Pop music is welcoming a new name with open arms. Jake Wesley Rogers is bringing a fresh vision to pop music, singing with someone bigger than himself. The Missouri-born, 28-year-old singer-songwriter is gearing up for a new era of music and taking us for the ride along the way. We got the opportunity to chat further with Jake about his upcoming album, In The Key Of Love, touring with Cyndi Lauper, and the important messages behind his music.
MEET JAKE
Thanks so much for joining us, Jake! To start us off, share with us three adjectives your closest friends would use to describe you.
Okay, I cheated on this question. I texted my two best friends, and one said “gentle, unrestrained, and sometimes…impish” and the other said “beautiful, athirst, and playful”. Thanks, Henry and Emily!
Environment is everything and shapes us and our passions. How did where you grew up influence who you are and the music you make today?
I grew up in Missouri, in a very midwestern, American, bible-belted area. For many reasons, I loved it. But of course, I didn’t really “fit in,” being an artist, being gay, but I always found pockets of beauty and community. It definitely made me focus really hard on what it is I want to do and say as an artist—it really emboldened me, honestly.
Your music reminds us a lot of ourselves – growing up in the South, hearing church organs every Sunday morning. What is your connection to gospel music and the instruments that are commonly used in that genre? It seems like it’s a heavy influence for you.
I wasn’t quite interested in religion growing up, but I loved singing in church. What I think I loved most was that we were all playing music and singing for the purpose of something bigger than ourselves, and that stuck with me. And also the feeling of the music, how it’s designed to be cathartic and emotional, I loved that. Later on, I got much more interested in religion and studying it, it’s just kinda in my bones.
Your sense of style is so fun! What are some pieces that you love styling right now? How do you use fashion to express your individuality?
I’ve been making some fun new pieces with a designer I’ve worked with a lot in the past, Troy Dylan Allen. He made this off-the-shoulder monk-inspired suit. It’s like a sexy monk. I love taking a normal thing and making it slightly strange. That’s how I feel in my life, in general!
TOURING WITH CINDY LAUPER
Talk to us about the announcement of opening up for Cyndi Lauper on her upcoming summer tour! Congratulations! How will this experience be different than when you opened for Panic! At The Disco?
Oh, thank you. I’m so excited for this tour for many reasons. Panic! was my first time opening for someone, actually my first real tour, too. I had been dreaming about a tour like that for so long, and I learned so much playing in arenas with them. I’m looking forward to playing in outdoor amphitheaters for the first time on this tour with Cyndi!
What did you learn from that tour that you will be bringing to this one?
Opening can be a hard gig, because most of the audience is not there to see you. However, I love making it a challenge to win them over. I’ve found you have to find moments of generosity with the audience, and by that I mean creating moments or covering part of a song that everyone knows. For instance, on the Panic! tour, I covered part of ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ by MCR, and of course, that went over very well with the crowd. And it’s one of my favorite songs ever.
What’s one song on this tour’s setlist that you hope the audience connects with the most?
That’s a great question! I will be doing quite a few new songs from the album, some I’ve never performed live, so I hope they all connect!
IN THE KEY OF LOVE
In The Key Of Love, your debut album drops on May 9. We are so ready to hear it! In the meantime, can you tell us a bit about what this new project means to you and what you hope fans will take away from the new songs?
This album was a complete journey for me as a human, written over the last three years of intense change and growth in my life. I’ve been wanting to make an album my whole life and tried a few times, but I don’t think I was meant to until I made this. It’s 36 minutes long, and it’s designed to be listened to front-to-back, so I hope people can go on their own journeys and find out more things about themselves while listening.
A lot of the songs on the track list on In The Key Of Love, have nods to Christianity, such as ‘Mother, Mary, And Me,’ ‘Heaven In My Head,’ and ‘Hot Gospel,’ to name a few. What are the connections between faith and these songs?
I read about someone recently, I can’t remember who, who was asked, “Are you religious?” and they replied, “No, but religion is the lens I see everything through.” I feel the same way. It’s like the foundation I draw my meaning from, though I don’t really feel like I belong to it.
I think if you looked at me from a bird’s eye view, you might think, well, that’s a very devoted young man, but I’ve never converted to any religion. This album was surrounded by pilgrimages I took to holy sites around the world: the Vatican, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, and a mystical cave in the south of France. I have an affinity for the stories and power we give them.
WHAT’S NEXT
Is there anything coming up this year (other than tour!) that you are most excited for?
Of course, I’m planning my own headline tour, and I’m so very excited for that. I can’t say when it will be yet, but it will be soon!
After reading this interview, what is one Jake Wesley Rogers song that readers should listen to immediately?
‘Loser.’
To finish us off, are there any final words you’d like to share with our readers?
I love you, and I believe in you. I hope you believe in yourself, too.
We’re so glad we got to chat with Jake! Make sure you get ready for his new album, In The Key Of Love, dropping May 9, and grab tickets to see Jake perform live here. Thanks again to Jake for officially joining the hive! Don’t forget to chat with us in the comments below about this interview, or head over to our Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook pages 🐝
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