Interview With Gold Coast Artist Jacob Lee
Photo: Nathan Landers
Jacob Lee is a Gold Coast artist who is entirely independent and has racked up an impressive 200 million streams on Spotify, 250 million views on Youtube, and has a vast group of ever growing fans around the world. That in itself is extremely admirable and just goes to show that absolutely anything is possible if you have enough passion and drive. Riding off the back of brand new release “Jealousy”, Jacob inspires many with fantastic song-writing skills and catchy tunes. Electric dreams Media got to do a mini Q&A with the artist and you can read everything below.
Firstly, tell us about your music background. How did you first get started, who inspired you, and why did you decide to pursue it?
I grew up watching my father perform & rehearse music as a bass player. I believe that’s where my initial interest came from. Alongside that, for whatever reason I’ve always felt a natural inclination to write. I started with short stories & poetry, then switched my focus to lyricism after I got better at playing the guitar.
I performed on the street for about 10 years, busking in Surfers Paradise, & worked multiple other jobs such as lifeguarding, nightclub bar-backing/bartending, retail assistance, Taekwondo instructing & the occasional styling of an event with my girlfriend, who I’ve now been with for eight years. I worked so I could record music, & after releasing Chariot, my first song, the floodgates opened to the world of digital marketing & social media.
Seven years later & here we are.
You have many fans globally but how would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it before?
When I had to think about this recently I said “Songs which tell a story”, though perhaps I could expand here & say, “Songs which convey a deeper sense of meaning”. That feels pretty good.
Being a solely independent artist and achieving what you have is a really huge achievement in itself. Why did you decide to be independent?
I appreciate your kind words! My decision has boiled down to not meeting the right people who fit my team. My creative team consists of just over 10 people, & honestly, music industry folk can just never keep up with us. Every conversation I’ve had with someone in the industry has just slowed me down, & I’ve never really felt like any of them actually cared beyond the money they can make from me.
So, I’ve stayed independent, & it’s been glorious!
Besides music, what are some of your other passions/interests and how did you get started with them?
Surfing, because I was a surf lifesaver when I was younger. Rock climbing because my girlfriend & I went once & I became obsessed. Gym & bodybuilding, because it’s always been a part of my life & writing because it’s cathartic.
Lowly Lyricist is your forthcoming album - what can fans expect from it?
An entirely new creative landscape. Much more synth driven, produced, processed & exciting, yet with the same lyrical depth as usual.
As an artist, where do you hope to be in 5 years time?
Inspired.