Exclusive Interview: Jeremy Shada Chats Debut Album Vintage, Julie and the Phantoms Season 2, and More

From voicing beloved characters in animated series including Adventure Time to stealing our hearts in projects like Julie and the Phantoms, Jeremy Shada has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic and versatile young talents.

This fall, he shows off another side of his artistry with the release of his debut album: Vintage.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jeremy about his multifaceted career, the process of putting together Vintage, and whether or not a new season of Julie and the Phantoms is on the way.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and music?
Jeremy: My passion for acting started when I was five years old, so pretty early on. My family always watched a lot of movies. I was very into all the big blockbusters like Spider-Man and Star Wars. As a kid, you’re like, “That’d be so cool to do that.” My family lived in LA. My older brother started acting before I did, and I got to see him do his first job and get that peek behind the curtain. I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is the coolest thing in the world.” Seeing that from an early age—something that didn’t seem possible but that was right there and tangible—was pretty epic. I started from then on. It’s been a journey of twenty years to where I am now, but that passion was established pretty early on.

As far as music, my family always had ’80s music playing in the car. Music was a big part of our family. I started learning how to sing in order to round out my acting ability because so many projects require you to be able to carry a tune. I was getting a lot of those auditions. I was like, “I should probably do this.” I already sang as much as anyone does for fun, but during my preteen years, I started more actively pursuing it and managed to round out my abilities, and fell in love with it over time. Early on, I didn’t think it was something I could actually do as a standalone career, but I enjoyed doing it.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jeremy: I would say the biggest influence has been my family. A lot of people start working in acting or music from an early age. If they find an extreme level of success, especially at a young age, there are a lot of people who might come around and steer them in not the best directions. People who will take advantage of the moment and throw everything at that young person. Their life can begin to feel very mandated and not organic or natural. Suddenly, they lose their childhood a bit and those down-to-earth, genuine friendships. My family was so good about not letting that happen. All of my closest friends for most of my life have been people that did not work in entertainment. I’ve known them since I was a kid. Having those values instilled was huge. It’s such a blessing to get to do what I do.

Outside of that, I like being very normal and having game nights with my family and friends and my wife Carolynn. We go to trivia nights almost every single Tuesday. It’s the best part of my week. I love it. Having that home base has been the biggest inspiration for me in terms of remembering what I do this for.

In terms of stylistic inspirations on the acting side, I loved the big Hollywood blockbusters as a kid. I was enamored with Jurassic Park and the world of Star Wars. I was like, “I want to do that. That would be so freaking cool.”

With music, I’ve always had such a wide range of musical interests because my parents would play all this ’80s music like Journey, Def Leppard, Asia, Foreigner, and Michael Jackson. Then I got a little older and I went through the early ’00s punk rock phase in my early teenage years. So, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, and My Chemical Romance mixed in with Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience. I’ve had a pretty big mixture of musical influences, which was awesome. It’s given me such an appreciation for a lot of different genres, which I really enjoy. I like blending different genres together. That definitely shows through what I do.

PC: You were speaking of success a little bit earlier. When you look back at your career, is there a moment that stands out to you?
Jeremy: There are a few moments for sure. One specifically that stands out is an early one. It was the first time I realized I was part of a project that was big or successful and that would become a cultural phenomenon that people would talk about in a casual sense—and that was Adventure Time.

We had been recording the show for well over a year. The first season had just come out. Animation at the time wasn’t like you were walking on the street and someone would know who you were from your voice. The show had been out for a while and I heard it was doing well, but it was like, “Cool. I don’t know what that means.”

Then we went to San Diego Comic-Con. I remember we did this whole panel with the cast. We had this massive auditorium and they were announcing people one by one. I was so nervous. I had never done anything like this. I was thirteen. I didn’t know what to expect. They introduced me and I went up on that stage. I remember a few thousand people were sitting in the audience. They handed out Finn hats (the hat that my character has). This whole audience had Finn hats on and they were losing their minds when I walked on stage. I was like, “What the heck? This is crazy.”

It was such a surreal thing to go through. You never know how well something’s doing until you go to something like that and you realize, “Oh, people really love this.” So much of it happens in a vacuum, even with shooting something or acting and even now with social media. You can look at your followers and see a big number, but it’s different getting to see your fans in person and their actual physical reactions. Those moments are always very surreal.

PC: You just dropped your debut album. Vintage is this immersive experience that transports listeners to very specific eras. How did you come up with the concept behind this album?
Jeremy: It was kind of accidental at first. I had done a little EP before this called Mad Love. There was one song on there that I initially had wanted to do like a Michael Bublé or an old, classic Sinatra-sounding song. I’d written it that way, so the melody was very much in that style. Up until the day before we recorded it, I’d intended to do it in that very old style.

