Meet Joshua “Jah” Lord of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua “Jah” Lord.

Hi Joshua “Jah”, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
First and Foremost Glory to God and Thank you Jesus Christ for allowing me to still be here doing what I love and experiencing life. I’ve been wanting to entertain since I can remember. I thought the dream was singing in my early adolescent years, simply because I was so advanced for my age at singing without having any training, any family music background, no church choir, just a kid that could sing his butt off. So around the age of 5, the kindergarten classes in my elementary school were putting together the kindergarten concert and each class was given a song to sing. The song for my kindergarten class was R. Kelly’s I believe I can fly. So my teacher divides the song up into little pieces of the verse for the class to sing. Everybody got a note card with a few of the lyrics of the verses. And so everybody had to sing their piece for the class, and when it came around time for me to sing, I sang so well and I amazed the teachers so much so that they changed the whole concert to where I would sing both verses (as a solo) and the rest of the class just comes in on the chorus. At that moment right there, I knew I was born a STAR. From then on in my early childhood years, as I started to watch television more, I saw things like Disney Nickelodeon, a plethora of movies with children, child stars, and I always knew that I had “the goods” for lack of better words, to be able to showcase my talents and my light energy for the world to see. I remember promotional ads on TV and on the radio, stating that if you wanted your child to be on Disney or in commercials to call this certain number, you guys know the ads. And so I would literally sneak my parents phone either out of my mom‘s purse or out of my dad‘s pockets and call up the radio station and try and sign myself up for all different types of commercials and Casting calls for child stars and I did end up getting myself a bubblegum commercial around like the age of 8 or 9. I remember practicing the lines with my older sister getting ready for an audition for the commercial. I wasn’t even able to do it because of lack of coming from humble beginnings. I don’t know if it’s because my mom had to work or if it’s because we didn’t have money or the resources to be able to get to the Casting, but whatever the case may be I wasn’t able to make the commercial. I kept trying, kept trying to sign myself up for different things and try to get into acting but granted I have a lot of siblings two sisters and 4 brothers that grew up with me and so my parents are probably in their head like “yeah we hear you. You wanna be an actor that’s cute” and not really taking it as serious as I did and so after about sixth grade when I had a Disney audition or casting called to go to in Orlando and mom wasn’t able to take me to that. I kind of gave up on acting and film at that point in my life got into sports heavily throughout middle school and high school, and I truly thought that that was my calling for awhile and then something happened in Highschool (freshman year to be exact), my older brother passed way due to gun violence literally a week after my 15th birthday. His dream was sports and so I quickly innerstood that I was just following in his footsteps and didn’t really have as much love for ball as he did. I gave up on sports and I started to grow into my features more chisel, jawline, self-care, skin care, hair care, and I started to have an abundance of self love and self-confidence and so I started to take pictures just at school in my outfits for my Instagram and as I got to senior year, I started to really wanted to get into modeling as I grew into my looks and really started to feel like I had the confidence and the look to be able to model. So I just keep uploading pictures on Instagram in hopes that somebody might come along and try to sign me or try to reach out to me and lo and behold after graduation senior year in 2019 I became TikTok famous for singing and in a year I had amassed over 205,000 followers and so after a point in time, I didn’t just wanna be a social media personality and I didn’t wanna only be known for singing, so I started to upload skits and funny videos and while doing those videos and watching the success that they had and how much fun I had doing it I realized what my calling was again what my dreams were again and that’s to act, to portray stories to be able to be other characters other people for a minute to bring other people to life through my own actions, voice facial expression, mannerisms, to inspire and to motivate and use my voice and I fell in love with acting all over again, just off of doing skits on TikTok and so it’s funny how God works and aligns things because shortly after that like I stated I was taking pictures on Instagram trying to get like real nice looking pictures and pictures that I could submit myself for things and the casting director Jennifer Vendetti (uncut gems and Euphoria) reached out to me about playing a character on season two of euphoria specifically Zendaya‘s best friend on season two of euphoria and she stated that she had found me on Instagram. Loved my look and thought that I would be perfect for the character. So she tells me to upload my pictures all of my sizes and things like that mind you this is my first time doing any of this like I’ve wanted to act all my life, but this is my first actual opportunity of like actually being in it and so I submitted my information and things like that she sent back a script and told me to self tape. This is my first self tape ever for euphoria I still have it in my phone, and I had told them that it was my first self audition tape and they were like never tell anyone that so I sent in the tape. They love the tape and told me that they would’ve never thought it was my first one if I hadn’t told them so you never supposed to disclose that and then they