Joshua Karpeh (born January 30, 1993), known professionally as Cautious Clay, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.Cautious Clay takes us on a dream sequence in ''SIDEWINDER''
Michael Marottaon, ''Vanyaland'', June 18, 2019

Early life and education

Karpeh was born on January 30, 1993, in Cleveland,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and attended Benedictine High School. He graduated with a degree in International Affairs from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 2015. His maternal grandfather is an obstetrician who performed as a percussionist while studying as an undergraduate exchange student at Lincoln University in Chester, PA in the 1950s. He is of Kru ethnicity from

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. Karpeh worked as a

real estate agent Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

in New York City for two years and in advertising for a year before pursuing music full-time.

Career

Karpeh learned music production at George Washington University by remixing beats for friends. His music style is influenced by

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, organic and electronic sounds. He plays multiple instruments including the saxophone, flute, guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. Known by his stage name Cautious Clay, Karpeh, on September 22, 2017 released "Cold War", the first single from his debut EP ''Blood Type'', which was first released on February 21, 2018, and then re-released on April 13, 2018 with the additional single "Stolen Moments". Karpeh's second EP ''Resonance'', was first released on May 30, 2018 and then re-released on August 22, 2018 with the additional song "Crowned". His third EP ''Table of Context'', was released on March 27, 2019. Karpeh played at the 2019 Billy Reid Shindig in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Alabama. He also featured on the soundtrack of ''13 Reasons Why: Season 3'' with the song "Swim Home". Swim Home is one of two collaborations with

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

, the other is "Carry Me Away", featured on ''Table of Context''. "Cold War" was sampled on the song " London Boy" for

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's seventh studio album '' Lover'' (2019). Karpeh's single, "Erase", was featured on the soundtrack of FIFA 20. Karpeh released his first studio album, ''Deadpan Love,'' on June 25, 2021, which included previously released singles "Agreeable," "Roots," and "Dying in the Subtlety," and was accompanied by a music video for song the "Karma & Friends". A deluxe version followed on February 11, 2022, featuring four new songs and an additional four tracks of existing songs now featuring strings. In support of the album he embarked on his Karma & Friends tour across North America and Europe. On November 11, 2022, Karpeh released his fourth EP ''Thin Ice on the Cake,'' a collection of three singles previously released throughout 2022 with three new songs. Karpeh released his second studio album, ''Karpeh'', on August 18, 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Deadpan Love'' (2021) * ''Karpeh'' (2023) * ''The Hours: Morning'' (2025)

Extended plays

* ''Blood Type'' (2017 and 2018) * ''Resonance'' (2018) * ''Table of Context'' (2019) * ''Thin Ice on the Cake'' (2022)

Singles

* "Cold War" * "Joshua Tree" * "Stolen Moments" * "French Riviera" * "Crowned" * "Reasons" * "Sidewinder" * "Swim Home" * "Erase" * "Cheesin" (with Cautious Clay, Remi Wolf, Still Woozy, Sophie Meiers, Claud, Melanie Faye & HXNS)" * "Agreeable" * "Dying in the Subtlety" * "Roots" * "Karma & Friends" * "25/8" * "Ohio" * "Another Half" (featuring Julian Lage)

Songwriting credits

References

External links

* {{authority control 1993 births Living people Singers from Cleveland Songwriters from Ohio Record producers from Ohio American multi-instrumentalists African-American singers American people of Liberian descent