Jake & Shelby, the dynamic pop duo aged 18 and 19, are rapidly climbing the music charts with their mature and fresh sound, drawing inspiration from John Mayer, Madison Cunningham, Taylor Swift, and Phoebe Bridgers.
Jake & Shelby caught our attention on social media enjoying our Throat Coat® tea. This discovery led to a delightful partnership, showcasing their genuine appreciation for Throat Coat® in everyday moments. The collaboration highlights the versatility of Throat Coat® products, supporting voices not just for artists but for enthusiasts at concerts as well.
Starting with simple social media posts, they've cultivated a global fan base, gaining thousands of followers weekly. Notable collaborations with Michael Bublé and a special request from Kim Kardashian highlight their celebrity recognition. Their chemistry, evident from early social media posts, resonates with fans worldwide.
Jake & Shelby just released their debut EP “Just Us” and are set to grace live stages later this year, promising a journey as captivating as their harmonious melodies.
How did your journey as a singer/songwriter duo begin, and what inspired you to create music together?
We met at a private music school called Cedarstone School of Music. They do private music lessons, but they also have rock bands and vocal groups you can audition to be part of if you are a top performing student. We ended up being in all the bands together at different times! One of them was an a cappella group which was a lot of fun. We were both interested in songwriting and at one point decided to try and write together. This was in 2020 and the first song we wrote was “Sweet” which is on our EP that just came out on Friday. After writing about once a week together for a year or so we decided to officially become a duo in March of 2022. As far as inspiration goes, we instantly found that we had such a special connection when we played music together. It was so special that we had to honor it and see where it would lead us.
Can you share some of your favorite practices for maintaining vocal health, especially when you're on the road or on a busy schedule?
My (Jake’s) mom is a professional singer, and I grew up with Throat Coat® in the house as long as I can remember. Obviously, Throat Coat is a big help! It’s always very helpful when our throats are starting to feel a little dry; it really helps soothe the throat and get us back to a better singing place.* We also love to add some olive oil to it to make it extra soothing if we really need it.*
Traditional Medicinals' Throat Coat tea is known for its support in soothing and caring for the voice. How has incorporating Throat Coat tea into your routine positively impacted your vocal care?
Whenever we drink it before singing, it helps keep our voices supported.* It’s like endurance tea for our voices, especially when we are in the studio - we almost always have a cup of Throat Coat with us. Because in the studio you sing A LOT! We also bring it to any shows we are playing to sip on beforehand. It really is added endurance for our voices in those situations.*
As artists, you often express emotions through your music. How do you find inspiration for your lyrics, and are there any specific themes or experiences that resonate strongly in your work?
We find inspiration through everything. We feel deeply, ask questions and process those emotions and thoughts. Usually, we want to write about things in our lives that we are going through, or have gone through, or just a simple thought we had one day. As writers we will just hear things as song sometimes too. We don’t know why it happens but sometimes we will just hear a quote or a word and just know it’s a song idea, so we both have notes in our phones of a bunch of different random song ideas.
Your new EP “Just Us” just came out on 1/26! Can you tell us more about it and the inspiration behind the music?
Yes! “Just Us” is our debut EP and it is special to us. We chose to record all the songs with just one acoustic guitar and our two vocals, just like people have been listening to us on social media for the last couple years. We decided to do it this way because we really wanted to capture this time in our lives. There’s something special about what we have right now at the beginning of this journey. We are so lucky to have found so many fans through just the two of us and a guitar and we wanted to honor all our fans who have come to love our music because of that. There’s not a lot of people doing it this way. It’s kind of risky. Many times a recording is called “acoustic” - but there’s multiple layers of other acoustic instruments. And some type of percussion or rhythm and bass. But not with this. It’s completely raw and real. It’s a little scary being so vulnerable and musically sparse. But it feels so right. We wanted to be honest with who we are musically and release this whole EP with “Just Us” with …. Just us!
What’s on the horizon for you two?
We were recently invited by The Recording Academy to be a part of Grammy week. We couldn’t believe it! They asked us to attend the Grammy “Next Gen Party” and red carpet! It’s a “party for leading young artists, tastemakers and the next generation of music executives.” So, we are really excited and honored to be a part of that! We are excited to begin our career being asked to be a part of such a prestigious organization.
- We are also playing at the basement here in Nashville on Feb. 20th so if anyone’s in town we’d love to see you!
- We are writing songs all the time and working in the studio constantly! We will continually be releasing music.
- We can’t wait to start meeting our fans face to face at live shows. We are also working to play a lot more shows this year and hopefully line up a tour so stay tuned for that!
*This is a paid collaboration between Jake & Shelby and Traditional Medicinals.