Milwaukee Artist Jake Budke released his newfound sound in “Heartbreaks Hurt, I Know.”
Milwaukee artist Jake Budke, 21, stopped himself from peering around his bedroom for items capable of being turned into song lyrics and began digging up the fallout of his high school heartbreak. With the support of his friends and family, he was able to release his first extended play, “Heartbreaks Hurt, I Know.” on Jan. 4.
Budke grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota and moved to London at just eight years old. Now, he is a third-year student at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee studying biology.
At four years old, he started taking piano lessons and later fell in love with the sound. He did not know he could sing until his father encouraged him to join choir during his sophomore year of high school. After discovering his voice, he began performing in talent shows and writing his own lyrics.
“I feel like my writing process is a lot different than other artists,” said Budke. “I used to sit in my room and make metaphors about the objects I was surrounded by. For my songs about heartbreak, I just dove into my own breakup and used some of my closest friends’ stories to make it more personal.”
When Budke is ready to have his work produced, changing his original idea is not an option.
“I wrote each song in my EP in like five minutes, and that was the song,” said Budke. “I went into the studio, and nothing was changed. Every idea I had was kept.”
His two singles, “Girl Next Door” and “Don’t Need You” have a much faster and more upbeat sound than the songs featured in “Heartbreaks Hurt, I Know.”
“I’m so happy I finally found music I like to create,” said Budke. “I think when I first said I wanted to be an artist, I was trying to be a crowd-pleaser. I was forcing my music to sound too mainstream. I hated it. After releasing my second single, I took a break and focused on music that makes me feel something when I create it. Those five songs in my EP were so emotional for me. I had many lapses where I thought I wasn’t going to release it. It took a lot for me to be vulnerable and put it out there. It actually meant something to me.”
After releasing and promoting his new sound, Budke felt an overwhelming amount of support.
“One of my best friends from my hometown called me right after it was released at midnight,” said Budke. “He left a voicemail, and he was telling me how proud he was and how this music is what I represent.”
Budke was presented an opportunity to film a video for “Swimming Backwards,” the fourth song listed in his EP.
“I am so thankful for my friends and especially my talented friends,” said Budke. “They brought it to me and asked to do a music video. My friend Ari, she’s an actress, she was phenomenal. I didn’t even have to try to get her to cry. She could just do it on command. It was awesome.”
Although his career goals may overshadow his musical journey, it is far from over. Budke is looking for new opportunities in and around the Milwaukee area.
“Music will always be a part of me, as it is one of the biggest aspects of my life,” said Budke. “Music is everything to me. Whether it’s listening to it, finding new artists or making my own music, it’s always going to be a part of my life.”