Jak Lizard
1) Tell us something about yourself that your fans may not know.
A: I’m an unabashed political junkie. Like, when it’s election season in the U.S., you can be sure I’m glued to the television watching all of the results for literally everything from congress to the white house. Elections in America are fascinating to me and when I was younger I thought at what point that I would run for something, haha.
2) When did you realize you wanted to start making music?
A: I think singing and performing has always been instinctual for me. As far back as I can remember Ive had a song in the back of my head, I’m always writing a song somewhere in my brain, truly. I still have memories of getting off the bus in 2nd grade and singing to myself about the sidewalk as I walked home.
3) Who are some artists who influenced your music style?
A: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Sly and the Family Stone, Chance the Rapper, Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, A Tribe Called Quest, Mavis Staples.
4) How would you describe your sound to people who may not have heard it before?
A: I call it Optimistic Pop (Poptimism), with a lot of Soul influences.
5) What was the inspiration behind your single Ride Home?
A: It began as a collaborative exercise with my friends Julia Zivic and Fatherdude who are these incredible musicians/vocalists. I told them I wanted to make a song as an ode to the concept of home. Pretty effortlessly they both helped me sing out the hook and we just flowed from there.
6) Do you know when you've completed a new song or do you have to tell yourself it's time to stop tinkering with it?
A: Usually other people have to tell me to keep tinkering haha. I’m a big proponent of getting all you can out in that first go of it, because the original inert is always unmatched. In terms of vocals, “Ride Home” was one session.
7) How do you look to build off of this latest single to keep the growth going in your career?
A: The goal has always been to reach as many people as possible with songs that bring us closer as a people and make us feel maybe a little more hopeful than we were before listening. That’s the formula, keep writing and releasing and connecting!
Follow Jak Lizard:
Instagram - @jaklizard
Twitter - @jaklizard
Facebook - @jaklizard
