A Conversation with JACKPAL: Featuring His Debut Single “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE”

Interview by Adrienne Joelle

Graphic by Rebekah Witt

Jack Powell is here to reintroduce himself as the artist he feels he was always driven to be. Meet JACKPAL: a 21-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina who is reimagining his sound and image to fit who he is today, signifying an endless aim for growth and authenticity. His previous releases touch on his rap roots, garnering over 1 million streams on his song “11:11” after somehow landing a spot on a YouTube sounds account via his SoundCloud. At the right place and right time, more so, unexpectedly, his name was able to get out there and strike a chord with listeners. But Jack isn’t sticking to what feels safe. He is able to maneuver through changes and stick to the times, focusing on what’s relevant today in music and building on it to make it his very own. I spoke with Jack about the release of his new single “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE,” working with upcoming record label In Phase Records, and what inspires him to stay true to his vision.

Tell us who you are and where you are from!

I’m Jack Powell, I’m 21, and I’m originally from Dallas but moved to Charleston in 2005-2006, and I’ve basically been in South Carolina my whole life! I moved to LA in December.
How would you describe your sound? I understand you’ve previously released more rap-focused music and this is rather different. 

Yeah for the most part I started out rapping, actually. My dad showed me Eminem in fifth or sixth grade and I was like “Wow, it’d be so cool if I was a rapper.” I tried and a lot of kids at school made fun of me. I eventually started to grow so fond of it and just love everything about making music and listening to music.

How did you get started, and how’s it been going so far?

I’ve been writing music my whole life, but when I went to an art school, there was this kid there, and we used to just despise each other. One day, he stole my phone and went through my notes, and I guess [he] saw something I was writing. He said it was so good and that I should go to his studio. So I ended up going to the studio, and after that, we just ended up being really good friends. That’s where the music started. I was introduced to my engineer at the time, and he was there for the start of everything, especially when I was rapping and stuff like that. I honestly looked at him as a mentor for a long time just because I didn’t really have anybody else there to guide me besides my friend and him, and that’s how everything happened. I don’t know why, but something in my soul was just like, “This is what I’m meant to do,” and I just kept going. There’s a channel on YouTube called Promoting Sounds, and they basically just post songs that they enjoy. They found one of my songs through my SoundCloud and it took off overnight. It was really cool how it happened. 

What caused the change of direction in your sound? 

As I got older, it turned from rap to me figuring out where my vocal range was. As I matured, my music palate started to expand, and I just started to love a lot of different genres as well, especially after making a lot more rock or alternative music. That’s definitely where my niche is at the moment. I love the new sound and how experimental I can get with it. Personally, I hate the songs that I have under the Jack Powell name because a lot of the songs were from the album I made in 2018, and for some reason, one of the songs just took off. It’s cool to see the progress of where I’m at right now versus where I was, but as far as that type of music goes, I don’t think I would ever do it again. I think when stuff comes out under JACKPAL, that’ll be able to show what I’m capable of. It’s weird how creativity works. I feel more comfortable with where I’m at now so it’s really cool.

You’re the first artist launching via In Phase Records, so can you tell me what this means for you and a little bit about the process? 

I’m flattered! I’m stoked to put the song out. The first time I went to LA was a year ago, and I ended up meeting [producer/manager] Noah Taylor at a coffee shop and he liked what I had going on. He took me back to his Airbnb, and I showed him a couple of demos. From there, we kind of just built a friendship. It wasn’t about business and more so about him guiding me, things like “Your demos suck, we need to get you more real equipment,” that kind of relationship. After I showed him a lot more demos, he told me he wanted to manage me, and I thought that was awesome, I’ve always wanted a manager because now I have a manager who is proactive with stuff, whereas before I had the opposite. 

Let's talk about your new single “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE.” How did it come together? What is it about, and what was the inspiration behind it?

I guess I’ll start from the ground. I bought a shed, a backyard shed, and renovated the entire thing. I put electricity in there, drywall, built a desk into the wall, got a bunch of sound panels and stuff like that, and I turned it into my studio. Noah was coming over a lot, and I was like “Oh my god Noah, let’s make a song!” and he’s like “No, I don’t wanna make a song; I’ve been working on music the last couple of months, I just wanna chill.” This one night, he came over, and we were just messing around playing instrumentals. One thing led to another, and I was just screaming bloody murder into the microphone. That’s how “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE” was born. 

I think the beauty in making music comes a lot from when you least expect it.

For me personally, that’s where all my best songs come from. My first sessions with people I work with are some of the most detrimental to me because we either make something that’s really fucking cool and I’m gonna work with them forever, or I don’t really know because we couldn’t really catch a vibe but instantly when we started, that song was just there. I love making music when it’s just natural how the song comes about. We probably finished that song in about 45 minutes, and every take was authentic and natural. I love when you can make music and it goes like that; it’s a really cool feeling. 

Why did you pick this song as your first single?

I wanted to come out and make something that was so fun and just made you wanna dance, something that had a feeling to it for my first song. We had a plan to drop a slower song that’s more pop that we were going to put out first, but honestly, I just felt in my soul that putting out a song like this would’ve been a good idea to show people how versatile it is. It’s just fun and different in my opinion, and I just feel like I wanna do something not a lot of people are doing. My goal is to make a sound that isn’t really mainstream but definitely has the potential to be that. It’s a little more in your face but in a good way. 

What are your goals for this year as an artist, and where do you see yourself in a few months' time? How will your new single move you in the right direction?

As far as expectations go, I don’t have any because I don’t want to let myself down. My entire life, I’ve had expectations, and for the most part, they never get met, so I’m just gonna let the song do what it’s gonna do, let the people enjoy it, and just see where it takes us. I feel like the song is gonna be shown to the right audience, and I feel like a lot of people are gonna be interested in what can come next. At this point, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is what I wanna do with my life, and I just have no choice but to be comfortable with everything that comes with it. I feel like it’s like surfing. You have to wait for the right wave to hit you and just catch it and that’s how it goes versus forcing a wave. You have to wait for it to come to you and roll with it and just be ready, or else it’ll just go right by you.

As JACKPAL embarks on a new part of his journey, he embraces change and the beauty of taking things in stride. He does so with great optimism and poise, as “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE” is the embodiment of sonic fun and exploration. It is a song that no definition can be given to, yet something that anyone can enjoy no matter what genre you are drawn to. His first single was chosen as a statement and testimony to the artist he wants to be: one who is versatile and knows no limits. Jack isn’t building this from the ground up, but he is building it from the heart. “I WANNA MAKE YOU MINE” is out now and can be streamed.