requested a second self tape and stated that if they liked it, they were gonna bring me out to Hollywood travel and accommodations taken care of and I would get the role and basically my whole life would’ve changed. So Jennifer sends in the second set of lines. I’m going over it. I’m reading it and I’m like wait. Hold up because in the script I see “Two guys kissing-“ and I IMMEDIATELY email her back like “Hey so, you guys never mentioned anything about the character being bisexual or gay or anything to that extent this whole casting process and I’m not comfortable doing anything with a man, physically, especially sexually, I will not compromise my sexuality and morals for this role”. And do you know what they told me after that? “ OK if that’s how you feel then there’s no point in auditioning. Thanks for your interest.” and just like that a gear shifted inside of me and I realized I wasn’t just gonna be a social media personality on TikTok anymore. That made me realize if a TV show like euphoria (which was the biggest show out for multiple years during the pandemic) can reach out to me just off of my Instagram pictures I know that God has more in store for me with this acting and film dream of mine that he placed in my heart and so about a year after that I was working, and I just decided to pack up all of my things and move to Atlanta back in 2022. And ever since I’ve hit the ground running and haven’t looked back. I was booked for something my very first day being here in Atlanta I think like a YouTube video or something. I’ve been couch surfing since I’ve been here. I’ve been carless. I’ve been married, divorced, and on the biggest platforms. From a BET commercial with speaking lines, on the face of the FIFA World Cup commercial that comes out this year. I’m a lead in a movie that’s coming out on Peacock and Tubi this December my first lead movie, I just had my debut in runway modeling for 4 designers in atlfw this past weekend. I’ve done many things since I’ve been out here in Atlanta from commercials, background extra in a plethora of tv shows and movies, done a short film for tyler perry, modeled for footlocker and I’m soooo grateful, however, my story isn’t finished being written yet, it’s just available to you to read now, but I’m still on my journey. Glory to God. Gratitude to God. In Jesus Name.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
it has not been a smooth road by a long shot, but it’s been a road I’m willing to travel over and over again, because it’s mine. My journey. some struggles I faced since moving to Atlanta and pursuing my dreams are relationship problems, financial struggles, homelessness, lack of transportation, being married and divorced missing out on opportunities for lack of finances or lack of transportation or resources, but God is very intentional and I know that the things that I’m going through, I just a part of my journey and a part of my testimony so that once it’s really time for me to be on top, I’ll have went through and accomplish and overcame so many things that when I’m preaching the gospel to people and they see how much I’ve accomplished they have no choice but to follow suit and know that they can too. it’s been hard being without my family for almost 4 years now while I’m up here chasing a dream, but I have to get myself through the door before I can open the door for everybody else when the airplane is going down you have to put that mask that oxygen mask over you for you to be able to save anybody else because if you can’t breathe, how are you gonna help someone else breathe and so that’s been hard. Missing my family but I say I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change a thing my life is my life, and my journey is my journey specific to me.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an ARTIST, a CREATOR. I don’t like to compartmentalize myself, so I don’t necessarily feel the need to be specific about what I do, I just love to create art and share that art to the world whether they love it or not. But to BE specific, I act, I model and I sing. I’m most famously known for my journey of coming up as an actor but I’ve been viral a plethora of times and are known for so many different things. I’m a lead actor in “How do we get here” My debut movie coming out This december on peacock and tubi. I’ve modeled for Footlocker and had posters up in stores with my face on it. I’ve done a commercial for BET on the Hip hop awards in 2024 for the voter commercial, I am the face of the Fifa Wolrd Cup 26’ atlanta commercial. Just to name a few things. I’m most proud of God and the fact that he allows me to be so successful and the fact he supports me fully in all I do as long as I am bettering myself everyday and giving him the glory and praise for it all. I’m proud of myself for coming from nothing and making something. I moved to atlanta with no family no resources no friends of family to move with just myself and a dream to make my life the life i’ve always wanted and I’m making it happen day by day. What sets me apart from others is the fact that I heavily put God in front and let people know I’m not accomplishing anything, GOD IS ALLOWING me to accomplish these things I’m just controlling the vessel. Aside from that I believe My light ENERGY and positivity set me far apart of others especially in my spaces because people can do certain projects or be affiliated with certain people or things and get to power tripping and riding a high horse they can’t come down from. I remain humble at all times and I genuinely try to help everyone win. I don’t hold back free game or anything unless I feel you aren’t going to genuinely apply it. what sets me apart is that I genuinely just want EVERYONE to WIN.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Keep God First ALWAYS!!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahtheg0d?igsh=MXRlbmdoNTFxbHZkdA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bxc7csSGe/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jahtheg0d?si=OUShdcAkAohpTO-c