THE MIXER | EDITORIAL
Portrait of Unstoppable
Jack Powers
by Matvey Cherry
Illustration by Paco May
Like a bolt from the blue, Jack Powers has once again burst into the vastness of the Internet with the “Cupid Landing” music video release.
In May, Jack impressed the New York underground scene with the incredibly catchy song “Finally Perfect.“
“I wanted to create something that would be special to my friends and New York downtown. Something that honors who came before us but is also important for the future.”
The actors in the first music video of his 2022 era – the heroes of the gossip columns and friends of Powers: Sophia Lamar, Sean Ford…
“I’ve been just so lucky to meet different kinds of people through different types of connections, sometimes just going to a nightclub and meeting someone on a dance floor or being in a creative environment. I like to go out and explore.”
Continuing to talk about important people in his life, Jack switches to modern culture and mentions Lady Gaga.
“I connect to her as a New Yorker. We’re both native New Yorkers and I can hear the vibe of this city in her music.”
Unable to control my emotions, I tell my interlocutor that I hate Gaga. Jack smiles sweetly and says,
“that’s ok.”
“I love Peter Berlin’s self-portraits. I think he was great. And I used to perform at a cabaret in Paris using Queen songs,”
he answers my question about comments on social media that make comparisons with the legends of queer culture. After all, who wasn’t inspired by others at the beginning of their path?
Matvey: You started your career in Paris.
Jack: I actually started my career in London.
Matvey: Hmmm…
Jack: Yea, I grew up in New York City and when everybody ran up to college I just decided to go to London. I definitely went through a very interesting and transformative period there. I met a lot of amazing underground artists there and they inspired me to dress and find a completely new way of expression.
Do you understand? He’s a Londoner-dandy, he’s a Parisian-libertine, he’s a New Yorker-glam rocker.
“I traveled to Paris for a fashion week, in London a lot of fashion enthusiasts do it. Then a friend told me that I could get a promo show there. It was a spontaneous decision, I remember I did my makeup on the Eurostar, then was sneaking in at the parties, lived in a hostel, and after a lot of auditions, I sort of convinced a manager at the cabaret to hire me.”
Matvey: How did you start to write your own songs?
Jack: I felt that I have a lot to say, I wanted to tell stories and express myself.
Matvey: Don’t you feel that it is harder to perform and promote your own songs when there are a lot of people doing covers and lip-sync numbers at every club? The audience already knows these songs and can support them but you have to make them get into your art and make them interested in it.
Jack: Perhaps. The audience can be confused when they hear something new, but is it bad? I kinda like it. I would like to do covers though, I have a few ideas.
Matvey: Lady Gaga?
Jack: Maybe
Matvey: Queen?
Jack: Maybe.
Matvey: Tell us!
Jack: Oh well, just stay tuned!
Jack says he doesn’t plan anything, never dreams, and lives one day at a time. I don’t believe him.
Matvey: I thought that because you spoke about Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury, extremely ambitious people, you have a certain plan…
Jack: Well, no. I live in the moment. It’s not about me trying to get something, it’s about me trying to give something. Love… But what is love?
Matvey: What’s your version? In my version, it’s not about happiness, something bloody and what leaves huge wounds on you.
Jack: I think love is something that holds stars in the sky. But I don’t know.
We ended our conversation with small impromptu rapid fire questions:
Matvey: What’s the happiest song?
Jack: Madonna – Holiday.
Matvey: What’s the saddest song?
Jack: Some piano music, classical music, not necessarily because they’re sad but because of the emotion they hold.
Matvey Cherry
Artist
Paco May
Illustrator
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