He’s worked alongside some of the UK’s biggest actors and actresses, among them being Rosie Day (All Roads Lead To Rome), Graham Fletcher-Cook (The French Lieutenant’s Woman) and Simon Thomas (Phantom Of The Opera). He also recently performed at Her Majesties Theater in London’s West End, the Whiterock Theater in Hastings and the Royal Albert Hall London. And if that’s not enough, Jack currently hosts the UK Top 30 Countdown Show on the Internet station Hit Mix UK (www.hitmixuk.com) every Sunday between 7 and 9pm.
I recently had the fortune of sitting down and chatting with this very talented and diverse young man.
Welcome to Q108
1st of all, Jack, reading over your bio, you have quite an impressive array of talents listed for a 14 year old. Singer, songwriter, actor and radio dj. How old were you when you first started realizing, ‘Hey, I want to work in the entertainment industry?’
I've wanted to do singing since I was very, very young. But it wasn't until July last year that I recorded a video of me singing for an audition and I sent it in. And I also put it on YouTube for entertainment's sake. Loads of people were saying it is what I should do because it's something I love and something I've always wanted to do. People just said it is something I should pursue as a career.
Who was your biggest influence on the decision? Was there a particular band or artist that made you say to yourself, 'I want to be like them someday'?
I have to say Ed Sheeran because of the way he could just get on stage with a guitar and rock out arenas and audiences and stadiums everywhere in the world. It's just unbelievable and incredible.
What instruments do you play? What was the first one you learned?
Well, I can sing and I've been playing the guitar for 7 months and I've been playing the piano for probably 3. I can play basic chords and a couple of basic songs but nothing big, really. I'm just listening to songs and doing it by ear.
One of your songs that I find showcases the range in your voice is your song 'Chasing Cars' a very touching song, by the way. Did singing come natural to you? Did you take any lessons, have any coaching?
People in my family sing so, like, I used to sing with them and get what they used to have in their voice and try to put it into mine. It helped me improve my voice over the years. I used to just sit in their rooms and sing with them and it used to sound good. But they helped me improve and made me really want to be what I am today.
Another thing I like is you aren't strapped to one genre, dabbling in all from rock to hip-hop. Is there one genre that sticks out for that you like to concentrate on?
I'd like to concentrate on pop but I haven't been doing music for long enough to decide. I'm still trying to look for my genre to do. I've tried everything from swing to electronic pop to pop. I've done it. I've tried everything.
Can you recall the 1st time you performed in front of a crowd?
It was when I was about 8 years old. I performed in front of my school. It was in front of a crowd of about 200 people probably. Because I was so young, I was so scared, I was shaking. It's a really nerve wracking experience to get up on stage and perform at such a really young age.
You recently performed at Her Majesties Theatre in London’s West End, the Whiterock Theater in Hastings and the Royal Albert Hall London. What can you tell us about those experiences?
The build up to going on the stage is really nerve wracking. Like your shaking, your sweating, you're worrying. You're panicking that you're going to mess up. But when you get onto the stage it feels like there's nobody there. You can just let yourself go and become loose in the situation. It's just one of the best feelings ever, especially performing in Her Majesty's theater and The Royal Albert Hall because they're some of the biggest theaters in England, yet the world.
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