Jake Minch

You know that one friend who can stop you in your tracks and make you reconsider the moment with just a few words uttered at the right time?

Well, jake minch is kind of like that friend…

He doesn’t have to say (or sing) all that much to get a reaction. His lyrics jolt like a tremor of energy through an uncomfortable silence, while his voice quivers and quakes over softly strummed acoustic guitar, distant D.I.Y. beat-craft, and stoned sonic accents. An uncanny ability to stir emotion has endeared the 20-year-old Connecticut-born and Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter to a growing audience. After tallying millions of streams and sharing stages with the likes of Jeremy Zucker, The Head and the Heart, Alix Page, and more, stark honesty defines his debut how many EP [2for 2 Projects/Mercury Records/Republic Records] and more to come in 2024.

“I’m just trying to be honest,” he says. “Everyone deals with grief differently. I have a bad tendency of being in the car when a really important argument is happening, and all I can think of is, ‘Wow this would be a kind of fun song.’ I would love to say I’m so present, but I'm truly an absent person. I take bits and pieces from everywhere I go.”

He began picking up these pieces as a kid in Connecticut. He has a fond memory or two of his dad, but jake lost him before his fourth birthday. Mom struggled, yet managed to always make sure her children were okay.

jake felt everything deeply. There were first loves and first breakups, and there were feelings of PTSD, stress, confusion, and anxiety all against the backdrop of a sleepy and sometimes weird and cold East Coast suburb. He sort of left to go to “college for a little while,” yet music called to him loudly. His debut single “handgun” rocked TikTok in 2023. Co-signs from Noah Kahan, Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams, and Fletcher followed. It eventually reeled in 1.7 million Spotify streams and counting. Signing to 2for 2 Projects/Mercury Records/Republic Records “i’d pick up flowers” and “strip mall” pulled listeners into his world.

Everything paved the way for the how many EP. Produced by multiplatinum alternative pop maverick Jeremy Zucker and Ryan Linvill, the six-track project threaded together a string of snapshots from jake’s life now and then. Among many highlights, “whose you are” tempered jagged guitars with an arresting hook. Arriving to critical acclaim, The Stanford Daily raved, “The lyrics are uncomfortably, breathtakingly raw.” On the EP, he let go of all the old hang-ups, anxieties, and fears. Lyrically and musically, he made a bold decision to speak straight from the heart and hold nothing back. Ultimately, it enabled him to take another step on becoming the artist he’s meant to be.

“I have never felt freer than I have by putting this EP out,” he smiles. “I need to acknowledge how honest this record is. It’s probably the most honest I’ve ever been, but I learned that you can be honest and have a good time at the same time.”

Not long after, jake found himself on the road nearly non-stop. Traveling the world, he performed alongside Holly Humberstone and Ella Grace, and Zucker tapped him as the opener for an extensive headline run.

“I have grown so much,” he admits. “When I first started touring, I was terrified. What’s helped me recently is learning how ancient and special playing live is. Now, I understand that there is something so full of love and unmatched when you’re doing live music. I’m excited to start building a band and playing more shows, then I want to do even more shows and do that forever.”

jake's just getting started with what he has to say though.

“With the EP, I feel like I’ve finally put my foot in the door,” he leaves off. “For a long time, I was staring at the door, ready to knock. I think I peeked my head in with ‘handgun,’ and now I’m standing in the doorway. I’m in no rush to make my presence super known, but I’m just excited to be in the room now.”