He won Dancing On Ice, he made it to the live shows of The X Factor and he was a runner-up on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. We are, of course, talking about Jake Quickenden!
With determination to succeed in everything he does, the reality TV king and multi-talented musician continues to thrive in the industry. Jake recently played two headline shows and he’s currently performing with The Dreamboys in selected cities.
We caught up with Jake backstage at his concert in Manchester. In our exclusive interview, the handsome singer spoke about: writing new songs, his time on Dancing On Ice, touring with The Dreamboys, his plans for the future and much more.
You can read highlights and hear our full interview with Jake Quickenden below!
How excited are you to be playing these headline shows in Manchester and London?
“I kind of stepped away from music for a bit so it’s nice to be back doing a couple of shows. I’m doing some new material and playing my guitar again. I always feel like music helps me to get my thoughts and my feelings out so yeah, it’s really exciting. Hopefully music can take off for me a bit. If not, there’s always reality shows isn’t there?” (laughs)
You’ve been singing new songs recently including ‘Afraid To Be Lonely’ which we love – how does it feel to be performing new material?
“Thank you. It’s a bit daunting because this is my first gig that I’ve actually played any new material so yeah, I just hope I remember the lyrics and that. But yeah, it’s nice to be writing again. My original stuff always seems to get quite a good response so I prefer doing originals than covers. I’m excited for people to hear them and hopefully I get some good feedback.”
We love the line ‘Out of the blue and into the black’ in ‘Loved The Same’ – are there any lyrics that you’re particularly proud of writing recently?
Jake: “Yeah. Erm… I can’t actually remember any of the lyrics until I start singing the song. I actually started writing something last night. I’ve got it on my phone. It’s so rough but ‘I’m hurting deep inside, you’ve just got to follow your feet to get where you’re going tonight.’ That was it.”
CelebMix: “Was that inspired by hurting your heels?”
Jake: “Yeah, pretty much. (laughs) You’ve just got to follow your feet to get where you’re going tonight. It’s actually inspired by Winnie The Pooh because he says that the best way to get away from where you were is to walk where you’re going.”
Can we expect studio versions of these new songs?
“Yes, I’m going to getting in the studio pretty soon to start recording so I can’t wait for that.”
You’ve proven time and time again that you’re a fantastic songwriter. Is writing for other artists something you’ve ever considered?
“Thank you. Yeah, I definitely would. I like writing for myself because then you can actually write about experiences but I would definitely jump in with other artists and write and co-write and stuff like that. I enjoy writing that much so it’d be good to work with some big artists.”
Are there any songs that you’ve heard on the radio recently which made you think ‘wow, I wish I’d written and released that’?
“I absolutely love all of what Shawn Mendes does. His new album is ridiculous; it’s the best album I’ve heard in a long time. I’m obsessed with ‘Perfectly Lonely’ actually so yeah, I wish I wrote that.”
You’re currently performing with The Dreamboys in selected cities – how does it feel being a Dreamboy and have you enjoyed the shows so far?
“Yeah, it’s alright you know. It’s a good laugh. I’m honestly really enjoying myself and the lads are all great lads. The show itself is amazing; the choreography and the dance moves they come up with is a joke. It is like watching Magic Mike and Step Up and stuff like that. The guys are that good at dancing so it’s been a pleasure to be involved with it. Obviously I hurt myself the other week and did my heels in but I’m still going to be doing the show and trying to dance as much as I can.”
Like you said, there’s lots of dance routines involved – how did you find the initial rehearsals?
“I think Dancing On Ice probably helped a little bit because I was already up to date with a bit of choreography. The choreographer Jordan Darrell who does it on Dreamboys worked me in slow but then he realised I could move a little bit and started making it a bit harder. So yeah, it’s cool man. I like learning new stuff to be honest; I just like trying anything.”
You were crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice earlier this year – how did you find the show and that whole experience? Did you ever think you’d win?
“I went on there thinking that I had a good chance just because I know what kind of person I am. If I do something, I try and do it to the best of my ability. I really wanted to do well on it. There were some great skaters but I had a great choreographer in Vanessa and a great partner. So yeah, it was probably my favourite show I’ve done actually. I got to come away from it pretty good at ice skating and it was a great show. I met some good mates on there as well.”
You also got to tour arenas across the country with Dancing On Ice and you even got to sing your X Factor audition song ‘Say Something’ – how did doing the tour compare to the TV show?
“Yeah, I actually preferred the tour to be honest. There was less pressure and like you say, I got to sing. We just went out there every night and had a laugh. We were just a big family on there. There was a lot more drinking and partying so that was good; I didn’t do that on the show because I wanted to make sure I did well on it. So I enjoyed the tour definitely.”
Over the years, you’ve done: singing, songwriting, presenting, modelling, ice skating, you’re currently a Dreamboy and you even survived it out in the jungle. Do you ever look back at the past few years and think it’s crazy how much you’ve achieved?
“Yeah, I do actually. I have achieved a lot but I’ve not achieved nowhere what I want to achieve. I want to get somewhere… I just want a song in the actual official top 40 that might get played on the radio as that would be a dream. Even if it’s 40, I don’t give a shit because it’s still in there. (laughs) That’ll hopefully happen this year.”
You have a great outlook on life, you work hard and you have achieved so much. Whats the next big goal on your list apart from breaking into the top 40?
“I’d love to do a musical definitely. I think that a musical in London on the West End would be great. Putting the singing and acting together and giving it a bash would kind of test myself as well; it’d be something new so that’d be cool. As long as I’m working man and having fun and doing what I love to do then I’m happy.”
What’s your ultimate life motto?
Jake: “Fuck it.” (laughs)
CelebMix: “Fuck what? Everything?”
Jake: “Just fuck it. If you want to do something, do it. There’s so many people that are willing to put you down and say you’re not good at something or don’t do this and don’t do that. But if you want to do something, just go for it. Why would you not?”
What does the rest of 2018 have in store?
“Who knows mate; anything is possible with me. I really don’t know. As long as I’m doing stuff like this and having a laugh while working hard and surrounding myself with people that are good influences, the world’s my oyster really. Nothing can stop me. I’ll keep trying.”
If you could leave a message for your fans, what would you say?
“Just thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for voting for me on Dancing On Ice, thanks for supporting me in everything I do. There’s not a chance I’ll ever change who I am and every show I go on, I’ll always be me. So yeah, just a massive thanks.”
As mentioned in the interview, Jake will be heading back into the recording studio soon so fans will be happy to hear that new music is on its way in the near future. If Jake’s live performances of ‘Afraid To Be Lonely’ and ‘Loved The Same’ are anything to go by, we’re certainly in for a treat.
It’s not too late to catch Jake on tour with The Dreamboys. The Scunthorpe-born star will be taking to the stage in selected cities throughout the UK this year and you can view a full list of where he will be performing here online. Make sure you grab tickets for a show or two if you can.
Aside from new music and The Dreamboys, Jake will be keeping busy with lots of other projects. It’s been revealed that he will be starring as Prince Charming in The Kings Theatre’s production of Cinderella in Portsmouth. More details can be found here.
With an aspirational and inspirational outlook on life, Jake continues to be a great role model for everyone. His talent and drive are second to none. Make sure you follow @JakeQuickenden on Twitter to keep up to date with all of his latest announcements.
Are you excited to hear more of Jake Quickenden’s new music? Have you been to one of his live shows or seen him on tour with The Dreamboys? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix!