Fans of Noah Kahan and other boys with a lot of feelings will love newest kid on the block, Jake Stone.
The 22-year-old Melburnian divulges all about his debut EP 'Saving Face' and his unlikely path to the spotlight. Growing up in St. Kilda, music was not an obvious career path for young Jake."My parents are psychologists and pharmacists, and my siblings cannot give a f... about music. I'm the only musician, even in my distant family." However, he adds that his parents "loved Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, The Killers, Queen. We always had music blasting. As a toddler, I used to run around slinging my singlet above my head singing 'Greased Lightnin'' and 'We Are The Champions'."
His first attempt at learning an instrument was disastrous. "I did around three piano lessons when I was eight or nine, but I played with all the wrong fingers."
Serendipitously, a family acquaintance dropped a piano off at the Stone household, and Jake taught himself "to play chords, which turned into progressions and so forth. I still can't play with my thumbs."
He displayed a precocious flair for songwriting. "My first proper song included the lyric 'It took me a while to run, to smile. It took me a while to dance with pride.' Not bad for a nine-year-old."
It was as a songwriter that he wanted to work and how he met long-term friend and collaborator Josh King. "I had a meeting at APRA AMCOS in early 2022 about what I wanted to be within this industry. Originally, I wanted to be a songwriter. APRA suggested that Josh, as a producer and writer, would be a good fit.
"From the get-go, we had great banter and were on the same wavelength in the studio. Plus, we both follow the English Premier League, but the concept of the EP and realising I wanted to release it didn't happen until April 2023."
Named after a song that failed to make the final cut, EP 'Saving Face' drinks from that eternal wellspring of inspiration, a breakup. "I liked the concept of saving face – that it's easy to move on but your brain can't get past that person. It's about trying to keep your integrity."
To clarify, the EP doesn't centre on Jake's personal romantic failings. He's happily partnered up, despite being a "fanatic Hawthorn fan," while "she goes for Richmond". Rather, it was inspired by an amalgam of friends' and family experiences. "I like writing about what I hear as it lets me give my opinion on the matter."
Citing Holly Humberstone ("I love her writing and honesty") and Benson Boone ("his storytelling is what I aspire to") as influences, the EP is redolent of Passenger and Ed Sheeran with shades of mega hits 'Dancing On My Own' and 'Mr. Brightside'. "We strived for that juxtaposition of dark lyrics and themes with uptempo instrumentalism."
Now Jake is "looking into possible options" for performing, but admits he's yet to play live. "I didn't really want to before. I'm not a big stage guy. I didn't feel ready for it, but now it's probably time.
"A big thing for me in the future is to tour where I can see the world. I'm not a big traveller, but it would be cool to be forced to travel. I'd like to see Japan and Europe."
He's covered if this music thing fizzles out. On top of studying law and commerce, the overachiever casually mentions "I have my own wholesale distribution company, so I go to the warehouse every day, but music is definitely the endgame for me".
