Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jake Hauser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jake thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Absolutely. I started off with the dream of wanting to be a Nashville Songwriter. Basically, where I get paid to write songs for other people. First off I did it was a way to try and escape a job I was trapped working at that an extremely hostile work environment. My boss at the time would have fired me on the spot if he found out I wanted to be an actual artist that had to go perform and make my mind think elsewhere other than work 24/7.

I did that for about a year with only one successful song pitch. Having that small and minute success created sort of an identity crisis within myself. The artist in me wanted to write the sort of music that “I” wanted to listen to, but the music I like and the music that the mainstream industry want don’t always go together.

The short year of my songwriting career was very radio-friendly “dirt road, beer, and truck” type country music. I just don’t connect to that music. So one day, I pitched one of my personal songs to a publisher. Turns out they really liked it, and that it reminded them of Yellowstone or Sons of Anarchy, but it wasn’t the type of music they were shopping for.

After that, I just decided to go full speed ahead on trying to figure out who I actually am as an artist. In doing that, I got a production deal and partnership with Edgewater Music Group out of Texas. We’re working on the album now, and I have to say that my sound is definitely Alternative Country with an emphasis on ALTERNATIVE.

I have some punky songs, R&B flavors, folk-pop type stuff, and even throw in some rock and metal elements here and there. All while having “country” lyrical content, without the dirt roads and trucks.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Jake, and I’m an independent artist. I’m currently in the process of recording my first full-length studio release with Edgewater Music Group.

I’ve been playing music ever since I was about 10-years old. My dad was a preacher at an old country church and he made a deal with me that if I played in the church band, he would buy my first guitar. I didn’t hesitate. I said YES.

The church band gave me foundation in bluegrass and traditional country gospel style music – while I played “my stuff” with my friends. I even played in a few punk and metal bands all while playing guitar in church every Sunday.

I’m most proud of my ability to be different by just being myself. I’m not a fan of people that act differently just for the sake of being different. I value uniquity, and I’m definitely anything but cookie cutter. That being said, everyone is so unique in their own way, and can be more original by just bringing their own personal self to the table. I think by putting yourself into a box or forcing into a niche is actually way less original – no matter how “against the grain” that box is. At the end of the day, it’s still a box.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! It might sound a little bit crazy, but I have this subtle drive to flip the industry on it’s head for the simple fact that I’m utterly disappointed in the way that the country music demographic chooses to accept and even promote mediocrity. While in the same breath, they’ll trash talk people like Beyonce, Post Malone, and other artists venturing into Country music for “stealing” their lime light or that they simply aren’t “country”.

I have a counter-argument for that, and it will surprise most country music fans. The only reason that artists like Beyonce and Post Malone are stealing “radio time” is because mainstream country has been promoting the same boring formualic music for years. Beyonce and Post Malone’s country endeavors are thriving not because they were already famous – it’s because the songs are different and actually good. That will make some people mad, but it’s the truth. If the country music industry would screw their heads back on and just give their audience what they want instead of shoving another copy & paste TikTok influencer down their necks – they would probably have more actual hit songs too.

Now to swing back around to this being tied into my goal – I want to make the most original GOOD music that I can. There is far more to country music than dirt roads, trucks, beer, etc. Country music was originally known for storytelling. And if all of your stories are only about trucks and beer, it’s not that compelling and it gets old really fast.

I believe in this so much that my album I’m recording with Edgewater is literally called AIN’T COUNTRY. The funny thing about this project is that 90% of the music really isn’t country at all. It’s folky, it’s poppy, it’s dark and gets downright heavy and punk-rock. I grew up in the country, I am actually from the country. While I definitely hold country music near and dear to my heart, I was raised on other music too. My dad loved classic rock, my mom was a flower child, and my brothers loved Alice in Chains and Tupac, This album is a complete compilation of my influences and the music I loved growing up. All the from Waylon Jennings to Bring Me The Horizon.

My intentions are definitely to make a statement with my first full-length studio release. It might sound a little egotistical, but I don’t think enough people are challenging the status quo – so I figured, “why not me?”.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Thinking that I had to be like everyone else to succeed.

Growing up I never felt like I fit in. I could be in a room full of friends and I’d feel completely alone on my own little island. I got along with all of the high-school cliques, but I never had just one group that was really my own.

When I joined the Army, we were taught (or drilled) into the mindset that we MUST be exactly like the person to the left and right of you. So for a while, I thought if I try to fit myself in, I’ll succeed. It bled over into music career as well. I tried to write “radio-country” songs and had just no fulfillment at all. It wasn’t until I just allowed myself to be my own, that I started seeing any real sort of success.

Now embracing my own self is what’s driving this album and the songs I write from here on out. It’s exciting, because every song I write is a journey for me now. I don’t worry if something is “country enough” anymore, and to be honest, it’s freaking awesome.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://link.rivetapp.co/jakehauser
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakehausermusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JakeHauserMusic
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3SBM5q1txIwlQzGrWQtc5W?si=a21gnqpYQAqvZt4xlbT_aQ

Image Credits

Jake Hauser