But the day before I was like, “Maybe it’d be cool to try something different.” I got some weird whiff of inspiration. I was probably listening to a Panic! at the Disco song or something. I was like, “What if we do the vocals like an old song, but then we do the production like a ‘Death of a Bachelor’ or Billie Eilish-type thing?” My producers were like, “No idea what it’s going to sound like, but all right, let’s try it. Let’s go for it.” That got me stoked about it.

We put this song together, and it ended up being “Uh Oh.” It was my favorite out of the whole first five songs that I’d done. I was so excited by how that came together. Then a lot of the fan response to it was so good. It was like, “Maybe I could do more of this with the same idea of taking some old-style genre and mixing it with modern productions.” That’s where the sonic part of Vintage came from. It was blending the styles of old eras with new production, which is really fun. When I knew that was the sound I wanted, I ended up—coincidentally or intentionally in certain places—writing it lyrically with that in mind. I had the album title pretty early on. I was like, “Vintage sounds like a cool title for an album that goes through different eras.”

Lyrically, it blossomed from there and took on a life of its own. It ended up starting as just this journey through different musical eras. But then I was like, “What if there’s also one specific story that serves as a throughline?” The lyrical throughline is someone who’s caught up in a modern relationship and goes through the ups and downs of that, and then essentially finds a vintage relationship in a modern world. Each song works by itself, but I really did enjoy writing it all as pieces of one long story—which was really hard, but when you have the time, you can tweak things. It was pretty fun to look at it in that context.

PC: In many ways, this album showcases a different side to your artistry and what fans have come to expect from you. Were there any nerves venturing into this new chapter in your career?
Jeremy: 100%. When you have any type of audience or following, people are so supportive and I love that. My fans are awesome. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that what they’re fans of at this moment is going to transition to what you’re doing next, especially if it’s a big jump, like from acting to music. It doesn’t always work that well, so it is nerve-wracking, dipping your toes in different creative waters. In some ways, it’s like you almost have one chance to get it right. Because if you try it and it doesn’t work—even if you learn, get better, and grow as everyone does—people are always going to assume that whatever you do after that is going to be similar to whatever your first big thing was.

I probably wouldn’t have done this album—or even done any more music—if it wasn’t for the response to the first single I did. It was a special song that I made for my wife’s birthday. It’s a very chill acoustic song. The response to it was ridiculously great. That gave me the confidence to do more. Not that I need this, but in a weird way it was almost like receiving the approval of my fans that they would like me to do more.

Having that type of response gives you the confidence to do more. Ultimately when you make something in a vacuum, you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. You need that feedback to give you confidence. It doesn’t mean that you were perfect when you first started, but it means that enough of it was good and you have enough of a knack for it to want to continue doing it. You have a support team that’s there the whole way with you, which I think is really fun.

But the thing about being a solo artist is that if it’s great or if it’s horrible, it’s all on you. I write it. I perform it. There’s no one else to put the blame on. It’s like, “If it’s awesome, great, I get all the credit. If it’s horrible, I take all the blame.” It’s equally scary and exciting. Happily, I’ve had a great response from fans, which is so nice to see. But releasing the music and all that is not my favorite part of the process. I almost want to crawl under a rock when that happens. My favorite part generally is being in the studio and making the music when no one else is listening. You’re messing around and it doesn’t really matter if you’re good or bad. You’re just having fun. That’s my favorite part of the process.

PC: If you had to pick a song off Vintage that best encompasses who you are as a solo artist, which would it be and why?
Jeremy: Wow, that’s a good question, especially considering they’re all over the place in terms of sound. I guess the song that probably encompasses me as an artist—granted this is off the top of my head and might change a million times this week—but right now I would say “Dancing with Strangers.” I like songs that are upbeat, catchy, and fun to listen to. They’re definitely a bop. They have lyrics and a storyline that are accessible and easy to sing along to and not hard to understand, but they also have a deeper meaning.

Songwriting is exciting because there’s a balance between making it accessible so that anyone can listen to it and figure it out in two seconds and having certain parts that have a double meaning and deeper levels. That’s what excites me as a songwriter.

I guess right now I would say “Dancing with Strangers.” It’s honest and genuine about experiences that I’ve had or experiences of close friends and people that I know. It’s fictionalized, but it’s based off of real things, which is great. There’s a good message there, but it still feels genuine to me as well. I don’t feel weird singing that kind of material because it’s like, “Part of my story is still in there, which is really, really cool.” Long story short, “Dancing with Strangers.” Again, that answer will probably change because I have no idea what I’m doing next.

