New music from BabyJake

BabyJake first picked up the guitar when he was eight years old. “My dad actually played guitar. He used to sing in the Navy band and taught me ‘Smoke on the Water’ on guitar, and from there I just picked it up on YouTube and started playing.” Like a lot of other kids his age, Herring’s interest in music happened to coincide with the release and subsequent ubiquitous popularity of the Guitar Hero video game, which emphasised guitar theatrics over quieter playing. “I was listening to AC/DC… you know, all the classic records that you would hear on rock radio. I didn’t even want to be a singer back then. I just wanted to play guitar.”

Growing up in Fort Meyers, Florida, he juggled his deep love for music and playing guitar with a natural talent and enthusiasm for sports and the social life that came with it. About a year into college (and college parties), he realised he didn’t want to be at school, and he was maybe interested in partying a little less, too. “I got depressed, and I started playing the guitar and writing heavily, and I just fell in love with it again,” he says. He self-recorded and released “Bright Blue Eyes”, a song he says, “sounded really bad but got a little bit of notoriety on Soundcloud.”

Soon after, he dropped out of college to write songs as often as he could and convinced his dad to give him a loan so he could record them in a local Florida studio that gave him a Valentine’s Day discount. Before too long, he had his first official body of work: The Little Mess EP, which has evolved into a multifaceted career that currently includes releasing his own music as BabyJake, launching an indie record label with friends called daycare, and penning and producing songs with artists like Dillon Francis and Louis The Child.

In 2019, Herring debuted as BabyJake with the viral single “Cigarettes on Patios”, which has nearly 100 million streams to date. The piano-led anthem is accented by subtle snaps and booming drums that follows a night of party-hopping, but with a slightly dark edge. This theme of partying and coming down, of love and regret, of anger and frustration, is a crucial part of his music. His perceptiveness is what makes him a good songwriter and is a common theme throughout his music. At the end of 2019, BabyJake was named one of VEVO DSCVR’s Artists To Watch 2020, and he was preparing to head out on the road to debut his live show.

When plans to hit the road changed in early 2020, BabyJake hit the studio to finish and release his debut EP, Don’t give me problems, give me wine – a seven song collection that jumps from exuberant alt-pop to moody folk, and even includes a psychedelic digression on substance abuse.

Now, BabyJake begins his next chapter and continues to master his eccentric, yet distinctive, alt-rock sound with his latest anthem “Do I Fit In Your Shoes?” On the genre-bending record, old school cellphone ringtones, handclaps, and a gospel choir collide in between tight raps and a funky high-register hook. The song embodies his growth in songwriting and production, his progression as an alternative artist, and ultimately hints at much more to come from this dynamic musical chameleon.

“I started writing this song over a year ago when I was going through a hard time,” he admits. “I felt misunderstood as an artist by a lot of the people around me, including my label. I was 19 when I wrote my first hit ‘Cigarettes on Patios,’ and people just expected that same shit from me over and over. I’ve grown up and evolved a lot as a person since then, and so has my music. This song is about that feeling and getting through it. I’m happier now, and things have changed. I feel like I have a great team around me, and we’re all super excited for the new music that’s coming.”

In the visual, BabyJake plays both himself, a young musician on the rise, and a satirical version of a money-hungry music industry executive, but his dinner meeting takes a turn as he realises he’s not being understood as an artist. The video features an electric performance of the bouncy alternative record by BabyJake. BabyJake co-created the concept for the video alongside director-duo Reggie (Dillon Francis, Meghan Trainor, Yung Gravy).

Watch the video for Do I Fit In Your Shoes? below

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