Born Joseph Mark Fuerstman (/fɜːrstmæn/ FURST-man) in Charlotte, North Carolina, the middle son of a professional opera singer mother and a championship chess player father, Joe Firstman began to teach himself piano at the age of 12 and quickly developed an insatiable love of music.

He sold-out shows at venues such as The Troubador, Viper Room, and Whisky a Go Go, amassing the attention of music executives and industry insiders.

He released a widely praised EP Wives Tales, and later that year, a full-length album, The War of Women, revealing the full scope of the then-23-year-old's prodigious talents.

[2] In support of this record, Firstman and his band toured nationally, opening for acts such as Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Willie Nelson.

Firstman continued to self-release albums including the LP El Porto and the EP Live at the Treehouse, both in 2010, and Swear It Was a Dream in 2011.

The role required a high level of day-to-day adaptability, which plays strongly into the polish and cohesion of Love Bravely, going on to call the record "magic" and "magnetic.