PC: Actor-musicians have often said that there’s a different level of vulnerability that you need to tap into when you’re releasing your own music. Did you feel similarly throughout this process?
Jeremy: It’s interesting. Different artists approach songwriting differently. There are certain songs that are specifically about someone, and if it’s going to be about either my wife or a very specific relationship or experience that I’ve had, those songs I generally try to keep as accurate to whatever the experience is as possible. That has its own challenge because sometimes you get inspired by something that was personal, but when you’re writing it, something comes up that is really cool but not true to what the experience was—but it’s a really interesting storyline in my head and I’ll go with that.

A lot of songs that I do, whether they start from something that’s genuine or not, I will give the freedom to take on a life of their own. I prefer fictionalizing because I hate putting people on blast. If it’s a song that’s about my wife, that needs to be genuine and that’ll be very obvious. If it’s that relationship, I keep that song as genuine and sweet and honest as possible. But if there’s something that was inspired by someone I knew, I generally try to fictionalize it a bit because I like giving people their privacy. I don’t like throwing someone under the bus or making something seem one-sided. There are always levels to everything, and so I like to fictionalize things because it allows you to take that real inspiration that started that songwriting process and let it become its own story.

That’s writing in general. I really like being able to let songs take me where they want to go at times and not feel like I 100% need to stick with whatever actually happened. That’s the beauty of art. It’s an interpretation of something—glamorizing it to become something more epic. That’s really fun. It adds layers of drama. That’s what I enjoy about songwriting. I don’t like being so stuck to what actually happened that you can’t add some layers and some color to it.

PC: You’ve paired a lot of these songs with these visual music videos. As you’re writing these tracks, are you thinking of the visual components at the same time? What is that process like?
Jeremy: Whenever I hear a song in my head, I start to picture it. I’m sure most people do. There’s this internal dialogue in my head that I hear when I’m listening to a song, or I’ll see a color for some reason. This song is red and gray. That definitely happens when I’m making the music, at least on a color spectrum.

The part that always changes is I usually start with this much grander idea for something. [laughs] Then I’m like, “Okay, what can we actually do with the budget that we have?” Then you have to tone it back and make it work. I remember making “This Feels Right” and I was like, “Oh, this is a very colorful, fun, Jackson Five-type ode to the ’70s.” I was like, “What can I do for this video? What’s a timeless, happy, fun location?” I was like, “Disney world!” It’s very fun. It’s very bright and vibrant. It’s been there for a long time. It feels timeless. That just worked. It was so random. I don’t know why that’s what popped into my head, but I was like, “Oh, I picture us running around and having fun somewhere with this song.” That’s such a happy-go-lucky place.

With “Dancing with Strangers,” I initially wanted something that was nighttime. It ended up being very dark and nighttime-esque, so that stuck. I wanted dark colors with some more neon-esque lights playing off of them. That definitely is in the finished music video, which is fun. I always had that in my head. I had a more grand idea for that video, but I was like, “That’s going to take too long. Don’t have the budget. Can’t do that.” Then the filmmaking side of it comes in and you go, “Well, how can I still make this interesting but not have like ten different locations and fifty extras? That’s impossible to do right now. How can I do it by myself?” The cinematographer I work with, Bernardo, is awesome. He put that together and made it feel like the vibe of the song without needing a billion people around.

PC: With this being your debut solo album, did anything surprise you about the process? What was the biggest takeaway?
Jeremy: I would say the amount of content that you have to put together. You don’t have to, but for us, it was enjoyable to put together a bunch of content. We made different canvases for every single song on Spotify that were unique to each one. Even if you can’t do a music video for every song, you can have some type of visual that goes with it and gets the mood across. That was fun, but that’s a lot of work. We’ve done music videos for four songs now. We have a lyric video for another. We have one more music video that’s unreleased that’ll come out later.

It’s a lot of work to put together as an independent artist. You’re trying to keep your costs down because everything is paid out of pocket. You’re trying to do as much yourself as possible, which is great in the end. I can have a huge sigh of relief right now. But during the process, it’s very stressful. I’m doing everything: the distribution, making sure it’s all synced up, making sure that the singles and the album ISRCs match up, making sure the release date is correct. I’m double-checking about a million times and going through all that. I’m on YouTube putting together content for the releases and making sure the premieres come out right. It’s a lot. We’re a very small operation, but we have good output, which is pretty great.

It’s a lot of work. In the end, it’s nice when people enjoy it because there’s so much that goes into it from start to finish. It’s days upon days upon days of work, even with the music videos we have. Bernardo has been shooting most of them, but we edit them ourselves. It takes a couple of days at least per video. It’s a labor of love. It’s a passion project and I love it so much. I love getting to have creative control and to be involved that thoroughly so that what is put out there is my vision. It’s not tampered with because I get the final say as an independent artist, which is awesome. It means that you have to put a lot more work into it. I think that comes through and I’m very appreciative of the response from people because it’s a lot of work, but that’s what you do for something you’re very passionate about.

