17 Minutes With Jake Miller

Seventeen: What was it like the first time you heard your song on the radio?

JM: It was crazy! The first time I heard it was about two months ago. I was at Lion Country Safari, driving through the lion section. Now, I hear it on the radio every day. Everybody texts me whenever they hear my song play.

17: When did you start rapping?

JM: I started rapping three years ago, when I was 17, but started taking it really seriously about a year ago and that's when everything picked up. My manager, who also manages Jason DeRulo, really guided me.

17: Who are some of your mentors or people that you look up to?

JM: On a personal level, I look up to my dad, and on a professional level, Asher Roth and Drake. I've opened for Asher Roth and we talked backstage for about 2 hours. He gave me really great advice, like "ignore the haters." But my mom still goes on my YouTube every day and deletes the bad comments!

17: Was YouTube the way you got discovered?

JM: Yeah! I took all the poems I wrote in ninth grade English class and turned them into songs using Garage Band, and then I just put them on YouTube. I made a music video with my little sister in the neighborhood skate park and then people really started paying attention. Years later, I heard Pharrell had actually been watching me on YouTube from the beginning.

17: Are you going to let your sister be in any more of your music videos?

JM: No, but I always ask her for advice, like what to wear and if she likes my songs!

17: How did you come up with the concept for the music video for "What I Wouldn't Give"? And who is the kid in the video portraying the younger you? He's so cute!

JM: That's my little cousin. The music video shows flashbacks of me as a little kid, writing in my notebook. Then, it flashes to present day, writing in the studio. I'm getting closer to my dreams, but I'm not there yet.

17: So, tell us about your dating status. Are you single?

JM: Yes, I am.

17: What type of girls do you like?

JM: I like funny and just all-around nice girls.

17: What's your idea of a perfect date?

JM: Probably a traditional dinner-and-movie date. Preferably a comedy. I'm all about humor!

Check out Jake's music video below and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Emily Laurence

Emily is a freelance writer and certified health coach who specializes in writing about mental health, fitness, healthy food, and social justice issues. Emily spent six years as an editor and writer at Well+Good, covering everything from food trends to serious issues like the opioid crisis in America and gun violence. She has also worked at Seventeen, Elle, and Twist magazines. She regularly writes for publications including Forbes, Parade, Shape, and The Huffington Post. Emily lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her cat Evie.