“We clicked instantly, he’s just a true creative,” said JVCKJ on his good friend and musical collaborator Mikey Ferrari.

“We have this crazy chemistry in the studio and during live performances. I tapped in with him for a virtual concert I did for the project I released and he was nice enough to come play a song with me for the set,” JVCKJ continued.

JVCKJ and Mikey Ferrari are not only talented musicians but also close friends. Although their musical paths differ immensely, their friendship and organic chemistry have brought them together to produce unique pop and rap music.

Mikey Ferrari (Photo by Eliot Lee Hazel)

JVCKJ came up as a part of Jack & Jack, a multi-platinum American pop-rap duo. He started doing comedy and spoof songs on YouTube and Vine with Jack Gilinsky and from there they launched their career as a musical duo before developing their own solo careers.

Mikey, on the other hand, has a much different story. “I started making music late, I feel, for most people. I was 17. I was going through some stuff as a kid and I ended up moving to Montana and I was super isolated so my connection with music came from pure expression. I just wanna make music because it makes me feel good and this is how I solve my problems. My way in was trying to figure out how to write songs for other people. I was like, ‘OK if I want people to help me I have to put in my dues.’ I started making my way to L.A., missing classes to go to studio sessions by my junior year [in college]. It was a slow grind man.”

These days, the two produce and record music together, with JVCKJ specializing as a rapper and computer wiz and Mikey being a singer and a “wizard on guitar,” according to JVCKJ.

“We met through a mutual friend, one of my roommates named Sammy Wilk,” said JVCKJ about meeting Mikey. Sammy Wilk is an extremely popular internet personality and musician, like JVCKJ himself.

“Me and Sam used to have the same manager. Sam had a show in L.A. maybe two years ago – God I miss shows – and we linked up then,” Mikey continued. “When I moved to Sherman Oaks, I hit them [JVCKJ and Sammy Wilk] up. Once I started going over there and hanging out with those guys and making music with them, I didn’t stop.”

Now the pair are working on more live performances and new records including JVCKJ and Mikey’s next projects.

“I never like to force things – I think music you can never force. That’s why I emphasize friendship over everything, because trust is so important when you’re making art. That’s why I say I got lucky because I found my people really early on.”

Check out Mikey Ferrari’s new EP Spaceboy, and JVCKJ’s Dec. 2020 project, PASTEL: The Early Days, available on all platforms.

Music connoisseur Ryan Leutz is co-host of The Rockstar Experience Podcast.

You can check out the full podcast with JVCKJ on Apple Podcasts and iHeart Radio.

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