PC: As the world begins to open up, is there a potential for a tour in the future?
Jeremy: I would love to tour in the future. It’s something that we’ve talked about. There are no specific plans right now. We’re trying to get the album released and worrying about that at the moment. But yeah, if it’s something we can work out and financially make feasible and do it in a way that makes sense, I would absolutely love to. If the fan response is good enough and people have an appetite for that, I would absolutely love to tour.

Literally, last night was the first time I performed any of my material live. We did an Instagram Live leading up to the “Pretty Little Lies” music video premiere. I performed “Gentleman” acoustically, and that was the first time I performed any of my music live for fans. I was so nervous, but it turned out really great. I was very excited about it. It’s such an interesting feeling, performing something live, because I get so nervous before. Then once you start, you’re like, “All right. Let’s do what we rehearsed.” You’re having fun with it. That feeling is nerve-wracking, but also rewarding in the end. You feel so anxious up until the performance, but then once you perform and after the performance especially, it’s like, “Woo, we did it.” It feels good.

It’s in the cards for sure. That would be the goal eventually. Depends on if we can make it work schedule-wise. It’s hard between acting and music. I could book a movie and be completely off the books for four months and not have any time to do anything else. You’re trying to make all that work. That’s the biggest roadblock in terms of doing shows: trying to schedule around your shooting schedule.

PC: Speaking of the acting side of your craft, Julie and the Phantoms recently celebrated its one-year anniversary on Netflix. Have there been any updates on when we’ll get Season 2?
Jeremy: A Phantom-versary. I can’t say officially. I do not know. I have not been told. But I’m hoping. We’re all ready to go back. We’re all waiting for the call. If they pick it up and greenlight it, we’re there. I love that cast and crew so much. Kenny Ortega is an absolute legend, and he’s the sweetest man in the world. I love Kenny. It’s such a blast to work with those people. Getting to mix music with acting on one project at that level is rare. It’s just quality. It’s such an uplifting show, and I really enjoy the entire cast and crew so much.

Knock on wood. Hopefully, we’ll be able to film again. Maybe next year. If it happens, I feel like it would have to be soon because it’s been a minute since the first season came out. You want to capitalize off of that momentum. Waiting two or three years between seasons is the worst. So long as the fans keep harassing Netflix, hopefully, they’ll say yes eventually.

PC: If we do get a Season 2 and you get the opportunity to pitch a song off of Vintage for Reggie, which would it be and why?
Jeremy: Great question. “Talking to a Memory” is appropriate. It’s the last song on the album. Ironically, it’s the song that has a co-write on it. I wrote that song with Charlie Gillespie, who plays Luke from Phantoms. We actually wrote that during the summer of quarantine. It was something we were playing around with at the time. We didn’t know if we were going to get picked up quickly or if there was a potential for a Season 2. We started writing it. It changed a lot when I wanted to use it for Vintage, but we started writing it as almost like a potential Luke/Julie type song for a potential Season 2 or something. Once the wait began to feel like it was taking forever and we still didn’t know what was happening, I was like, “That song’s too good. I’m going to use it for myself.”

It was always written to be a duet. With a duet in my mind, I had my friend Megan Nicole, who’s extremely talented, do the lady parts of the song. I guess I would say that one. It feels appropriate to Phantoms. It definitely has that feel to it.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jeremy: Hannah Montana is on my playlist. It’s probably due to my wife, Carolynn. Not probably. It’s definitely due to Carolynn. But you know what? “Nobody’s Perfect” is a fricking bop. We blare it in the car all the time.

PC: First album you bought?
Jeremy: The first album that I can remember buying is Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park. It was either that or Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. I can’t remember which one was first, but I do remember I bought both.

PC: First concert you attended?
Jeremy: Journey. Again, my parents love ’80s music. It was Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick opening.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Jeremy: Probably the 1975’s first album. It was during my teenage years. At the time, they didn’t feel like they were this massive band that was super well known. The album had an uplifting, teenage feel to it. It encapsulated the feeling and mood of those fun teenage years where you’re figuring it out and you have this friend group that’s all over the place. There’s a lot of drama, but it’s also funny looking back. It was one of my favorite albums ever. Sound-wise, it also influenced a lot of music that I love now.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Jeremy: Madison Square Garden.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Jeremy: My puppies. My dogs. They’ve got to come with me. After a long day of work, the best thing is a cute little dude to come snuggle with. It’s the best. Even when it’s been a bad day, your pups just brighten it up. They’re always happy to see you. They’re the most supportive in the world.

To keep up with Jeremy, follow him on Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream Vintage today.

Photo Credit: Bernando Noguiera