Virtually seamlessly, Josh Ross has made the chart-topping transition from hard-hitting faculty defensive again to certainly one of nation’s prime heartbreak balladeers. His success now appears to be shifting even quicker than his 40-yard sprint time.
Buying and selling Cowl 2 defenses for making a music playlist that now attracts almost three million month-to-month Spotify listeners is kind of the achievement for an artist who first picked up a guitar after football-related accidents stored him from pursuing the game any longer.
Final 12 months turned a landmark 12 months for Ross: After dropping his debut album, Later Tonight, he hit No. 1 on U.S. nation radio with “Single Once more,” and racked up a number of CCMA awards—Canada’s model of the CMAs—together with Entertainer of the 12 months. Now a veteran on main excursions, he’s opened for Jelly Roll and, earlier than he begins headlining his personal Later Tonight tour in February, Ross is ready to take the stage at Luke Bryan’s annual “Crash My Playa” in Mexico.
And the accolades hold coming—Ross was additionally lately named certainly one of Nation Radio Seminar’s 2026 New Faces of Nation Music. Not dangerous for a former faculty athlete who initially didn’t see music turning into his full-time gig. “I might sing at events or karaoke or no matter it could be, however I didn’t take it significantly at first,” Ross admits. “It wasn’t the cool factor. Sports activities was the cool factor.”
Today, Josh Ross nonetheless carries an athlete’s drive, however he’s tailored that depth for a brand new objective. Success within the studio and stage has pressured him to make some sporting sacrifices for the sake of his long-term profession. An avid BMX fan, Ross admits to being extra risk-averse for the protection of his profession in addition to his physique. “I’ve two bikes, however I don’t journey one—it wouldn’t be good,” he says.
That trade-off doesn’t imply Ross has let go of his soccer mentality. The gymnasium stays a second dwelling of types, however his coaching objectives have now shifted from efficiency on the sphere to the stage. Singing hit songs for 90 minutes takes priority over knocking receivers to the turf, and this actuality means much less energy cleans and extra cardio to remain sturdy all through a demanding yearlong tour.
“With music, similar to soccer, you knock down what’s in entrance of you and hold working ahead.”
As a substitute of Hitting Huge Receivers, Josh Ross Now Trains to Hold Hitting the Excessive Notes
As a defensive again at Ontario’s Western College from 2012 to 2016, Josh Ross relied on his pace to make an instantaneous and intimidating impression on opposing offenses.
“My factor was to exit at first of the sport and try to hit any person as arduous as I might,” Ross says. “Then they don’t need to come throughout and catch the ball once more. That was at all times my tactic, whether or not that was good or not.”
At 6′, 185 kilos, Ross says his athleticism got here from an equal mix of pace and energy. He recollects being clocked at 4.47 seconds within the 40-yard sprint. His weightroom numbers had been equally spectacular, benching 225 kilos for 12 reps whereas boasting an influence clear PR of 285 kilos.
He’s nonetheless pleased with these numbers—and says he could in the future attempt to match them—however after a current exercise got here a sobering reminder of how a lot music has pulled him away from his former athletic peak.
“In London, I went one morning and needed to only let loose some vitality, and I began doing energy cleans and stuff like that,” he says. “The following morning, I awoke and thought, I’ve not been this sore in my shoulders and lats and traps for therefore lengthy. Each occasionally, I nonetheless really feel like I can do it, however I positively can’t.”
As a substitute of prioritizing explosive, max-effort, dynamic coaching as he did throughout soccer, Ross now follows a extra conventional bodypart-split routine. The simplicity helps nowadays, particularly with the grueling journey schedule that goes with being a top-selling nation artist. He brings a set of dumbbells on the highway, however will alter his exercises to suit regardless of the lodging present—be it a completely outfitted health heart or a restricted resort gymnasium.
“Now I simply do again and biceps, shoulders and chest, and a leg day—these sorts of splits,” he explains. “Plus I’ll combine in just a little core work on the finish and perhaps a little bit of cardio.”
Though his job not requires him to cowl 110 yards from sideline to sideline, Ross admits that touring greater than 100 days a 12 months requires a brand new form of conditioning to maintain hitting excessive notes with out gasping for air by encore time.
“The easiest way to coach for singing is to dash after which cease and sing a verse, then dash once more and sing a verse,” he says. “Interval type coaching would translate nicely for this.”
