JAKE HOOK

Jake Patrick Robert Hook, a British born singer-song writer and recording artist, raised in Camden, London by an Irish catholic mother and protestant English father. He credits his musical abilities to his childhood theatre company. As a child Jake was no stranger to the stage or the film industry as he starred in 4 London musicals and appeared in the BBC drama "The Biz" - he sang backing for Meatloaf and appeared on the TOP 15 hit "I am in Love with the World," released on Columbia in 1997.    

It all started with great grannys old piano. She left it to Jake in her will, not because he showed promise, but because he was the only one in the large Irish family not to thump the hell out of it! 

However, Jake didnt learn to play that piano. dyslexia turned grannys s heet music into a sea of meaningless dots, which Jake would join together to make the face of his music teacher, until she washed her hands of him.

But Jake knew he could play, he just had to find a way to learn. Every Saturday morning at kids theatre, nine-year-old Jake would lie under the baby grand, memorising how the chords were formed and how they sounded, until he too could play the tunes in his head.

Out of this came a stripped, raw and sensitive musicality, unconventional in its roots yet fresh in its presence.  After his self funded debut album ‘Record on The Blag' containing 17 original tracks failed to ignite sales Jake left his first label, in 2006 after numerous label changes Jake founded his own label LBM and with financial backing sourced from around the world has written a part autobiographical album explaini ng a young man's journey through falling in and out of love, finding yourself and being bullied, this album a young mans rite of passage, paved with heartache, family disputes and finding Jake, concludes in his forthcoming album ‘The Butterfly Observations', dubbed ‘the torch song' album of the new age, the debut single from the album ‘Elusive You' was released and charted in several territories.

Jake's musical influences include Peter Gabriel, Counting Crows and his vocal talent has often been likened to another of his musical influences George Michael.  In 2006 CBBC commissioned a song by Jake called 'Seaside Day Out', this outrated both the UK-Germany football game and primetime TV interactive content of "How To Solve A Problem Like Maria", it received an astounding 250,000 downloads in one week on the BBC interactive service, Jake was said to be  "stunned" and "dead proud" by the news. The song itself, purely aimed at the very young in its lyrical content and upbeat bouncy music is so very different to his other songs, and shows yet another side to the very multi-talented Jake Hook.

As if  writing, singing and playing his own songs wasn't enough, a first at producing the 'DoubleH' remix of  'Baby It's You', for artist Beryl Marsden signed to his record label LoneBoy Records was to be his next undertaking, this single was released worldwide in January 2007.  Also in this month Jake teamed up with singer/songwriters David Sneddon and Chris Townsend on a mini tour of  five dates, gigging in London, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford, releasing his 'Live Sessions Ep' to coincide with this.  The Ep reached the very respectable position of  No.3 in the indiestore chart, and Jake was also featured as artist of the week,"In the final installment from our intrepid singing/songwriting trio (see Sneddon/Townsend in the chart) comes perhaps our favourite. Veering from Eighties funkatering ('Elusive You'). to gorgeous gas mark 9 balladeering ('FireFlies') without batting an eye, it is all utterly marvellous stuff."  Live Sessions remained in the chart for a furthur staggering twelve weeks.

In June 2007, Jake took on the challenge of releasing an ep in six weeks. Releasing the very sexy 'Wanna' as a single from the ep, it took the 7 digitial chart by storm giving Jake his first number one. After a massive amount of work SXY was released on 6th August a fantastic seven track Ep and one Jake can be extremely proud of.  After been the fastest seller in its first week on download peaking at No.2 in the '7digital' chart SXY finally took the number one postion at the end of week two and remained in the top 5 for a further two weeks.

As 2008 enters its final months and with two 7digital indiestore number ones to his name, a successful Tour, I remain optimistic that Jake will go on to be big in the music industry, this is still only the beginning for this young man who in my opinion has yet to reach his true potential. After spending a lot of his time this year writing with other singer/songwriters trying new styles and sounds we look forward to the highly anticipated release of the co-written ‘’Too Late’ with 60’s icon Beryl Marsden due for release very soon, showing yet another strength in Jake’s musical abilities.

Growing musically with each track he writes, unafraid to try new and different sounds and unlike a lot of musicians today the ability to sound as good singing live as he does recorded, Jake's music makes you feel on so many levels and does in a number of different genres, his upbeat tempos and his beautiful ballads have lyrics with such intensity and passion you simply have to hear them for yourself, Jake is a true musical talent from his writing, his creativity and his vocal performance and one I’m sure will continue to influence the people he touches with his music for a long time to come.

Combine his good looks, his talent and a voice that is so powerful and filled with emotion, Jake Hook is a musician who sheds new light on the concept of the singer-songwriter. As for Grannys old piano, it has been by his side ever since....