Rapper turned country-pop artist, Jake Aldridge has released his first single for 2020. We chat with him about ‘Partners In Crime’, his inspiration and what prompted the change from rap to country.
Why did you decide to become a musician? Were there any other career ideas?
I’ve always been ambitious and I’m not one to do anything by halves. When I was a young kid, I loved football and wanted to be a professional goalkeeper! My next phase was golf and I even studied it as a subject at college. Whilst at college, I began to write songs. I knew it was probably time to leave when I was writing rhymes in the ‘notes’ section of my phone in between shots during golf tournaments.
You have evolved from rap music to a more country-pop sound. What prompted this change?
After hearing the country band Florida Georgia Line collaborate with Nelly, I became intrigued by country music and fell in love with the instrumentation. I slowly began to incorporate elements of country music into my hip-hop tracks.
What can you tell us about your single ‘Partners In Crime’?
‘Partners in Crime’ is my first ever country-pop song and only my second single as a singer and not a rapper. The song was produced by a guy called Matt Knight, someone I’d crossed paths with previously, but lost touch with for many years. I spent days trying to track him down online. I knew he was the guy who could capture the sound I wanted. It was painful – he had no Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook page. I eventually came across a mobile number for him and gave him a call! I even had to send a picture of the two of us to reassure him that I wasn’t a stranger.
Who the recording process relatively simple or a little more challenging than previous tracks?
You released an official music video for ‘Partners In Crime’, what can you tell us about it?
The music video was filmed at Cecilia’s, which is a bar/nightclub in the centre of Norwich. It was filmed by The Camera Guys and featured Danielle Beales, a young model from Norwich. We had a lot of fun making the video. I’ve never done so many shots of water whilst betting someone else’s car keys on a poker game before! We were helped out enormously by friends, Grant, April, Barry and Bert, so a huge thanks to those guys too!
Why did you opt to film a music video for ‘Partners In Crime’?
I always think a video is a great way to tell the story of the song and to capture people’s attention. It seems to engage people more so than when they’re just listening to the audio.
How important do you think social media is for artists nowadays?
Who inspires your music?
Well, I’ve always been heavily inspired by Tupac Shaukur. Like me, he was very much a lyricist and talked about real-life topics. I admired his work ethic too. He released SO much content in the little time that he was alive. In terms of country-pop inspirations, I’m a huge fan of Kane Brown and Dan+Shay. I love how ‘pop’ influences their country sound so heavily. Same with Florida Georgia Line.
Describe your music in a single word.
Do you have any message for our readers?
I do! It’s really hard to express my gratitude via social media. The support shown to me, both with the new song and with my transition from rap music, has just been unbelievable! I’m just so grateful to have people getting behind me and supporting me in doing what I love. Some of these people have supported me since the days of Myspace, which is pretty cool. Especially when I consider how bad my music was back then. Honesty, I can’t thank everyone enough. It means everything to me and I’m doing all I can to personally keep in tough with my fanbase.
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