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1.) We’re very excited to have some time today with acclaimed songwriting and production duo ORTU; greetings and salutations gang, and thanks for taking time from a pretty hectic schedule to speak with us here at Vents Magazine! Before we dive down the Q&A music-lined rabbit hole, could you both say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hi! We’re ORTU — Jimmi and Josh. We are a brand new songwriting and production duo. We have both been working in music for years — me as a session musician and producer, and Josh as a singer-songwriter — and ORTU is where all of that experience comes together. So we are excited to share a bit about our new venture with your readers!
2.) Major kudos and accolades on your exciting new track Level It Up which guest-features the ever-resplendent talents of Roxy Yarnold! Jimmi, can you talk about what inspired you and Josh to tackle one of the very best single releases of 2025?
Wow — thank you! That means a lot. We tried to write something we would want our daughters to hear – a message of self-worth and empowerment. Most of the love songs you hear today are either about casual hookups or heartbreak — and sometimes they make love feel a bit cheap. Love is often reduced to fleeting physical connections, Level It Up flips the narrative, celebrating relationships built on mutual respect, boundaries, and inner strength. It’s a call to aim higher, to demand more from love and life. We wanted to write a song that celebrates a healthy, committed relationship. Personally, I’ve been married for 24 years, and I still adore my wife.
3.) Josh, what was it like for you and Jimmi to collaborate with Roxy Yarnold and Meg Birch on the Level It Up single?
Roxy and Meg are brilliant, experienced writers. Like many artists, we want our songs to be honest and tell an authentic story. Meg and Roxy are both super talented and are inspirational women, so it was great having them in the writing room. Capturing their perspectives of this idea of lifting relationships to another level was super important to us.
4.) Jimmi, is it a safe wager that you and Josh handled the producing honors on Level It Up? And, if so, what are the pros to serving as your own producer(s)?
Yes we produced the song. As producers our job is to try and hear a song as the artist hears it and carefully help them to pull it out of their soul, and get it recorded as closely as we can to how they imagined it. For us being the Artist as well, meant we knew exactly what we wanted and how to capture that.
5.) Josh, in your humble opinion what differentiates Level It Up from the Distinguished Competition on the current day music scene?
With Level It Up, we tried to create a high energy track that wouldn’t be out of place on a club or gym playlist, but also had an authentic and meaningful message – something to motivate but also empower. I don’t think many people are doing that. We also have the gift of being completely independent so have complete creative control over what we are writing and producing.
6.) Jimmi, in the wake of the September 19 release of the rousing new ORTU anthem Level It Up, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit?
Both Josh and I have performed extensively around the world. For me that’s been touring with Gloria Gaynor, Shamilar, and in the past Il Divo and others. For this project, we wanted to focus initially on writing and producing, and collaborating with other artists – to capture their stories, perspectives and messages. We don’t have plans to tour immediately, but who knows what might happen next year!
7.) Josh, what does the remainder of 2025 and going into 2026 hold in store for ORTU as far as new music releases go? Should fans keep eyes and ears on wide alert for even more music drops?
Level It Up is our first release. We are planning two more this year which will be similarly high energy, positive pop, and we have a couple more releases planned for early next year, including a couple of exciting collabs. Lots to look out for!
8.) A question for the both of you: Who are some of the folks both in and out of the world of music who have inspired and influenced you?
For me, (Jimmi) one of my biggest inspirations was my late father. He was a pastor with a huge heart who cared for so many people. In Suffolk, England, where we are based, there’s actually a charity named after him — The Rob Clarke Community Trust. Seeing the way my father poured his life into helping others has been a huge influence on how I try to approach both music and life.
I (Josh) would say that writing songs with my kids in mind is a huge inspiration. We wrote Level It Up to be type of song we’d want our daughters to hear – to give an honest and empowering perspective on relationship. Thinking about the next generation and who might hear our work in years to come is a pretty good motivator all round.
Musically, we have both always been inspired by artists who are fearless about putting their whole heart and story into their songs — people like Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Foo Fighters. They remind us that music can be deeply human, honest, and powerful, which is what we are aiming for with ORTU. In terms of our writing and production, artists like Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris, who have genuinely shifted the standard on dance-pop production and collaboration, are hugely inspirational.
9.) Jimmi, what’s the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on how ORTU came into being?
Josh and I first crossed paths when he asked me to produce an EP for him as a singer-songwriter in 2010. The moment we got in the studio, something just clicked — musically and personally. We’d finish sessions and end up talking for hours about writing and the industry: what inspired us, what frustrated us, and what we thought music could still be. Out of those late-night conversations came this shared vision — a passion for writing songs that hit you in the heart, that make you feel something real, something honest. Songs that challenge you, lift you up, and maybe even change the way you see the world.
I guess that’s how ORTU was born, from conversations long ago — it’s more of a mission than a side project. ORTU is Latin for “rising” or “beginning,” which felt perfect for what we wanted to do — rise up, start something fresh, and create music that moves people.
10.) Josh, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-spin to the stunner of a new ORTU single Level It Up?
Level It Up is supposed to be fun, so we hope people hear that. But we also want people to feel inspired towards a better way of doing love and relationship – not to take each other or intimacy for granted. We also hope they’ll enjoy the song enough that they’ll keep a look out for what we’ve got coming next!
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