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In this exclusive interview, Jake Minch meets us in the heart of Hoxton for his first-ever backstage interview before taking the stage to support the talented Alix Page. As he sits down to chat, we get a glimpse into the whirlwind journey that has brought him from the college dorms to the bright lights of London.
Jake's European and UK tour is a first for him, and he's excited to explore this new terrain. However, his arrival didn't go as smoothly as planned. He tells us about an unexpected detour to Nantucket, an island wedding, and the impending hurricane that almost kept him from making it to London on time.
Despite the long journey and potential jet lag, Jake insists he's not jet-lagged but rather feeling a bit "confused," comparing it to waking up after a wild night out.
One intriguing detail that emerges during our conversation is that Jake had just received his first passport for this tour. It's a surprising revelation considering the remarkable progress he's made in his music career. This London show marks his fourth ever performance, and he's feeling the pressure as he prepares to open for Alix Page, whom he admires greatly.
With a hint of nervousness in his voice, Jake acknowledges that this show is making him more anxious than any before, but he's determined to perform all the songs from his upcoming EP and, most importantly, have fun on stage. He shares that being in the moment is something he's still learning to master, but when he's performing, it's an entirely different world, and he loves every moment of it.
First time ever in Europe and the UK. Have you had a chance to explore yet?
I was supposed to arrive yesterday and have a whole day to look around and do everything, but I got stuck on an island.
I went for a wedding in Nantucket, which is like the nicest island I've ever been to. I’ve seriously never been to a place like this. It was insane.
I found out that there was supposed to be a hurricane, so I told my parents, 'Hey, guys, there's supposed to be a hurricane hitting soon. I'm going to go home right now just in case I can’t get on the ferry back home and I can’t get on the flight to London.' But my family was like, 'Oh no, don’t worry, you’ll be fine.' And then I got stuck. I landed a few hours ago!
You must be jet-lagged.
Yeah, I wouldn't say jet-lagged. But I’m... confused? I feel like I just had a bad night out and just woke up.
Is it true that you just got your first passport for this tour?
It is! It's also my fourth show ever, so I'm definitely trying to get comfortable on stage and talk to people. I'm also the biggest Alix Page fan on the planet. Being able to open for her is a dream come true.
Oh, so no pressure!
This is definitely the most nervous I've been for a show, but I'm going to play pretty much all the songs on the EP and have fun. But I can’t hide that I’m anxious and nervous. I’m still learning to just be present in the moment, which is what I struggle with, but when I’m on stage, it’s all different. I have the best time.
How did music become your career?
Well, when I grew up, the only time you could find me in front of a TV show was when a season of American Idol was airing. That was really cool. There are people from that show that I will remember for the rest of my life like Colton Dixon. So I went from watching American Idol to doing theatre, and theatre was cool because I was the only boy in the company, and because I was the only boy in my town who could sing, I got all the lead roles.
Do you come from a small town?
I wouldn't say tiny, but it’s definitely one of those places where everyone knows everyone’s business. But I really liked the attention from that. When I was, like, 16 or 17, maybe even turning 18, I wholeheartedly thought that the world revolved around me, and at that one point in my life, I would be famous, but I wasn't trying for anything. I was just acting thinking, 'One day you’ll be a famous actor.' And then I got humbled so bad.
What happened?
Turned 18, and I had to decide what to do. I was in senior year of high school and I was applying to colleges, thinking I’d be famous by then. But then I got into college and thought that everything I did in the past was actually very embarrassing.
Why was it embarrassing?
Everything I did was super performative. I don’t know; it was weird. And in college, I realized I didn’t want to be famous anymore. I wanted to be the opposite. I wanted to dissociate from that experience and those thoughts. People would bring that up to me, and I would tell them to shut up, especially with my friends. As I turned 18, I realized that the world doesn't revolve around me.
But how did you end up playing in London tonight?
Yeah. I was in college, I was 'freshly humbled,' and there was a bunch of stuff that I wanted to say to this person that I loved back home. So instead of sending it, I would post it privately on TikTok because they followed me. And I was like, 'Please, see it, please see it.' I was in love with them. My little sister told me to start posting them publicly, and then I posted one on Valentine's Day. The person never reached out, but I got a huge amount of views. However, I think this TikTok thing is so frustrating. I truly enjoyed it when nobody cared, when I didn’t care. And the second that someone was telling me what to put up or things depended on putting up videos, the whole thing got really miserable. And it wasn't until recently that I had the conversation with my team - it’s even weird to say 'my team' - explaining that I don't want to post all the time and write long captions.
I think it’s normal when you have a team behind you.
A tricky one.. I have actually talked to my team about this and they were helpful in letting me know Chelsea Cutler feels the same way. Sharing, 'She does not like to feel the need to promote herself on TikTok and need to do all these things.' But that they’ve found a really happy medium of making content that they like that still makes the music go viral. I think you just need to find what's that for you. I think there are artists who are really good at TikTok, and I have a great person who helps me with TikTok too, but I’m just too insecure and too judgmental to the point where if I anything feels inauthentic, I won’t do it or even watch it.
You collaborated with Jeremy Zucker on 'handgun,' how did that come about?
I had that TikTok go viral. And the floor kind of opened up, but it hadn't been recorded yet. My A&R used to go to college with Jeremy, and once he saw the TikTok, he made it happen - that’s the long story short.
Were you a fan before that, Jeremy?
Of course, everyone is. Okay. I mean, he knows his stuff.
What is the track about?
It's about my first two weeks of my second semester of college. I spent my first semester at a branch campus, where I lived in an apartment, paid my rent, did my dishes, and made my meals. Then, in the second semester, I lived in a dorm and had some money left over from paying my bills. I thought to myself, 'I'm grown.' However, I soon realized I wasn't as prepared as I thought. After that, I became quite bedridden. Two of my TikToks did well, but it actually made me feel more insecure than I've ever been. I spent literally the entire month of March in bed, attempting to write again. I wrote some really sad pieces; I think I even wrote one about a school shooting. However, I realized it was awful and not something anyone wants to hear. So, I started writing a deliberately bad song to experiment with spitting bars, and then 'Handgun' happened in just seven minutes, recorded on a voice memo.
That’s crazy!
"It's funny. I have since lost it. However, you can hear me because I had this idea note, and I wrote that in the back of an Uber one night. I wrote that line, 'The worst part of growing up is learning how young you are.' Then, I had the idea note kind of open while I was doing it, and then it started working out. You can just hear me getting more and more excited. And Jeremy produced the song. It’s fantastic!
If you could collaborate with one artist, who would that be?
In all honesty, I would say Alix Page. She's really cool, and I think she's doing a great job of blending the singer-songwriter style with more folky storytelling, along with a hint of pop. I wouldn't exactly label her as 'pop,' but more like appealing to a mainstream audience. It's fascinating to me because the first song she ever released, 'Stripes,' had a significant impact on my 17th birthday – it didn't receive a happy birthday message. Then, '25' became the soundtrack of my freshman year of college.
You have a new EP coming out soon. What is it about?
I think it's a genuinely good time capsule for me personally, representing the period in my life before I started pursuing music.
Can you describe it in one word?
Green.
Follow Jake's journey here.
Words by Sal F.
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