
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JAKE O'NEILL

Meet Jake O’Neill - country musician from Lancashire who is steadily taking the UK Country scene by storm. Jake makes the genre sound absolutely effortless, and has recently dominated social media with his Country rendition of the High School Musical classic, ‘Gotta Go My Own Way’.
We join Jake in conversation ahead of his newest release, ‘Best Kinda Bad News’...
Thanks for joining us, Jake. We’d love to know how your journey into country music started… What was it that inspired you to venture into this genre?
“I’ve always been a music lover in general - growing up I listened to a lot of different genres. It ranges from earlier stuff such as Elvis and Creedence Clearwater Revival; artists my grandad was into, to bands and artists that my dad got me into such as Keane, Stereophonics - that kind of thing.
I also went through a phase (that I am still in) of being into singer-songwriters such as James Morrison, who I think is hugely underrated.
As I got a bit older, I found that I was drawn to the indie vibe; bands like the Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, and The Kooks. One of my absolute favourite bands was Kings of Leon, with my favourite track by them being ‘Back Down South’ off their album ‘Come Around Sundown’.
I was a big fan of country music as a whole, but that album was a gateway to this genre of music.”
Is there a particular artist that you were most influenced by in your singing and songwriting?
“I discovered Chris Stapleton. He was one of my biggest inspirations - a lot of the things that I had begun writing at about 17 years old had country-style elements regarding song structure, lyrics, and melodies thanks to [Stapleton]. I truly admire his vocal performance.
Some of my other inspirations include ERNEST, Kameron Marlowe, and John Mayer - I wish I could play guitar like him!”
John Mayer is a good one - it’s nice to hear his name brought up! We’re keen to get your thoughts on the progression of country music in the UK over the last few years…
“There is no doubt that the progression of country music in the UK has been positive. Country music deserves all the recognition it’s getting - it stems down from so many different branches of ‘country’ within the genre.
Everyone has their own type of country that they like, and I’m all for it. When people say things like “this isn’t country” and “that isn’t country” it annoys me as it’s like saying that a song isn’t a rock song because it doesn’t have every single element that every other rock song has. There are sub-genres to every genre and a lot more within the country genre!
I love that artists can come over to the UK to tour and do really well. More so, the up-and-coming UK country artists can venture over to America and do shows. It’s fantastic, and it’s what country music is all about.”
We couldn’t agree more - country music is something that needs to be shared and celebrated in the UK. Let’s talk a little about your musical career. What has been your most memorable moment so far?
“2024 has probably been my biggest year to date, and I’m very appreciative of all the opportunities that I’ve been given.
I would say that one of my stand-out moments would be Buckle and Boots festival, and of course supporting 49 Winchester at their sold-out show in Glasgow. Having watched them support Luke Combs on his arena world tour in 2023 was just incredible, but also the most nervous I’ve ever been for a performance!
2025 is looking to be even bigger, and I’m really excited as well as nervous about it!”
Of course - we’re really looking forward to seeing you at the Roadhouse Weekender festival next year! Now, you have a new single coming out - talk to us about it.
“Best Kinda Bad News” is my next single, and it’s a song that I wanted to have fun with. Lyrically, I wanted it to be super simple and easy-going - I didn’t think too much about over-writing it.
I’m really into modern and pop country; there’s something about an upbeat and easy-going country song that sits well with my style of writing.
The scenario in the song is completely made up! It’s about being in a bar and seeing that girl walk in, and everyone is staring at them. It’s a common occurrence and I just wanted the narrative of the song to be relatable.
‘Best kind of bad news’ is a phrase that’s used to say, ‘I know this person is bad news, but they’re the best kind of bad news’ - and I’m all for it! I wanted to make something catchy and I think I’ve done just that. I’m really happy with how it’s turned out, and I hope people have fun listening to it! It was written solely by myself and produced by my good friend Tom Auton over in Cardiff, Wales. We had a lot of fun in the studio getting it down, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it!”
We’ve heard a few snippets and we’re excited to hear the whole thing! As a country music artist in the UK, what challenges have you faced?
“I think the biggest difficulty for us UK artists is getting the exposure that we need. The events, festivals, and gigs here in the UK are genuinely incredible, and in some ways better than some over in the USA.
I think that there’s a little stigma with country music; that if you’re not directly from a ranch in Southern America, you’re automatically not/can't be a country singer.
Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone is entitled to their own different kind of country. Being from a small, rural town in Lancashire, I’m directly from the countryside but I don’t necessarily write about that - it’s just where I’ve grown up.
I feel like I should be able to express myself in any way I’d like, and I chose country music to do that. It should be celebrated, not put down.”
And what artists would you love to collaborate with?
“There are plenty of artists stateside that I would love to collaborate with in terms of both writing songs and singing with. The obvious ones are some of the artists that inspired me that I mentioned earlier.
I am a huge fan of Nashville-based artist, Dan Smalley, who has a great following over here in the UK. I think Smalley is criminally underrated and his stories, lyrics, and vocals are some of the best I’ve ever heard.
In regards to UK-based artists, there are too many to choose from! There’s more talent than people realise over here in the UK, and a lot of them are now my good friends. I think Katie Rigby has a really big future ahead of her - she’s a great artist. Gary Quinn has also been really big for me in terms of opportunities, and in my opinion, is one of the best writers around.”
Best Kinda Bad News releases on November 1st - you can also catch Jake O’Neil LIVE at our Roadhouse Unplugged: Kent and Brighton events, as well as the Roadhouse Weekender 2025.
Artist Spotlight Jake O'Neill