Introducing… Jake Etheridge

Jake Etheridge: “I do a lot of writing on the end of my bed”

As well as being a member of The Common Linnets this talented young American writes his own heartfelt country music

Name: Jake Etheridge

Age: 28

Location: Nashville/Amsterdam

Style: “I would say singer-songwriter”

Look out for: His self-titled EP released in June

The path from South Carolina to Nashville isn’t an unusual one for a songwriter, but Amsterdam as a next stop is wholly unexpected. For Jake Etheridge it was a writing session in Music City which led him to the Netherlands and becoming a member of Dutch country band, The Common Linnets. “It all came from co-writing,” says Jake. “Ilse DeLange was doing some writing in Nashville for the first Common Linnets record and I wrote with her one time. It went really well and they flew me over to Holland to finish the record and then they asked me to tour and now I’m in the band. We do a lot of writing and playing but luckily enough it still leaves room to do my solo thing.”

It’s the “solo thing” that we’re here to talk about, in particular the release of Etheridge’s upcoming self-titled EP, a five-song story of a relationship. “The songs are all from different time periods of my life but the feelings and emotions behind the song are real,” he says. “One is from when I first moved to Nashville six years ago there and then I Can Take It is really new. It’s chronologically all over the place but it just happened that all of the songs meant something to me and all went together to create a story.”

To Me, a gentle yet affecting Americana-infused ballad, is the only track on the EP written solely by Etheridge, the rest were born out of collaboration. “I think co-writing takes you out of the comfort zone that you have,” says Jake. “I do a lot of writing on the end of my bed. It’s really easy and I love it, but for the most part I’m always going to write a certain type of song by myself whereas if I write with a co-writer there’s no telling what will happen, it opens up the doors to anything.”

Etheridge’s hopes for the EP sum up his humble and eminently likeable personality. “I always drive home at night listening to music,” he says. “I love that moment, it’s my favourite part of the day. I always think that it would be so cool if people would do that to my music. I’d just love it if people discover these songs and they became the soundtrack to their drives home.”

Whether driving home at night or tuning in as the sun rises, Jake Etheridge’s smooth take on country music deserves to be heard.

Duncan Haskell

The Jack Etheridge EP is due out in June. For more details, take a look at: jakeetheridge.com

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