$20k to local church, from St. Pete's Got Talent winner Josh Cruz

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (November 24) -- Orlando native and St. Petersburg resident Josh Cruz continued his storied ascent in the music world this month taking home First Place prize in the competitive 20-contestant “St. Pete’s Got Talent” event, presented at Jannus Live, organized by St. Petersburg-based Kobie Marketing.

Among highlights, the top three placers won the honor of selecting a charity for significant monetary contributions: $5k for 3rd place, $10k for 2nd, and $20k to Tampa’s City Life Church, the charity selected by 1st placer Cruz. City Life works on a range of humanitarian issues (CityLifeChurch.cc).

This is another meaningful step in what many say is a promising future for Cruz. Vince LoBue, an attorney with Cruz’s production company, said, “It is easy to believe in an amazing person and talent like Josh – he is going to go far in life.”

One of the judges, Matt Frey, of St. Petersburg-based Frey & Masterson, said, “The impressive showmanship of Josh was clear from the moment he took the stage – his performance was incredible. He’s a crowned jewel of this community – we wish him all the best in his career.”

About Josh Cruz:

Josh Cruz has been around music his entire life – starting with church, singing with the choir and other musicians as a young child, and growing up with his grandparents discovering Motown and other classic music. An Orlando-native born in 1992, Cruz has been singing for about as long as he can remember. In first grade, he entered his first talent competition and started writing music in elementary school.

At 14, two musician friends saw promise and took the time to teach Cruz how to professionally write and construct songs and melodies, which then led him to performing at many venues locally such as Janus Live and The Local 662. Josh released his debut EP the Apollo EP in June of 2015. Created with the direction of Trevor Ontiveros at Stero Lab Studies, they crafted an album of “funky soul-filled electronic songs and sounds.” Josh is currently at work on his second EP due for release in February 2016.

Josh is often referred to as an urban pop artist. His influences range from Michael Jackson to Kanye West, among many others. Weaving soul and emotion throughout, Josh aims to create music that people can easily relate to and have fun with. “My goal is to make music that inspires hope, love, and real emotion. I want to make people dance and have a great time, because in those moments we are most free.”

The song that won St. Pete’s Got Talent is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIIFEfnakHU.

Two more sample tracks:

Josh Cruz - Shuttin It Down (feat Nino Breeze)

Josh Cruz - Angels and Demons (feat Hardflow Bolo)

Twitter: ‪https://twitter.com/joshcruzsound
Facebook: ‪https://www.facebook.com/joshcruzsound

Instagram: https://instagram.com/joshcruzsound

Spotify: https://goo.gl/DMe6Bc

Youtube: https://goo.gl/wYo3yj