Jack & Jack Interview With CEEK VR!

Remember Vine? The social media app that only allowed users a few seconds in which to express themselves went under years ago, but some of the stars who rose to prominence are still around to this day. Hip-pop duo Jack & Jack are one such group that managed to enjoy a career both before Vine and after disappeared, and they have the chart numbers to prove it. Their debut EP Calibraska made it all the way to No. 12 on the Billboard 200, and they have also landed a handful of hits on charts all around the world, doing what so few social media musicians have been able to.

Now, years after they first made a name for themselves on the charts, they’ve finally gifted their fans their debut full-length album A Good Friend Is Nice, and they have big plans for what’s next...with or without the app that gave them their start.

You guys got your start on Vine. Were you sad to see the app shutter?
Jack: Personally, I was not too offended or sad. You know, everyone asks us that, because I feel like a majority of the people who know who we are, know us from Vine.
Jack: And I would say, you know, we were so grateful for the success it brought us and we view it as an amazing platform to jump off of, because we never grew up as kids with the dream to become massive Vine stars. It was just like a hobby, you know, it was just kind of us, killing time in high school. And I think, you know,

Jack: and I were already kind of out of the posting game on Vine. Like probably a year before they even closed.
Jack: So, we weren't like, too sad, but you know, it was...the nostalgia always gonna be there.
Jack : We're just grateful for it.

You managed to score a top 20 album before you even signed to a label. What did it feel like at the time?
Jack: Well, honestly, you just made me aware of that.
Jack: Yeah, Calibraska was really cool
JJack: But it felt so good, I remember being in Vegas when it came out, and it went straight to number one, on that day. And I remember having the Hot 100 hit.
Jack: “Wild Life,” No. 87, right?
Jack: And it was crazy.
Jack: It was nutty. We still had no idea about the music industry, the ins and outs, and you know, that was all through peer support and the power of our fan base, and so you know, we just love our fans so much. That was all up to them. They were the ones that made that happen for sure.

You two also just scored a major global hit with producer Jonas Blue, how did you come to work with him?
Jack: That's actually very, a good question, but to be honest, it was one of those things that was very, I always use like the line...it was industry. You know, it was put together. And not in a bad way at all, it was just our manager knew his manager, and they felt like we could definitely kill it together.
Jack: He played us the song in the car one day, and I guess it was inspired by like an interview that Jonas had heard of Jack and I while he was out in L.A.
Jack: That was so cool hearing that Jonas, as such a big artist and an established artist who has had many hits, wrote a song inspired by about what we had to say, on an interview. We couldn't say no, and the song was amazing
It came together so quick though. It was, yeah, it was a one day process, we had recorded, two weeks later, we filmed the music video, and you know, that was that.

And to go with that question, here's another: how did it feel to see that song jump up on the charts around the world?
Jack: That was insane. You know, seeing it at No. 1 in the U.K., and seeing it in the top five in countless countries.
Jack: And we knew it would be big, but it definitely exceeded expectations, I would say. 100%
Jack: It was a feeling we never have ever had before.
Jack: Yeah, I mean, that's a feeling you can't even describe because it's something so few people get to feel, and it's awesome to hear people enjoy your music and sing your music and love it.

You were also just nominated for a BRIT Award, that must feel incredible, were expecting some love from them?
Jack: Honestly, we had no idea that we would be up for a BRIT. We never expected anything.
Jack: Yeah, that's totally, I mean, that's Jonas, man. We oughta give it to him.
Jack: And we also didn't know how big of a deal the BRITs were, until after we were nominated. All my British friends were hitting me up, like, “Oh my God, you're nominated for a BRIT!” And so we were just like, whoa, this is like bigger than I thought. And you know, thanks to Jonas for being British, 'cause that's the only reason we were even up for a BRIT!
Jack: Thanks to the BRITs for even considering our and collaboration, because it was a great song, but I didn't know it deserved a BRIT Award!

Your debut album is out! Congrats! What did you want fans to expect?
Jack: I think it shows a lot of aspects of us, and it shows our variability with you know, Jack doing his low tones and his high tones, hitting falsetto on certain songs. I'm rapping on certain songs, singing on certain songs.
Jack: The songs don't really tell a story, through each other, I guess. They're all their own individual song and they both are based off their own individual inspiration and purpose.
Jack: I like that, because you can just play one song out of context and you're not lost or anything, you just get what's going on. I think we wanted to be as varied as possible with this project. I think there's something for everyone.

After years of putting out music, what kept you from releasing an album until now?
Jack: We were saying, why has it been five years or six years, and I know our fans were asking the same thing. The reason is...I feel like we were so insecure and we didn't know what our sound was. And we realized, you kinda just gotta put your best foot forward and just go for it, and believe in yourself.
Jack: It's about putting in the hours. If you really do put in the 10,000 hours that people say you have to put in to become an expert at something, you will end up finding your sound.
Jack: And we're probably not even halfway there yet, so it's pretty crazy, because I feel like even this far into this whole thing, Jack and I are only just starting to really get a grasp of who we are.
Jack: It makes me realize that every time we get in the studio, it's like, this is just the beginning. We're just now figuring out all this stuff, and I feel like our next project already sounds so different from A Good Friend Is Nice. In a good way!
Jack: I think the music-making process is becoming easier and more mindless every single time for Jack and I, which is a great thing.

What can fans expect from the rest of the year?
Jack: Unlimited greatness! Such good shows that we cannot wait to perform.
Jack: We've been rehearsing like crazy. We really want to get to places we've never been before. You know, hopefully, we hit Asia and the Middle East for the first time.
Jack: We're trying to get everywhere we haven't gone yet, as well as the places we've already been. You know, we just wanna see all our fans, give 'em a great show, and put out more music in the midst of it all.
Jack: Yeah, that's something I'm really excited for, is new music, even though we just put out and album. New videos too!