After honing his craft on the street and as a supporting act for Panic! on the Disco, Kesha and different artists, Jake Wesley Rogers is taking heart stage with a mission he views because the journey of his lifetime.
The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter makes a assured bid for music stardom on his debut full-length album “In the Key of Love.” Launched final week, the document finds the 28-year-old reflecting on his queer id and his Christian upbringing in opposition to ebullient synth-pop and wistful piano melodies. Songs like “Mother, Mary, and Me,” “Kitchen Table,” and “Heaven in My Head” are considerate mediations on religion and mortality, whereas the propulsive single “Loser” is an underdog anthem that evokes Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga.”
Rogers is beloved by followers for his innate theatricality and horny, glam-pop persona, prompting Vogue to deem him “Gen Z’s Elton John.” Listeners conversant in his 4 earlier EPs received’t be stunned by the religious subtext of the brand new album; talking with The Advocate in 2022, he cited Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” as an affect.
However as a homosexual man, Rogers says his purpose is to be “a presence of love” for many who have come to view faith as a way of oppression towards the LGBTQ+ neighborhood and different marginalized teams.
“I’m not a religious person, but the Christian lens is sort of embedded in me,” Rogers stated. “It’s an extension of who I am, where I am and my curiosities as a human being. Also, it’s my belief that those who are disenfranchised, disempowered and oftentimes ridiculed by society are the ones who end up saving the day.”
He went on to notice: “Religion does not belong to people in power. I think faith is richest in people who have very little. What lights me up is the possibility of reframing these stories to include the people they were actually meant to include. … I want nothing more than to be an instrument of peace and love in this world.”
No matter how “In the Key of Love” is acquired, Rogers views the album as a private {and professional} triumph. The Ozark, Missouri, native bought his first style of mainstream recognition at age 15, when he was a contestant on “America’s Got Talent” in 2012. He was eradicated from the quarterfinal spherical, an expertise he now describes as “devastating.”
Jason Kempin through Getty Pictures
“I loved singing, so it felt like a natural thing to do,” he recalled. “But there’s no care or regard for the lives that are being exploited. I realized it wasn’t about being an artist at all. Being an artist is about standing for something and having a message.”
In 2021, Rogers was signed to Aspect Data, the Warner Bros.-distributed label based by three-time Grammy nominee Justin Tranter, who has collaborated with Woman Gaga and Chappell Roan. He rapidly launched two EPs — 2021’s “Pluto” and 2022’s “LOVE” — on the label, however was pressured to postpone work on “In the Key of Love” final 12 months to bear surgical procedure for a ruptured gut because of Crohn’s illness.
Finally, that well being setback gave Rogers an impetus to “see how deep I could go” on the album. “There’s a great [David] Bowie quote about how the best creativity is when you’re swimming out past where your toes can’t touch anymore,” he stated. “Maybe I went a little too far out, but I did swim back eventually.”
Erika Goldring through Getty Pictures
Although Rogers is mild on specifics, he plans to assist “In the Key of Love” with a headline tour he envisions as “more of a musical than a pop concert.” This summer season, he’ll be part of Cyndi Lauper on the ultimate leg of her Women Simply Wanna Have Enjoyable Farewell Tour, which hits Philadelphia, Denver and different cities earlier than wrapping with two exhibits on the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in August.
Given the present U.S. political local weather, Rogers says he’s significantly desirous to carry out the plaintive ballad “God Bless” ― which incorporates the lyric: “God bless the trans kid in Texas” ― when the tour hits extra conservative cities.
“Sometimes it takes just one person to change someone else’s fundamental beliefs,” he stated. “As a white cis gay man, I’m very lucky to not be too worried [about my rights being rolled back] at this point. It’s our trans siblings who need the most support right now.”
