Exclusive Interview: Jake Austin Walker Talks ‘Thinking Backwards’ EP, Embracing His Artistry, and Venturing Outside His Comfort Zone

Jake Austin Walker has seamlessly integrated his talents in both acting and music since embarking on his career. Known for roles in Rectify, Stargirl, and National Treasure: Edge of History, Jake has also made waves in the music industry. His collection of singles and EPs has garnered a substantial following, achieving millions of streams. His 2018 single “Fuck Love” was prominently showcased on Spotify’s New Music Friday, boasting nearly two million streams.

His latest EP, Thinking Backwards, is a masterful four-track collection that sees the multifaceted storyteller boldly stepping beyond his comfort zone and into his own.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of speaking with Jake about Thinking Backwards, exploring how embracing fear fueled this remarkable body of work, his artistic evolution, and more.

PC: You’ve been so open about the self-doubt you faced while putting the EP together. It’s such a cohesive body of work that really showcases your talent. In those moments when you were stuck, what was the driving force that pushed you through? And what have you learned about your own artistry from creating Thinking Backwards?
Jake: First off, great question. Second, I think it’s a matter of growing older. I know Im still in my late twenties—I turn 27 next week, actually. I’ve reached a point in my acting career where you’re accustomed to constant highs and lows. There’s always something pushing you forward, but as an actor, you’re not in control of the specifics. You’re always at the expense of something else.

What I’ve always loved about music is that it’s yours. At the end of the day, you can find a platform, put it out there, and make it happen. I hit this rut because I’ve always been someone who tends to say, “I’m going to wear all the hats. I’ll do everything myself.” It’s not because I’m not a team player, but I’ve always had this fear of reaching out and burdening others. I know some of the best art comes from collaboration, but I was always so apprehensive. There are these networking horror stories where people think you’re just using them, and that scared me.

I remember I was on the phone with my girlfriend, having a pretty bad breakdown. Everything seemed to be going well in my life, so why was I feeling this way? As creatives, and in life in general, we need an outlet, especially when you live creatively. So much of life involves consuming, especially on social media—it’s all input, input, input! [laughs] I don’t want to sound self-righteous, but as creatives, we need output. I realized I wasn’t creating anything, not putting myself into anything. Music has always been a huge source of catharsis for me. Finally, my girlfriend said, “You have an amazing network of people who care about you. If they love you like you know they do, and with all this talent around you, reach out and start again. Get back into the writing room. Put yourself out there.” And that’s exactly what I did.

I reached out to a bunch of my incredibly talented friends, producers, and creatives—like my buddy who shot all the videos for the recent EP and helped me craft its aesthetic, and my producer Kenny [Harris]. I just started calling people, saying, “I want to get back into it. I’m not sure where to start.” They all said, “Just come in. Let’s figure it out.” That’s how the EP began. I faced my fear of reaching out, called my friends, and said, “This is the project I want to do. I’m ready to take that leap.” That’s what I discovered about myself—the more I push past fear and discomfort, the greater the outcome. Now, we have the EP. That’s how it came together.

PC: That’s a great answer and such an important lesson about asserting yourself and taking ownership. One of the most thrilling aspects of art is its constant evolution. Being an artist means delving into vulnerable spaces and continually rediscovering yourself. Your journey has seen significant evolution since your first single. What has had the greatest impact on that growth?
Jake: With my earlier music, as I’ve grown older, I’m beginning to understand who I am as an artist and where I want to go. Initially, I was following what everyone said sounded good. I thought, “If it sounds good, let’s go with it,” you know? I played it safe. That’s not to say my heart wasn’t in my older music—I still fully enjoy the stuff I made in the past. But like anything, it’s an evolution of who you are.

Going into this knowing it would be self-funded, an independent venture where the needle moves forward through me and my collaborators, I really had to ask myself, “What kind of music do I want to put out there?” As I reinvented myself artistically, I had to consider what that would look like. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking, “This is my sound, this is who I am, this is how it’s supposed to be.” Sometimes, that mindset can discourage experimenting with new ideas. And experimenting is where the fun lies.

That experimentation led to songs like “Changed Man,” “Suffer,” “Somebody 2 Love,” and “Lullaby.” Interestingly, “Lullaby” was written a long time ago. When I brought it to my producer, he suggested, “What if we took it in this direction?” It’s about not limiting yourself or playing it safe. I feel like my earlier music was more about playing it safe.

The new music was all about saying, “Let’s have some fun. Let’s make this mine.” That was my entire goal for this EP—I wanted it to be something I could perform and just have a blast the whole time. The main focus of this EP was fun, and I think that really comes through when you listen to it.