Balancing Health and Band Life on the Highway Requires Teamwork
Not coaching for soccer means Ross generally finds steadiness away from each the burden room and the stage. Typically, that’s as simple as a little bit of catch-and-release at a neighborhood pond. “If I’ve an hour to kill, I’ll go check out and see what there may be,” he says. Like different artists, Ross enjoys the occasional spherical of golf, although he admits managing his swing is more durable than music. “I want I might say I used to be good at golf,” he says. “I’ll play. I’m not nice, however I take pleasure in it.”
If there’s one sport he’d select to pursue after soccer, Ross says motocross—a ardour handed down from his father—would nonetheless prime the checklist. “If I might decide one sport on the planet that I might have been knowledgeable at, that will have been it.” Whereas the danger of harm retains him off the bike now, he’s glad to share his ardour with like-minded bandmates. “I nonetheless watch Supercross on TV after we’re on the highway or on the bus,” he says. “Among the guys are tremendous invested in it as nicely, which is cool.”
The bonding between Ross and the band extends past watching BMX movies. Getting stronger collectively, he says, performs a component in a stronger efficiency come present time.Ross makes some extent to schedule exercises, whether or not it’s a fast morning session earlier than interviews or a late afternoon train routine. “It’s been good to discover a routine on the highway. I feel that’s the toughest half about being in bizarre time zones and schedules.”
On most present days, Josh and his band attempt to hit a neighborhood gymnasium collectively for a late morning or noon exercise, specializing in body-part-specific coaching. Whereas it’s arduous to construct large muscle on the highway, conserving everybody accountable helps foster camaraderie—regardless of the place the tour takes them. “We attempt to discover a native gymnasium, get again by one or two, then it’s sound examine round three,” he says. “We’ll even run if we will.
Due to the unpredictability of touring life, self-discipline, Ross says, turns into one of many keys to staying in prime form year-round, which makes diet a vital half as nicely. Whereas touring, he focuses on protein-rich meals and retains pre-made choices on the bus to keep away from late-night quick meals stops. Protein shakes and bars assist hold him fueled and wholesome whereas on the highway.
“I attempt to take heed to my protein consumption and hold pre-made meals, like Issue meals, on the bus. If the fellows cease for McDonald’s at 2 a.m., I’ll pull out a kind of meals as a substitute.”
Turning Soccer Damage Into Nation Music Fame
Soccer performed a serious function in Josh Ross’s life, however back-to-back ligament tears in his proper ankle required reconstructive surgical procedure and two separate rehab stints. The time away pressured Ross to return to a vital realization that the game was solely a brief a part of his private evolution.
“It’s an extended course of—4 to eight months—and it was actually irritating to return again, solely to have the identical factor occur once more on my second day again on the sphere. Then it’s like, okay, reset and undergo nearly one other half a 12 months of rehab. I misplaced my love for it.”
These accidents in the end shifted his ardour from zone protection to overlaying tunes onstage. As he step by step stepped away from soccer, Ross turned to music as a brand new outlet, educating himself guitar and even some piano by means of YouTube tutorials.
Rising up in Ontario, Ross first experimented with lyrics by journaling about each day life—a behavior that finally led to his earliest songwriting makes an attempt, together with his faculty track “Low-cost Purple Wine,” amongst others. “They had been horrible,” he admits with fun. “At the moment I most likely thought it was one of the best track ever. Then you definitely get humbled in a short time.”
Though he stopped taking part in soccer, Ross discovered that success in music required the identical relentless mindset: “Soccer taught me that if you’d like one thing, you’ve obtained to grind.” Some phrases of knowledge from his head coach, Greg Marshall, additionally reassured him he was on the appropriate path. “He advised me that for those who’re not utterly in [football], simply don’t do it,” Ross recollects. “You are able to do a lot else.”
By 2019, Ross was residing in Nashville full-time, and all of the arduous work started to repay. He relied once more on teamwork—this time with teams of writers—and shortly the hits began coming. In 2022, his single “First Style of Gone” gave him his first style of nationwide recognition. That 12 months, he was a Rising Star nominee on the Canadian Nation Music Awards and carried out on the Gray Cup halftime present.
Two years later, Ross formally achieved breakout standing. He’s adopted up the success of “Single Once more” with the favored “Hate How You Look,” setting the stage for the primary leg of his Later Tonight tour, which begins Feb. 6 in New Brunswick, Canada.
“These previous two years have been particularly good for me—I positively really feel like I’m heading in the right direction. Between particular venues, awards, and my first primary at US nation radio, there have been numerous wins, and I’m very grateful for all of them.”