ally” were very influential for him.
Living in a small town, he performed in local talent shows and traveled all around Arkansas to different talent shows, eventually calling this his “talent show tour.”
At just the age of 3, he joined his local church choir.
“From then on, I would just try to steal the mic and try to take the spotlight,” he said.
JKPopstar was something Kuntz got bullied for as a child, but the artist didn’t let this get to him; Kuntz flipped it on its head.
“I flipped and was like, no, this is my brand. I made a logo and made a look that I wanted to have,” he said.
JKPopstar performed his unreleased single “Colorblind” at the Belmont Vision Office Concert, which takes inspiration from “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy goes from only seeing black and white to being in the Land of Oz where she can see color.
The freshman artist also performs his single “Peter & Wendy,” a ballad based on the story of Peter Pan and Wendy from the Disney film “Peter Pan.”
JKPopstar’s Belmont Vision Office Concert will release on Friday. Stay tuned to @belmont.vision on Instagram for updates.
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This article was written by Ben Burton