While the music industry has been adjusting to the “new normal” in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, recording and touring artists have been using this downtime (from tours and other live events) to connect with their fans on a more personal level than ever before. There has also been an uprising of a handful of music industry pioneers birthed out of the chaos and adversity that has plagued everyone on a global scale regardless of their race, religion, age, or creed. Recording artist and social media sensation Jax is one of those music industry pioneers who has quickly garnered a massive following online with over 700 million views and 7 million dedicated followers on her TikTok account alone since the start of the quarantine last year.
If the staggering numbers on TikTok wasn’t impressive enough, the latest release of Jax’s single “Like My Father” has received over 45 million views as verified by the leading music industry song registration and protection platform www.VeriSong.com. The song’s astounding success can be attributed in part to her first-hand experience seeing how her father has shown his love towards her mother throughout her life. The song is filled with deeply moving lyrics coupled with an emotionally evocative piano melody and chord progression that have struck a positive chord with music lovers and critics alike.
MIW was able to sit down with the multi-talented and incredibly down to earth Jax to discuss the success of her newly released single and to learn more about what makes her “Tik” when it comes to her family, music career, and newfound success.
MIW: Anyone paying attention to social media or watched shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show or Access Hollywood has become familiar with you and your music. What most people don’t know is that you’ve been working on your music career for a very long time, even before going viral on social media or being interviewed on various television networks. Can you take our readers a little further back in your music career before you became a household name?
Jax: First, I’m humbled that you’d even say something like that. I’m extremely grateful that I’m able to create music that people enjoy and can relate to. Before all of this I was playing in pop-punk bands and playing on the Warped Tour, Bamboozle Tour, and anywhere else we could play. I was fortunate enough to be able to open for acts like Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, and Ke$ha. What a lot of people don’t realize is that it’s not as glamorous as it all sounds. I remember one time during the Jonas Brothers tour we ended up having to set up and play on the back of a semi-truck. We just did what we had to do. I’ve been on stage pretty much my entire life – I’m an emo kid at heart and I’m a sucker for the garage band attitude. Now that I look back at those times, it really toughened me up for this industry and I’m thankful for all those experiences.
MIW: When did you realize that you had a passion for music and entertainment?
Jax: I was a skater kid growing up in New York and pretty much as far as I can remember I was always dancing around and writing songs. I wrote my first song when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I loved to write songs that would make my family and cousins laugh and I even organized plays at our family gatherings. I remember dancing around and acting like a crazy person. As I got older, I was just trying to figure things out – I explored theater, music, and songwriting. I had a piano in my room and was always writing songs.
MIW: Most people don’t know that you landed a publishing deal early on in your career and wrote songs for artists like Paris Hilton, Weezer and Big Freedia. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Jax: Yes, I went out to LA and signed a publishing deal and had a lot of fun writing songs with some amazingly talented people. It was a great experience and I loved collaborating with them. I was working my butt off 6-7 days a week as a songwriter while also working on my own music and performing. When Covid hit, the studios locked down completely, so I was kind of forced to start focusing on my own stuff and posting it on social media.
MIW: Take our readers back to the moment you created the TikTok video “Stacy’s Mom’s Perspective.” How did that come about and what was going through your mind at the time?
Jax: It was kind of crazy, really. I had been uploading content on TikTok that was a little more serious and overproduced, getting only a few hundred views at a time. I finally said, “screw it, I’m just going to be myself!” I told my boyfriend “This sucks! I’m going to go do something stupid, just give me a minute and I’ll be right back.” That’s when I put a towel on my head and recorded “Stacy’s Mom’s Perspective.” I went to bed with around 1,000 views and woke up with over 1 million views. It was a crazy and surreal experience.
MIW: Since then you’ve collaborated and written songs with Natasha Bedingfield and had several parodies go viral like “Sk8ter Boi & Avril Lavigne 18 Years Later,” “From The Kid I Babysit’s Perspective,” and “90s Kids,” that featured Patrick Renna (The Sandlot). You were also signed to Atlantic Records and released two wildly successful singles “Ring Pop” and “90s Kids” that earned you a spot on Sirius XM’s “Artists to Watch” list in June 2021.
Jax: Whoa, you guys have done your homework…lol!
MIW: We wanted to give a brief history to catch our readers up on your most recent single, “Like My Father” that you recently released in June that currently has over 48 million views on TikTok. Can you tell us a little about why you wrote the song and what the success of this latest single means to you?
Jax: I really wanted to tell the story of the relationship between my parents that made me who I am today and the type of man I look for in my life. It’s such a special feeling when something that means so much to you connects with a lot of other people. It meant so much to my parents too, I just wanted to honor them and their love for each other. Their reaction to the song when I played it for them was priceless.
MIW: The music video is beautifully done, and it was such a nice touch to use your parents in the video to play themselves. What was that experience like – directing a video with your parents?
Jax: Thank you so much! That was my first time directing a video. It was a learning experience and seeing it come to life was crazy. I remember when I was directing the dance scene – my poor mom fell and got injured. Directing was a lot harder than I thought it would be. But I was super proud of the final result. To this day, one of my favorite things is seeing people around the world duet the video with their families. My parents and I will watch them and just cry because they are so touching. It’s an honor to be able to help others express their love story.
MIW: Your parents seem to be amazing people with an incredible love story. Was the songwriting process of this song different from writing your other songs?
Jax: This song was one of the easiest songs for me to write. It’s a true story of their lives. My dad is an incredible man and has always been expressive in his love for my mom. Their love is a romantic kind of love. They are the first ones to jump on a dance floor, they cook dinner for each other, they go on date nights, and I could go on about how special their relationship is. I’m looking forward to experiencing that kind of love as well.
MIW: Where can we see you perform “Like My Father” live and in-person?
Jax: I’ll be performing at a couple of benefit concerts in honor of my father and in remembrance of the 20th Anniversary of September 11th. My dad is a retired NYC firefighter and was injured at Ground Zero on 9/11. I’ve been supporting Tunnel To Towers which is one of my favorite foundations and I’ve been supporting them for years. Steven Siller was a Brooklyn Firefighter who got word over his scanner after his shift ended that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it was closed for security reasons. He strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave his life while saving others. The foundation honors Stephen and his sacrifice in addition to honoring our military and first responders who continue to make sacrifices for our safety and freedoms.
MIW: That’s an incredible story. Where can our readers learn more about Tunnel To Towers and show their support?
Jax: They can go to https://t2t.org/ to learn more and help out in so many ways – from volunteering, to donating, and even starting a run or a climb in their area. It’s a great organization that is near and dear to my heart.
MIW: How can our readers stream or download “Like My Father?”
Jax: They can go to this link to stream or download the song:
https://jax.lnk.to/LikeMyFather
MIW: Where is the best place for our readers to connect with you on social media?
Jax: The easiest way to connect with me is through my Instagram or TikTok:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/jax/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@jaxwritessongs
“Like My Father” continues to gain traction online and around the world. It’s certainly going to be a top contender as one of the most popular songs played at weddings for the traditional father-daughter dance and continue to be a beacon of hope for people around the world as an anthem of what true love can be like.
As for the multi-talented and multifaceted Jax, we will be keeping a close eye on this tastemaker and musical pioneer. If authenticity is the new currency, the world is her oyster.
