Joshua Ross (born May 27, 1996) is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter. He is managed by The Core Entertainment and jointly signed to Universal Music Canada and Mercury Nashville. Ross has charted multiple singles, including "On a Different Night", "Trouble", "Ain't Doin' Jack", "Single Again", and "Hate How You Look". In March 2024, he released the extended play Complicated. His debut album Later Tonight was released in September 2025.
Early life Ross was born in Waterdown, Ontario, and later moved to nearby Burlington, Ontario for school at Nelson Highschool. He spent most of his youth playing sports such as hockey, football, soccer, and motocross. He has extended family in Los Angeles and Maine, and visited the United States often as a child. Ross attended Western University where he played varsity football as a defensive back. He had hoped to play in the Canadian Football League. A series of injuries coupled with two surgeries derailed his football career in university, and he elected to pursue a career in music as a result. Ross listened to both country and rock music growing up, and cites Steve Earle as one of his biggest musical influences.
Career Early career While working in construction management, Ross entered several music competitions including the Magna Hoedown in Aurora, Ontario, and the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artists Showcase. He began making trips to Nashville, Tennessee in 2018, with the support of fellow Canadian country artist Aaron Goodvin, before making a permanent move there in 2019. Ross released his first radio single "If You Were a Song" as an independent artist that year. He released the five-song extended play Do What You Love in 2020.
2022–2023: Universal Music Group, Grey Cup halftime show In February 2022, Ross released the single "First Taste of Gone", which he co-wrote with Mason Thornley. He then became one of the final eight finalists for SiriusXM's "Top of the Country" contest. Ross subsequently signed a joint recording and management deal with The Core Entertainment and Universal Music Canada in April 2022. With Universal taking over promotion of "First Taste of Gone", the song moved into the top five of the Canada Country chart, and entered the Canadian Hot 100. Ross released the song "On a Different Night" in July 2022, which would become a radio single later that September. He received a nomination for "Rising Star" at the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards. Ross performed at the halftime show for the 109th Grey Cup in Regina, Saskatchewan, alongside Tyler Hubbard and Jordan Davis.
In January 2023, Ross released the single "Trouble". He opened for Bailey Zimmerman at the end of his headlining tour in the United States in the same month. In March 2023, Universal Music Group Nashville signed Ross in partnership with Universal Music Canada and The Core. Ross subsequently released the song "Red Flags" later that month. He joined Lee Brice's "Beer Drinking Opportunity Tour" with Tenille Arts in Canada in the spring of 2023, and signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music shortly thereafter. He was named "Rising Star" at the 2023 Country Music Association of Ontario Awards. In the summer of 2023, Ross was an opening act for Nickelback on their North American "Get Rollin' Tour" along with Brantley Gilbert. In July 2023, he released the song "Ain't Doin' Jack". That same month, he made his debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. At the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards in September 2023, Ross was nominated in six total categories, and won the award for "Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year". He released the song "Ain't the One" at the end of the month.
2024–present: Complicated, Later Tonight, The Trouble Tour, and the Single Again Tour In 2024, Ross released the songs "Single Again" and "Truck Girl". Ross also embarked on his debut headlining tour "The Trouble Tour" in Canada in early 2024, and he joined Bailey Zimmerman again for his headlining "Religiously: The Tour" in the United States, Great Britain, and Ireland. He released his extended play Complicated on March 29, 2024. He followed that up with the release of the promotional singles "New Me" in May 2024 and "Want This Beer", a duet with Julia Michaels, in July 2024. From August to November 2024, Ross embarked on his debut American headlining tour, the "Single Again Tour". He won five awards at the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards, including "Entertainer of the Year" and "Single of the Year. Ross also won the Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award at the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards.
In February 2025, Ross released the single "Leave Me Too". He tied with Tate McRae for the most nominations at the Juno Awards of 2025, and won the Juno Award for Country Album of the Year with Complicated.Kelsey Adams and Natalie Harmsen, "Juno Awards 2025: a breakdown of this year's nominees". CBC Music, February 10, 2025. In April 2025, Ross released the single "Hate How You Look". In May 2025, Ross collaborated with hip hop artist Akon on the song "Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)", a reimagined version of Akon's song "Right Now (Na Na Na)". In July 2025, "Single Again" reached number one on the Mediabase Country chart, making Ross the third Canadian man ever, after Hank Snow and Paul Brandt, to land a number one country radio single in the United States. Ross released his debut album Later Tonight on September 19, 2025. He supported the album with his "Later Tonight Tour" across Canada in early 2026. Ross was nominated for four awards at the Juno Awards of 2026.