I’ve had the chance to do a few shows in the last few months, playing these songs live for the first time and seeing the audience—it’s been pure fun. That was the whole idea behind this EP. Honestly, I think it’s also about not taking myself too seriously and letting things flow naturally. Once you have that, you can shape things out. This music reflects who I am and how I feel as an artist.

PC: It must be incredibly rewarding for you to explore different renditions of these songs. The acoustic version of “Changed Man” is particularly haunting to listen to. You’ve been able to strip back these songs you’ve written and give them new life. Are there any plans to create more acoustic renditions in the future?
Jake: You didn’t hear this from me, but that’s the plan. First and foremost, I always start as a singer-songwriter, and acoustic is where most of these songs start, and then we turn them into these bigger productions. I’m a sucker for stripping a song down. That’s always been my rule of thumb—if you have a good song, you can take everything away and put it on guitar or play it on piano with nothing. That’s how you know if you have a full circle of a song. If something’s missing when you’re playing it, it’s always been my rule of thumb that I need to go back to the drawing board a bit and see how we can make this more concise because if I can play it anywhere on any simple instrument and you feel the entirety of the song, you’ve got something really good on your hands

Also, thank you so much. I love the idea that you found the acoustic version almost haunting. I think that’s amazing. It’s fascinating how, in theory, you can listen to something that’s upbeat and fun, but when you strip it down, it takes on a completely different meaning. There’s definitely a plan to release more acoustic versions. I would love—and I believe it’s in the works—to have stripped-down versions of the entire EP and possibly re-release it in a stripped format, which always adds a new dimension and life to the EP.

We also have one or two extra tracks in the bank that might be released a bit later. We’re finishing those up and figuring out how to release them, considering they could fit a summery vibe or be more fall-centric. We want to pace the releases so people can enjoy what’s out now before adding more. [laughs] But yes, acoustic versions are definitely on the way. The response to the piano version of “Changed Man,” even from my producer, has been great. We usually stick to our plan in the studio, but when I took the song home and played around with it myself, he was like, “Dude, we need to make a collection that sounds like that.” So you’re onto something there.

PC: You write from such a personal place, yet your fans can relate your songwriting to their own lives. How have you managed to balance that so effortlessly? And which lyric has resonated with you the most?
Jake: For the first part of your question, it’s interesting because when I go into the studio, I can’t just improvise. I find it easier to have a clear direction. I like knowing the theme or story we’re focusing on, especially when it comes to lyrics. Even if we start with a melody, I need to connect with the subject matter on a personal level or understand the narrative, even if it’s not something I’ve experienced firsthand. I strive to find a perspective that resonates with me because when we release it to the world, I want to feel a genuine connection to the music. That’s my approach to writing most of the time.

I have to have the story down. I need to know what we’re writing about. It’s difficult for me to just throw spaghetti at the wall; maybe if we have most of the lyrics and we’re looking for two more lines, figuring out how to weave them in can be challenging. Also, saying a lot with a little is crucial. It’s easy to get too wordy very quickly. I do appreciate poetic writing, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes when you try to be overly poetic, it can feel more self-indulgent rather than serving the song. There are moments where you think, “That’s a great way to incorporate that line, but maybe you could have said it more succinctly and still gotten the point across.” [laughs] But everyone has their own approach, and that’s okay.

As for my favorite line, it’s actually from “Changed Man.” It’s the part where I sing, “I was up on my high horse, baby, staring right into the sun. What if I threw myself off? Learn to listen when you talk.” That’s one of my absolute favorites.

Also, it’s very simple in its execution, but I’ve always loved this part in “Lullaby”: “Tell me, love, does it get hard? Pushing up that hill that I call my desires. I know that I’m wearing you thin, bleeding you dry. The heart can be so blind.” It’s the “dancing on my mind” lyrically. It started with the idea of hearing that someone is “running in my mind,” but I flipped it to “Tell me, do your feet get tired dancing all night on my mind.” That’s all I had when I began working on that song, and it eventually became “Lullaby.” I remember having that for months without fully conceptualizing it. Then I remembered my mom used to sing to me, “Goodnight, sweetheart, it’s time to go.” She sang it to me often, and that’s when it all clicked into place. “Lullaby” became like a full circle moment, like a lullaby itself. That’s a glimpse into my creative process.

PC: Besides being a singer-songwriter and musician, you’re also an actor. How have these different disciplines influenced each other?
Jake: Awesome questions. I remember when I first started performing live, and I’m not sure if this is the best advice—I won’t say who told me this because I don’t necessarily agree with them—but I’m a singer who performs with my eyes closed. It’s how I’ve always been because I really feel the music when I sing. I may not see myself doing it, but I feel it deeply. I was once told, “You have to open your eyes. No one wants to see someone singing with their eyes closed the whole time.” [laughs] I thought about it, but I’ve always felt connected to the music this way.

