# Joe in the Studio

> Joe in the Studio is the stage name of Yusif Aliyev, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter crafting music that feels like it could've been pressed on vinyl in the late 60s but still speaks to today. Armed with guitars, piano, bass, and drums — plus a knack for raw storytelling — every note is written, recorded, and produced solo in his small home studio.

- Real name: Yusif Aliyev. "Joe in the Studio" is his stage name.
- Based in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- Roles: singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer.
- Genres: indie rock, singer-songwriter, indie pop.
- Every release is written, performed, recorded, mixed and produced solo.

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/): biography, discography, videos, influences, contact.
- [Lyrics](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/): full lyrics for every song.
- [All Links](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/links/): every streaming and social profile.
- [Full text for LLMs](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/llms-full.txt): bio, discography and complete lyrics in one file.

## Releases

- [I Haven't Met You Yet (Single, 2023)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/i-havent-met-you-yet/): This song is basically a love song written for someone who hasn't entered my life yet. I liked the idea of singing directly to a future partner as if I already knew her, even though we’ve never met. It’s about believing that somewhere out there is a person I’ll connect with in a way I haven’t experienced before, while also wondering if I’m being too optimistic. The song plays with that contradiction—feeling close to someone and missing them even though you’ve never actually met them. At its heart, it’s a hopeful song about love, patience, and the idea that sometimes it’s okay to dream about what’s still ahead.
- [I Guess It's Destiny (Single, 2022)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/i-guess-its-destiny/): This song is the final chapter in the story that started with "What If She’s Not Single?" and continued with "I Just Like Her, idk". By this point, the uncertainty and overthinking had mostly faded, and I was beginning to accept that things might simply not work out the way I had hoped. The song came together very naturally while I was casually playing guitar, strumming a couple of simple chords and humming the melody. The lyrics appeared almost immediately and captured the feeling of letting go, moving on, and trusting that life has a way of working itself out. It’s one of the shortest and simplest songs I’ve written, which felt appropriate given its message. It also gave me the chance to use a ukulele for the first time in one of my songs, something I’d wanted to do for a long time but had never found the right place for until this one.
- [I Just Like Her, idk (Single, 2022)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/i-just-like-her-idk/): This song is basically a continuation of "What If She’s Not Single?". At this point, I was seriously thinking about telling her how I felt, but I still wasn’t sure whether that was the right thing to do. Part of me wanted to be honest and take the chance, while another part was worried about making things awkward or finding out that she really was with someone else. The song came from that frustration of knowing what I wanted to say but feeling unable to say it. When I sing “Why does it have to be this way?” that’s not really a rhetorical question—I genuinely remember thinking that. It felt like life had introduced someone special into my world and then immediately attached a question mark to the whole thing. Around that time I was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, which probably influenced the way I approached the verses. They’re sung in a fairly simple, conversational, almost spoken style, with the lyrics carrying most of the emotion. The song is really just me trying to make sense of that uncertainty and wishing things could be simple for once.
- [What If She's Not Single? (Single, 2022)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/what-if-shes-not-single/): I wrote this song during a time when I had feelings for someone but wasn’t sure whether she was already in a relationship. We had become friends, and part of me felt like there might be something more between us, but then I heard from a friend that she had someone. The strange thing was that I had never met him, never heard her mention him, and didn’t really know what to believe. The song came from that uncertainty more than anything else—the feeling of wanting to be honest about how I felt while also being afraid of finding out the answer. It’s about being stuck between hope and reality, and all the overthinking that happens in between.
- [Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (Single, 2022)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/feels-like-we-only-go-backwards/): I’ve always loved this song, and when I decided to record it, I wanted to hear what it might sound like if it had been recorded a few decades earlier. I tried to keep the feel and spirit of the original while reimagining it with more of a classic rock approach, using acoustic and electric guitars, piano, and a more vintage-style production. My goal wasn’t to completely change the song, but to make it feel like my own version while staying true to what made me love it in the first place.
- [I Don't Wanna Let Go (Single, 2022)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/i-dont-wanna-let-go/): This song started with a fingerpicking pattern I came up with while playing guitar. As the melody developed, it naturally turned into a song about missing someone who used to be a part of my life. It’s about that strange feeling where you know a relationship is over and should probably be left in the past, but at the same time you don’t want to let go of the memories because they’re all you have left. The song isn’t really about heartbreak as much as it is about holding on to something that’s already gone and being unsure whether you truly want to move on.
- [Really Don't (Single, 2021)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/really-dont/): I wrote this song after a small moment that probably shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. I had sent a message to some old university friends and didn’t hear back for a day, and while lying in bed with a guitar, I started wondering whether people really mean the things they say or if some relationships are more superficial than they seem. That’s where the line “People acting strange these days, they don’t mean what they say, they really don’t” came from. The song naturally took on a blues-rock feel as I was writing it, and over time it grew into something bigger with a guitar solo, vocal harmonies, jazz-influenced chords, and an unexpected synth section at the end. Even though it came from a moment of doubt, I don’t think it’s a cynical song. It’s more about trying to make sense of those feelings when they show up. It’s probably my favorite song I’ve written so far.
- [An Anthem of Overthinking (Single, 2021)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/an-anthem-of-overthinking/): I wrote this song because I have a habit of getting stuck in my own head after awkward situations and overthinking things that probably aren’t a big deal. Sometimes I’ll replay a conversation over and over, thinking about what I should have said instead or worrying about how I came across. While writing it, I realized that most of these things feel much bigger in the moment than they actually are, and by the next day they barely matter. The song is basically me reminding myself to stop being so hard on myself and just let things go.
- [You're Gonna Live Forever in Me (Single, 2021)](https://www.joeinthestudio.com/lyrics/youre-gonna-live-forever-in-me/): This was the first song I ever released seriously, which made it a special project for me from the start. I’ve always felt that it could fit naturally into a Beatles record, so I wanted to explore that idea and create a version that sounded like it came from that era. The whole arrangement started when I was listening to the verse, “And when the pastor asks the pews for reasons he can’t marry you, I’ll keep my word and my seat,” and I imagined church bells ringing in the background. That image stuck with me and became the starting point for the production. From there, I added elements inspired by The Beatles, including Mellotron parts and an original guitar solo influenced by George Harrison’s playing. The goal was to stay true to the emotion of the original while making it feel like something I would have wanted to hear myself.

## Listen

- [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/artist/3sDu0GQXsoHKxF0yfi4FXy)
- [Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/az/artist/joe-in-the-studio/1552273825)
- [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCmm2oTytAMi2kSKvcsn8t8w)
- [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.com/artists/B08W8WBQF7/joe-in-the-studio)
- [Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/artist/joe-in-the-studio/1552273825)
- [Tidal](https://tidal.com/artist/23442438)
- [Deezer](https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/122865612)

## Follow

- [Instagram](https://instagram.com/joeinthestudio)
- [YouTube](https://youtube.com/@joeinthestudio)
- [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/user/joe-in-the-studio/submitted/?sort=top)
- [Twitter / X](https://x.com/joeinthestudio)
- [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/joeinthestudio)

## Influences

- The Beatles
- Tame Impala
- John Mayer
- Michael Jackson
- Slash
- AC/DC
- Paul McCartney
- Jimi Hendrix
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Green Day
- Billy Joel
- Charlie Puth
- Eminem
- Chuck Berry
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Daft Punk
- Stevie Wonder
- Ed Sheeran
- Bob Dylan
- The Police