27-year-old Los Angeles singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brandon has shared the second single from his forthcoming debut album, Before You Go, due May 9 via Secretly Canadian. “September” serves as both a plea and a farewell, reflecting on love’s fleeting nature through haunting instrumentation and Brandon’s signature warmth. The album’s title comes from its chorus lyric: “Can you hold me before you go?” Written at a time when he was trying to hold onto someone he knew was already slipping away, the song captures the quiet devastation of knowing a goodbye is inevitable, but hoping, for just a little longer, that it isn’t.

Born to Trinidadian parents in Riverside, California, Brandon Joseph grew up in a family of musicians and all-around music lovers. His mom, a singer, inspired him at a young age to sing himself, joining the kids choir at his local church at the age of 7. From there, his love for music grew and became the epicenter of his life. 

Written, recorded, and produced entirely in his home studio, Before You Go feels both intimate and expansive—raw, unfiltered, and deeply human. Beyond the record, Brandon is dedicated to breaking expectations—especially as a young Black artist in a world quick to box him in. “When people find out I’m a musician, their first assumption is that I rap, or make R&B music, based off of the way that I look,”he says. “But I want to inspire kids who look like me to make whatever music they want.”

Before You Go doesn’t just document heartbreak; it embraces the complexities of love, the beauty of uncertainty, and the inevitability of change. When crafting his full-length debut — he aimed for a lasting sound that may live in a record collection forever. “A lot of my favorite artists are stuck like Gorilla Glue on the planet; they’ll never be erasable,” he offers. “I want to create timeless music like that too.”

Photo Courtesy: Raymond Alva