An Interview with Jake Wesley Rogers
Written for Unclear Magazine, July 2022
With a bloodied knee and a stunning lineup of costume changes, Jake Wesley Rogers put on two of the greatest performances I saw all weekend at Electric Forest. First, Jake and his band took over the Carousel Club stage, filling the air with echoing vocals and a contagious, heartwarming energy. Later that night, they moved into the center of the forest to the Honeycomb stage; where even those just passing by couldn’t help but join the ever growing crowd.
Already a fan of Jake’s work, I had the incredible - and still unbelievable - opportunity to sit down with him and discuss how social media has impacted his career, what it’s like to be dubbed Gen Z’s Elton John, and more.
Photo by Isabel Dowell
How would you describe yourself to someone who might not be familiar with you or your music?
JAKE: Gentle and ferocious. Honest and literary.
Out of your songs, which one do you think best describes your music the best?
JAKE: Probably, “Pluto”!
I personally found out about you through TikTok when you were promoting Pluto, how do you feel TikTok, or social media in general, has impacted your career?
JAKE: Well, I released so much of my music during COVID when I wasn’t able to play shows and I think I’m a performer, first and foremost, so I’m kind of grateful TikTok became a thing during the time it did. It helped me get my music to people that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have.
Do you think without TikTok and without COVID, you might not be in the same position you are?
JAKE: It’s hard to say. That’s why I don’t regret anything because I like where I am and how I wound up here.
Out of curiosity, who is your favorite TikToker at the moment?
JAKE: That’s a really good question … Let’s see. I just did a video with this guy, Shan Rizwan, I think it might be coming out. I really like his stuff.
You were recently featured in VOGUE Magazine, on top of everything else you’ve been achieving, what was that process like?
JAKE: This one was really special because it was the history of men’s makeup and I also had a Vogue feature earlier this year that was just about me. This time I worked with a makeup artist, Darian Darling, who does all my stuff and they reached out to her because they loved everything we’ve been doing together. I feel like a lot of people feel like gender fluidity and queerness just came out of nowhere and this kind of showed that they’ve been doing this forever.
Did you learn anything new?
JAKE: Learning about the 1920’s, Berlin, and the queer scene, I learned it was very free, very fluid, and very trans. I loved the dandy outfit, that was my favorite one. I think maybe in a past life I was a dandy in the 18th century.
Playing off the idea of trends coming back around, we’ve seen this happening more often in music. Greta Van Fleet resembles Led Zeppelin and you’ve been called Gen Z’s Elton John, do you ever feel like you just want to be Jake Wesley Rogers?
JAKE: I mean, but I am. I try not to own anything anyone says about me. When I’m not my strongest, for sure, I tend to do that but I think I’m gay and I play piano and wear glasses. I think it’s even more visually than sonically, at least I’m fully unaware of the connection - people see it and make the connection. It’s still an incredible compliment, it’s only mean when they say I’m copying.
How do you rebuttal that, when people accuse you of copying?
JAKE: Just open your eyes. If there’s a young, straight, scruffy singer/songwriter on TikTok, nobody is calling them Bruce Springsteen. It only gets brought up to people who are minorities or women and they claim there can only be one. There can only be one white, straight, cisgender singer/singerwriter. There can only be one Taylor Swift, whereas straight men can be anything all the time. Nobody is saying you’re just like this or just like that, I guess that’s my only commentary on that. I’m just doing my thing. I’m writing my songs, telling my truth, telling my story.
Did you learn anything new?
JAKE: Learning about the 1920’s, Berlin, and the queer scene, I learned it was very free, very fluid, and very trans. I loved the dandy outfit, that was my favorite one. I think maybe in a past life I was a dandy in the 18th century.
Photo by Isabel Dowell
Playing off the idea of trends coming back around, we’ve seen this happening more often in music. Greta Van Fleet resembles Led Zeppelin and you’ve been called Gen Z’s Elton John, do you ever feel like you just want to be Jake Wesley Rogers?
JAKE: I mean, but I am. I try not to own anything anyone says about me. When I’m not my strongest, for sure, I tend to do that but I think I’m gay and I play piano and wear glasses. I think it’s even more visually than sonically, at least I’m fully unaware of the connection - people see it and make the connection. It’s still an incredible compliment, it’s only mean when they say I’m copying.
How do you rebuttal that, when people accuse you of copying?
JAKE: Just open your eyes. If there’s a young, straight, scruffy singer/songwriter on TikTok, nobody is calling them Bruce Springsteen. It only gets brought up to people who are minorities or women and they claim there can only be one. There can only be one white, straight, cisgender singer/singerwriter. There can only be one Taylor Swift, whereas straight men can be anything all the time. Nobody is saying you’re just like this or just like that, I guess that’s my only commentary on that. I’m just doing my thing. I’m writing my songs, telling my truth, telling my story.
And in the end it’s Elton John, so it’s an insane compliment to have!
JAKE: And we facetime, so I win.
Since the beginning of your music career, is there anything you wish you could do differently, now being in where you are in the process?
JAKE: I had a really tough time earlier this year, I think I was starting to see myself the way other people were seeing me and playing off of that. I was trying to be a version of myself that other people wanted and that always ends in disaster. I was just not fulfilled or satisfied. I’m back on my child-like bullshit. I just had to step back and do my thing.
In a downfall like that, what makes you feel fulfilled? Whether it be music or something else?
JAKE: Probably turning my phone off and realizing that everything is enough at any given moment.
I love your Sunday TikToks, I look forward to those every week.
JAKE: It’s been fun and started very organically. I wrote a poem called “Today is Sunday”, almost two years ago, and I just kept doing it! It’s so easy to not tell the truth, especially on social media. It’s very much a caricature of yourself, but I try to be authentic.
Do you think you would ever turn the original poem, or the TikToks you’ve made since, into a book or a zine?
JAKE: That’s a great idea, at this moment I’ve written a lot of poetry and I wrote a book of short stories that nobody’s ever heard. I don’t know, I guess we’ll see. I’m open to it! Music is taking up a lot of the energy right now.
If you could achieve anything within the next year or so of your career, what would it be?
JAKE: I think a Grammy nomination sounds great! And meeting Oprah.
What is your current guilty pleasure song?
JAKE: Oh that’s a really good question…let’s see I have to look. There’s just so many. Maybe, “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch. Early 2000s, so good.
Jake Wesley Rogers
Listen to Jake Wesley Rogers here.