Internet sensations turned rockstars Jack Johnson and Jack Gilinsky have been releasing music under the moniker Jack & Jack for over a decade. The pair, known for their electric sound and charismatic energy, have kicked off a new and vulnerable era titled “SYMBIOSIS,” complete with an album and tour.
The first single, “Losing You,” marks a shift in their pursuit of authenticity. The pair sat down with Samantha Davidson to chat about all things music, creativity, and what fans can expect from the duo this year. Over the course of the interview, they realized the concept of symbiosis fit their vision for this project in a way they didn’t even anticipate.
The Concert Chronicles: You have been collaborating for over 10 years now. What do you think is the secret to creating a fulfilling partnership where you can keep pushing each other creatively?
Jack Johnson: It’s a great question. I think with me and G, we’re kind of in this unique situation where our partnership was a friendship stemming back to kindergarten. To us, it’s about making sure that everything we’re doing in the music space, the career space, [and] the entertainment space doesn’t feel like it’s convoluting our friendship. We were in sixth grade, in front of G’s Webcam on his big desktop computer at his home making iMovie videos using the cheesy effects and uploading them to YouTube. It’s something that we’ve always been very passionate about and always felt effortless. Definitely, there were a few too many hands in the pot at one point when we were in the major label system, and it got away from us for a bit. We would be sometimes making songs that we had no hand in writing. But in this new era, we’ve gotten back to our roots to the 2014 era, where there was just us.
Jack Gilinsky: I second everything you said and just going more off the partnership, like you said, Johnson, even when things weren’t as fun to create, our partnership was still strong as ever. You know, we would just be cutting stuff that we weren’t really interested in, just so we could go kick it as friends. For us, it was never about, “Oh, let’s go make money or be successful together.” It was more like, “Let’s just have fun, keep doing what we’re doing, and if those things come, that’s just kind of secondary; it’s a cool side effect.”
JJ: Those days I think are very necessary, those days where you put all that to the wayside and just bond on a friend level.
TCC: Your new single, “Losing You” just released on February 28. Not only is it sonically stunning, but it is also a symbol of your independence as artists. What does the track mean to you, and why write this now?
JG: We talked about it in something fun starting this week called ‘behind the song’ and we reference this in that video that’s going to come out over the next couple weeks. At our age, you go through different relationships in life that you feel like moving on from is going to be very hard, but if you stay in it, it is actually going to be harder. It’s something that me and Johnson and then Chris, who we wrote the song with, and Ben, we also wrote the song with, and our producer Nick, kind of just bonded on with our guitarist Steph, who wrote that lick, and we all kind of have been through something similar. We compiled all of our different perspectives on a similar topic, and I think it’s nice writing a song when you’re out of the situation, and you can look at it from an outside perspective. I feel like anybody who’s been through something can relate to it as well.
JJ: I like the fact, Samantha, you brought up there could be some symbolism to feeling stuck in this label situation. It’s easier losing that side of us, even though, short term, it might be confusing, which I haven’t even interpreted it like that.
JG: Wow, yeah!
JJ: I think that shows that music is up for interpretation and people can have their own application to a record. I think the more overtone of the song is it’s hopeful and it’s necessary, you know? It’s not like losing you is a bad thing; it’s a short-term pain for long-term peace.
TCC: The music video is coming out this week. I’ve seen some teasers on your Instagram, and they perfectly match the vibe. What was the inspiration for the location and creative direction?
JJ: We wanted it to feel like you’re isolated out in nature with your feelings. The next video we’re going to drop I think we’re going to call it a mountain top performance video.?It’s really cool drone scenery shots and impactful symbolic shots that match the song. We’re going to release it where you have to turn your phone sideways on TikTok so you can watch it. Sometimes music videos can be futile and it feels like, are you just investing a ton of money into something when this thing doesn’t necessarily have legs yet? I think there’s so much artistic merit to music videos, but, you know, rooting ourselves in reality and how attention span is. You’ve got to capture them with that one quotable section, and then now that it has legs, we’d double down and invest in a music video.
TCC: You don’t necessarily need that storyline too, because the video that you’re describing sounds like it will leave that space for people to really take in the song and be able to focus on the music. That’s definitely a great point to start out with this and see what happens with it. You’ll be embarking on a 17-date European tour this March. What can you tell us about this tour’s live show experience? What can fans expect?
JG: A lot of people are coming to see their favorite J&J songs that they met their best friend from or, you know, it’s just nostalgic for whatever reason when they were in middle school or high school, and now they’re 24-25 and that’s really special to us. At the same time, we are always going to play what we’re really excited about, which is the new stuff. We show love to the entire range of the Jack & Jack catalog from 2014 to literally 2025 now with “Losing You,” so it’s 11 years worth of music. Our music director, Roberto, is a genius in all senses of the word. He makes it really easy for us to come in on day one of rehearsal, and we now have this medley.
JJ: I think we’ve hybridized it in a very cool way. We’re showcasing what’s to come for Jack & Jack, and we’re making sure that you get the taste of what made you fall in love in the first place. We have a nice, tight-knit team; the synergy is amazing. I think me and G personally have just gotten better as musicians, like vocals and keys. There’s some really cool covers that we’re going to be doing on this European leg of some European artists that we like, and I’m just really excited, you know?
TCC: I saw you teasing that this is the beginning of the album rollout; what is one word or a phrase that comes to mind to describe this era we’re about to embark on?
JJ: I don’t just want to say ‘symbiotic,’ but it is the perfect encapsulation of this project because we’ve been hinting at this and the fans will see on the second record; there’s going to be a J side and a G side to the project. We have six Jack & Jack records, and then we have three G records, three J records. So you’re going to hear G only singing on it, but it’s good to know I’m still involved behind the scenes.
JG: We’re fully intertwined. It’s almost like Tom Hardy is just fully taken over by this substance in Venom. I feel like that is each of us on every single song on this project. Even if you don’t see it visually, it’s there. I’m so excited about this.
JJ: When our old team pigeonholed us, and we couldn’t even contractually make music together, we were like, “Yeah, we wanna make solo music, but we don’t wanna put Jack & Jack on hiatus.” Now, we’re able to do exactly what the vision was from the beginning. I think we’re finally breaking through to true liberation and freedom, you know?
The duo also revealed plans for a North American tour following their European leg. Stay tuned for updates and make sure to catch them live when they stop at a city near you.
Note: Questions and answers have been slightly edited for brevity and clarity.
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