Incredibly vibrant and electrifying, ‘Let Me Go’ is one of those records that positively overwhelm the listener, offering fierceness and empowerment – or simply a brighter outlook amidst a dark reality. Built over modern rock’n’roll stylings, the record features a pretty playful and catchy arrangement, with charming vocal hooks and memorable lyricism being an important part of that.
Jake Johnson is the talented human behind it. Hailing from the US, the young creative teams up with a prominent producer for an upcoming album, ‘Stuck On You’, expected later this year via Porcelain Records. ‘Let Me Go’ is a worthy appetizer, and judging by it, there’s a lot more musical goodness to come.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with the 21-year-old musician to learn more about his artistry and future goals… interview below!
Hey Jake how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
Crazy, simple, ambitious.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; What first drew you to making music?
It started when I had a passion for photography but also wanted to make loads of money. I asked my mom if there was money in photography and she said no. So I chose to start doing music instead. (??) Don’t know what I was thinking. Never made music in my life before that moment and never planned to. Just thought it would be fun. And now I’m here.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
As a singer, I would choose Avicii because I would love to learn how he brings his vocalists and melodies to life. As a producer I would choose Flume because his music not only emotionally connects with me but is also the perfect blend of a “science experiment gone wrong” and “catchy/simple.”
You have recently been releasing a couple of singles – ‘Wide Awake’ and ‘Let Me Go’ – we are impressed by how good they sound, and also by the depth of your songwriting. Is this the real Jake Johnson? Are you proud of the final outcome?
Thank you! No this is not the real Jake Johnson in terms of lyrics. I’m still working on fully fully embracing my own, unique thoughts through the music. But emotionally, it is really me and really how I feel. I am very proud of the final outcome considering I didn’t know how to play guitar a couple of years ago and didn’t know how to sing one year prior to recording these songs. I worked very, very hard. I was living in a camper van behind Grammy-winning Steve Bigas’ studio and living on $500/month in order to make this record. One morning, I woke up in my van to a pile of snow next to my head. Very rough living, but so worth it.
An album is on the horizon, ‘Stuck On You’. What can we expect from it, and is there a general philosophy behind it?
You can expect a combination of garage rock with catchy vocal hooks. This album is a first-person experience of the modern dating culture in the Western world. It’s a messed up ride and is filled with envy, pride, jealousy, anger, and sadness. I wrote these songs as I was going through these things.
Do you feel more confident writing music alone, or within a team?
I feel way more confident writing alone. It’s all I’ve done since I began writing music. When I collaborate with people, I still struggle to let go of control because I have very specific taste.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
The last two years have presented me with the challenges of writing songs that separate my music from everyone else’s. My solution to this is to fully express myself through my art. Nobody can be a better Michael Jackson than Michael Jackson. Nobody can be a better me than me. We are all insanely unique at our fullest expression.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
The next steps are to perform live for the first time on May 11, make entertaining content, and start finishing a second album!