Controversy In June 2025, Ross apologized on social media after a video of him calling United States "the best country in the world" while performing at the Tailgates 'N Tallboys Festival in Indiana trended online and led to a barrage of criticism from Canadian fans due to the ongoing trade war between the two nations. Weeks later, he performed at Heritage Canada's Canada Day concert in Ottawa.
Tours The Trouble Tour (2024) Single Again Tour (2024) Later Tonight Tour (2026)
Discography Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications CAN Later Tonight Released: September 19, 2025 Label: The Core Entertainment / Universal Music Canada / Mercury Nashville Format: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming 17 MC: Gold
Extended plays Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications CAN US Heat Do What You Love Released: November 20, 2020 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming — — Live Sessions Released: November 11, 2022 Label: The Core Entertainment / Universal Music Canada Format: Digital download, streaming — — Complicated Released: March 29, 2024 Label: The Core Entertainment / Universal Music Canada / Mercury Nashville Format: CD, digital download, streaming 73 11 MC: Gold
Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album CANReferences for Canadian Hot 100: "First Taste of Gone": "On a Different Night": "Trouble": "Ain't Doin' Jack": "Single Again": "Leave Me Too": "Hate How You Look": "Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)": "Scared of Getting Sober": CAN CountryReferences for Canada Country: "First Taste of Gone": "On a Different Night": "Trouble": "Ain't Doin' Jack": "Single Again": "Leave Me Too": "Hate How You Look": "Scared of Getting Sober": AUSCountryReferences for Australian Country Hot 50: "Trouble": "Ain't Doin' Jack": "Single Again": "Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)": "Hate How You Look": "Later Tonight": "Kicked Out of Bars": USReferences for Billboard Hot 100: "Single Again": "Hate How You Look": US CountryReferences for Hot Country Songs: "Trouble": "Single Again": "Hate How You Look": US CountryAirplayReferences for Country Airplay: "Single Again": "Hate How You Look": 2019 "If You Were a Song" — — — — — — rowspan="3" 2022 "First Taste of Gone" 54 5 — — — — MC: Platinum "On a Different Night" 65 4 — — — — MC: Platinum 2023 "Trouble" 48 1 17 — 43 — MC: 2× Platinum RIAA: Gold Complicated "Ain't Doin' Jack" 69 1 26 — — — MC: Platinum 2024 "Single Again" 60 1 4 73 22 2 MC: 2× Platinum RIAA: Gold Complicated 2025 "Leave Me Too" 58 5 — — — — Later Tonight "Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)" 67 — 7 — — — MC: Gold "Hate How You Look" 28 1 4 52 12 1 MC: Platinum 2026 "Later Tonight" — — 9 — — — "Scared of Getting Sober" 89 4 — — — — "Kicked Out of Bars" — — 23 — — — rowspan="2" "Drink Things Through"—————— "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that territory.
Music videos Year Title Director 2021 "Tall Boys" Wales Toney 2022 "On a Different Night" 2023 "Trouble" "Ain't Doin' Jack" rowspan="2" 2024 "Want This Beer" "Single Again" Jack Owens
Awards and nominations +YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResultRef 2022 Canadian Country Music AssociationRising Star 2023 Country Music Association of OntarioFans' Choice Male Artist of the Year Rising Star Single of the Year "First Taste of Gone" Songwriter of the Year "On a Different Night" Canadian Country Music Association Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year Fans' Choice Male Artist of the Year Single of the Year "On a Different Night" Songwriter(s) of the Year "Trouble" Video of the Year" "Trouble" 2024 Juno Awards Juno Fan Choice Country Music Association of Ontario Fans' Choice Male Artist of the Year Music Video of the Year "Trouble" Single of the Year "Trouble" Canadian Country Music Association Album of the Year Complicated Entertainer of the Year Fans' Choice Male Artist of the Year Single of the Year "Trouble" Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year Complicated Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year "Trouble" Country Music Association Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award 2025 Juno Awards Album of the Year Complicated Artist of the Year Country Album of the Year Complicated Juno Fan Choice Single of the Year "Single Again" Country Music Association of Ontario Compass Award Fans' Choice Canadian Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Fans' Choice Male Artist of the Year Musical Collaboration of the Year "Want This Beer" Single of the Year "Single Again" Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year Complicated Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year "Single Again" Video of the Year "Single Again" 2026 Juno Awards Album of the Year Later Tonight Country Album of the Year Later Tonight Juno Fan Choice Single of the Year "Hate How You Look"
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