Serving up a hot plate of reality is a singer-songwriter, musician, and rock recording artist Jay Luke with a painstakingly honest new single and music video entitled "You'll Never Beat The Addiction."
Honing his craft and paying his dues in the music scene since 2003, Jay Luke has proved himself as a timeless act. He's performed gigs with Duff McKagan of Guns N Roses, W.A.S.P., Metal Church, To/Die/For from Finland, Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, Richie Ramone of The Ramones, and more.
With tens of thousands of streams under his belt, Jay Luke is using his platform to spread awareness and express relatable battles through tracks like the recent "You'll Never Beat The Addiction." It's a hard-hitting, cut-throat rock song that takes a hard look at the demons many of us battle and the consequences that come with our actions.
He also released an accompanying music video for the song, produced by Mary Frances Jackson and Chris Balton. The grim black-and-white scene that takes place in what looks like an abandoned construction site sees Luke embodying the wicked ways of addiction and knowing that he has the power to destroy dreams, families, and lives.
All while the thrilling rock instrumentals pounce through our speakers alongside Jay Luke's passionate vocals, he hits us over the head with harsh realities while standing knee-deep in sinkholes that seem like rock bottom. It's one of those music videos that make you think twice about what you just experienced and the horrific toll that addiction can have on our lives.
We invite you to stare reality dead in the face with Jay Luke's conceptual new music video for his single "You'll Never Beat The Addiction." Find the music video on YouTube and the single on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Jay Luke. What made you want to take this conceptual route and discuss the harsh realities of addiction in your new single, "You'll Never Beat The Addiction?"
Most of my music/lyrics always come from personal things that I have gone through or have been witness to. For this single, I discussed addiction from the perspective of the actual addiction itself, watching the addict come back and back again. This song isn't necessarily just aimed at one addiction, in general, it covers anything that people tend to overdo, from gambling, drugs, drinking, sex, eating, etc. I suppose the most obvious of the addictions that pop out is Heroin. I have seen so many friends lose battles to so many addictions by just being around certain circles and scenarios where temptation is too great. Once you fall into a rabbit hole, it is hard to get out of, as there aren't many casual users of certain substances if you dabble, you end up on the end of a hook that you can't break free from. It is a pattern that the longer you're around, the more you notice. It starts out with someone asking for money to pay for things that never get purchased or being behind on bills, then it goes to further lies and eventually theft to afford to keep a habit going or worse. Everyone in the vicinity of that tornado gets affected by it. A few dear friends of mine were taken by the curse of chasing the euphoria of heroin, and to see the way it destroys someone you love and care about is just devastating. It is far from glamorous and tears apart so much.
Why did you choose to shoot the "You'll Never Beat The Addiction" music video at an abandoned construction site? Do those visuals have a deeper significance?
The location of the video shoot gave the vibe of desolation and loss that I felt was representative of the overall ominous subject matter; shooting in black and white also reinforced the significance as well. We lucked out on the location by chance, and within the building, there were many remnants of the very things discussed. Shelter for addicts, where we found a lot of paraphernalia that was indicative of a troubled user that lost everything.
What was it like working with Mary Frances Jackson and Chris Balton for the "You'll Never Beat The Addiction" music video? How did they help bring your vision to life?
Mary Frances Jackson and Chris Balton are pretty much the only teams I work with on visual art relating to my music. This is the 3rd or 4th project we have worked on with my music, and I am just so grateful for the way we seem to fit like a glove in joining the visual to the audio on these types of things. We have done a few music videos, and during the pandemic, we filmed a performance for the NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest together. I feel very comfortable with them, and we waste no time. Once shooting and editing begin we know what we want to achieve, and it is efficiently accomplished. They bring out the best in me and push me in directions that challenge me, which is what art is all about, finding a way just a few steps out of the comfort zone you are used to. Nothing is too wild or crazy, and they encourage only amazing ideas.
Do you usually create such honest and compelling songs like "You'll Never Beat The Addiction?" Do personal themes like this often make their way into your songs?
Serious Personal themes like "You'll Never Beat The Addiction" are the basis of almost every one of my songs. I have always felt unless you are speaking from a point of being there and not a fantasy viewpoint, it is sort of see-through or fake. I try to keep my lyrics about things I know, felt, have been around, or have been through, and that hopefully translates to the listener as well. Whether it is about love, life, obstacles, or observing things, I keep the lyrical matter as real as it is to me on a personal level. My lyrics are the biggest doorway into my life. I listen to a song I wrote and am instantly transported to where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with when I wrote it.
What's next for you?
At the current time, I am heavy at work on my fourth solo album, which this single will be included. I am also in the studio with my other band, Reach For The Sky, working on our 4th album and in the studio finishing up the debut of another band I am in called The Stones Of Atlantis. To say that time free time is sparse is an understatement, but I love being immersed in the creative process and seeing ideas come to life.