The intertwining with storytelling is significant. As actors, our goal is always to serve the story. For me, in my songwriting, connecting deeply happens when there’s a clear through line. I think this comes from understanding characters as an actor—these two things are intertwined. It’s about being authentic on stage while also being true to a specific version of yourself. When I’m on stage, I’m probably the most confident, performative, and liberated version of myself. It’s not that I’m playing a character, but being on stage offers a level of escapism similar to when the director calls “action” on set. It’s like a switch flips in your head, and you’re fully immersed. The synergy between acting and performing music is exactly the same.

One thing I want to touch upon, which we discussed earlier, is why music holds my heart in a special way. The freedom you have with music is something that can take a long time to achieve in acting, or you may never fully attain it in acting. With music, it’s always yours—even when it goes to a label and they do their part. You’re the originator. When you sing a song, it’s always yours. Even if you write something that gets funded, you still have a say in the outcome. Acting, on the other hand, is always subject to editing. Music remains your creation, your baby, no matter what. That’s what makes it so special to me. It’s why I’m constantly drawn to it and why I love the idea of reinventing and expressing myself through it. It’s like checking off different chapters of life.

I was literally journaling about this earlier. I was reflecting on the past six months, seeing this creation come to life and now out in the world, knowing it’s a representation of who I am right now. In another six months, I’ll have new songs, reflecting where I’ll be then. They intertwine in more ways than I can probably even think of.

PC: I love that every EP will be a little capsule of where you are at this moment.
Jake: My big goal is the album, whether it’s independent or through a label. Will it include some of the EP songs? Probably, because I know that’s not as frowned upon these days as it was in the past.

I think Benson Boone did a really good job with that. A lot of his EP and older stuff is on the new album. He handled it well. For any fans watching this, that’s the plan. We’ll likely release a few more singles and then hopefully the album. It feels like the next evolution.

PC: The industry has changed so much where you can release singles and let them have their own lives before putting them onto a bigger project.
Jake: It really has changed. There’s no right or wrong way to approach it. The crucial thing is to build a foundation. If a fan really connects with one song, it’s good to have more ready to keep that momentum going. That’s the best approach you can take.

PC: If you had to choose a song from Thinking Backwards that best represents who you are as an artist right now, which would it be and why?
Jake: That’s a tough one. It’s a real battle. I’d probably say it’s a close tie between two. I know there are only four songs on the EP, but it’s a real toss-up between two. [laughs] To nail it down, I’ll say “Changed Man.” It could have been “Changed Man” or “Suffer,” and they switch places all the time. But I’d go with “Changed Man.” We actually had templates for fifteen or twenty songs, but we narrowed it down to these four.

I’d say “Changed Man” because lyrically, it’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written. It pays homage to so much of the music that influenced me throughout my life—there are influences from Elvis, The Killers, and lyrically, artists like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Frank Sinatra. When you strip it down, there are haunting and beautiful moments. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more comfortable with changing the traditional song structure. In “Changed Man,” for instance, we don’t hit the chorus until later, and it’s a big moment when we do. We really took our time with the song. It’s undeniably my song. I remember sending it out, and a lot of my friends said, “Dude, this is you. This sounds like you.” That was also a scary thing.

A big step I took this time was sending it to everyone I know and putting it out there. I remember when I started sending “Changed Man” to everyone, people said, “Dude, it feels like you’re really starting to discover yourself as an artist.” That extra confirmation solidified it as the song for me. “Changed Man” definitely takes it home.

PC: So often when artists release projects, they hit the road to support it. Are there plans to tour later this year, maybe next?
Jake: Oh, absolutely. My two biggest goals are touring and releasing the album. Right now, everything’s independent, so it’s just me. I’ve done a few live shows over the last few months and plan to do more, but I’m keeping it local for financial reasons. I would love to try to start a tour by next summer. That would be incredible—traveling around the U.S., hitting different spots, even if it means vaning it with a few buddies and hitting the road. It’s also about the response to the music. We’re going to keep pushing it.

One thing that I’ve found incredibly important is the fans. More streams are always good because it means your music is getting out there, but having dedicated fans who stick around is what really matters. It’s amazing to see these die-hard fans locking in and being ready for whatever comes next. They’re not just passing by; they’re here for the long haul. A tour is definitely on the horizon; we’re just waiting for the right moment.

To keep up with Jake, follow him on X, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Stream Thinking Backwards today.