Growing up in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, Jutes never imagined the path he’d be on today. It’s funny how life works out, the plans we have, the goals and aspirations that we set for ourselves, and no one knows that better than Jutes. Moving from the chilly capital to the city of Toronto to pursue film, he found himself surrounded by a different culture in the big city. A different lifestyle sparked something new in his brain. Taking pen to paper, he started writing music, dabbling in the art form, connecting with hip-hop and R&B, but never, ever forgetting his alt-rock roots.
He found his true sound in LA, couch surfing and living in Little Tokyo with a friend, releasing a ton of music, testing the waters, figuring things out, and suddenly, (quite unexpectedly), he started to gain traction. Signing to Capitol Records was the biggest change in his trajectory. Those early days came with a lot of life lessons, namely being self-sufficient and reliant on no one. The dream of making music was too precious to allow anyone else in, until recently. And still, it’s something he resists, wanting his hands in every aspect of the music-making process.
With his new album ‘Dilworth’ out later this week, Jutes is truly coming into his own, becoming more comfortable within his skin and finding a voice beyond the success of ‘Sleepyhead’. In conversation with Schön!, Jutes discusses his roots, the early music-making days, signing to Capitol Records, taking a chance, and what music means to him.
Let’s talk about your Canadian roots – specifically the music scene in Toronto. What was it about the hip-hop and R&B artists of the city that inspired you? Is there a distinct memory that changed your brain chemistry?
I grew up in Ottawa and was determined that I was going to make the NBA. So, despite being raised on rock music, I started to gravitate to hip hop because of my obsession with basketball and the culture around it. Once I moved to Toronto to pursue film, I also started to dabble in writing songs in my spare time. Rapping is where I started, since I couldn’t sing to save my life. I kept trying to sing more on my songs, but I would have never guessed I’d be a full-blown singer one day.
What did life look like for you back then, pre-LA and couch surfing? Was music always an area of interest?
Pre-LA, my life was pretty gnarly. Though I wasn’t couch surfing until I made it to LA, I did live in a 2-bedroom apartment with 4 people, and no one had any money. It was some of the best times of my life, though, and we always would say, “We’re going to look back on these days and miss them when we make it.” I was definitely pursuing music, but I was so lost that I was spending more time self-medicating and avoiding real life. So my progress was much slower back then.
Moving to LA, finding your sound in trap, what went into making the leap from Canada to the States? What did those early days of the States look like for you?
I was living with my two best friends at the time, and one moved back to Hamilton, Canada, and one moved back to Australia, so I felt like the universe was telling me to leave, too. I packed up and moved to LA to live on my friend Tarro’s couch downtown in Little Tokyo. This is where we made a ton of the music I was releasing in my early LA days. Less than a year after moving, I got signed to Capitol Records.
Speaking of the early days, what lessons from that time do you continue to carry with you to this day?
I learned to be incredibly self-sufficient. Only in the last year have I really even allowed anyone to help me. I’ve always known no one will care about my dream the way I do, so even if I have to learn a new skill to get something done, I’ll probably do a more detailed job than someone who’s working at a label on a dozen other artists.
You’re on tour right now! How surreal is it for you? What is the wildest thing that’s happened so far?
It still doesn’t feel real that this is my first year headlining and technically my second tour ever. We have had to repeat some markets that we did at the beginning of the tour, and are tripling the size of the rooms. It’s all just beyond my wildest dreams that this is possible. I’d say the wildest thing that’s happened is probably when a fan gave me their prosthetic eye. They had a sign asking to trade it for a setlist, and obviously, I said, “You can just have a setlist,” but they insisted I have the eye. They were awesome.
Your 3rd album, ‘Dilworth’, is out this week. What can you tell us about it?
To me, it is a continuation of ‘Sleepyhead’ because I have been in a whirlwind of writing nonstop for years now. But to a new listener, I would say it is a dark, sexy, desperate, heavy and ethereal journey through my life.
What does making music mean to you?
It’s my therapy, and it’s all I know how to do. I don’t know how to turn it off or take a break.
‘Sleepyhead’ has solidified you in the rock scene. Why do you think it resonated so strongly with people?
I had just finished writing and recording an entire rock album before ‘Sleepyhead’, and I was shopping it around to rock labels, hoping someone would sign me. I made the whole album trying to fit into what was popular on rock radio, which, if I’m being honest, I don’t even listen to. I only listen to stuff I grew up on, basically, so it felt disingenuous.
While shopping it around, I made ‘Sleepyhead’ just for myself to feel creative again. I ended up liking it a lot and decided I would put it out independently while I waited on answers from the labels that hadn’t already said no. I think it took off because it sounded like it came from a real place that wasn’t trying to fit into everything else. It was different, and the pain in it is genuine.
How has being an artist changed you?
It has allowed me to finally speak about my issues. To be open about things, I kept to myself most of my life. I still struggle to talk about things in real life; I have work to do there. But I’ve become comfortable at least expressing and articulating it in my lyrics and through the way I sing. That has changed my life, and I think allowed me to get sober and not continue to spiral internally.
photography. Josh Flores
styling. Michael Comrie
talent. Jutes
lighting. Sasha Paskal
editing. Joe Ginzburg
interview. Dana Reboe
