Three-time Tony and Grammy-nominee, Joshua Henry is best known for his stage work in The Scottsboro Boys on Broadway and as Aaron Burr in the first touring company of Hamilton. Lin-Manuel’s directorial debut, Tick Tick Boom, in which Joshua appears alongside Andrew Garfield and Vanessa Hudgens, came to theaters and on Netflix in November 2021, the month after we recorded this conversation.

Joshua took advantage of his time away from the stage during the pandemic shutdown to focus solely on his first love—music--and recorded his debut CD, Grow, which brings together his love for jazz, soul, funk and pop. Joshua talked to me from his home in Los Angeles about his wide range of influences, including Nat King Cole, whom he was celebrating the week we spoke in a series of performances at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA.