Celebrated for Bringing Journey’s Anthems to Life, the Frontman Earns Josie Music Awards Recognition for a Song That Is Entirely His Own
There is a particular kind of courage required to step out from behind a legend. For years, Jason Paulino has been celebrated as the electrifying voice of Paulino & The Great Escape, one of the premier Journey tribute acts performing today — a singer entrusted with one of the most demanding and beloved catalogs in rock history, and one who delivers it night after night with power, precision, and heart. Audiences came to hear the songs they loved. They left remembering the man who sang them.
Now, the industry is remembering him too — for a song that belongs to no one but Jason Paulino. His original single “Don’t Give Up On Me” has earned a nomination at the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards, the largest and most prestigious celebration in the independent music industry, taking place Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the legendary Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. It is the moment every tribute artist dreams of and few achieve: recognition not for honoring someone else’s legacy, but for creating one of his own.
The irony is that the two have never been separate. The vocal command that makes Paulino so convincing on the tribute stage — the sustained high notes, the emotional conviction, the instinct for when to soar and when to hold back — is the same artistry that shaped “Don’t Give Up On Me.” Years of living inside the greatest arena rock ever written taught him what makes a song last: honesty, melody, and a message an audience can carry home. He poured all of it into his own writing.
And the message could not be more fitting. “Don’t Give Up On Me” is a song about persistence — about believing in someone, and in yourself, when the road gets long. For an independent artist who has spent years earning every stage, every audience, and every ovation the hard way, it is as autobiographical as it is universal. The Josie Music Awards judges, a panel of musicians and music industry professionals who sift through tens of thousands of submissions, heard exactly that.
The timing completes a remarkable arc. This July, Paulino & The Great Escape made their triumphant Nashville debut at The Troubadour, introducing Music City to the band’s live firepower. In September, Jason Paulino returns to Nashville — this time walking into the Grand Ole Opry House as an honored nominee, standing on his own name, his own song, and his own voice.
The tribute stage revealed what he could do. “Don’t Give Up On Me” reveals who he is.
Jason Paulino spent years making the world believe in Journey’s music — and now the music world believes in his.