THE JOURNEY OF JJ RUPP
Close to the center of Pennsylvania, less than 1,000 people call the small town of Halifax home. Among those denizens, singer, songwriter, and guitarist JJ Rupp has quietly emerged with a distinct and dynamic style of his own rooted in dyed-in-the wool country with flourishes of rock and blues. Logging countless packed shows, tallying streams in the millions, and attracting a fervent fan base, his sharp storytelling, workmanlike dedication to the craft, and show-stopping voice drive his 2022 Make You Mine EP [RAHHH Records/Average Joes Entertainment] and more to come.
“I grew up in the sticks of Pennsylvania, so the sound ends up mixing a couple of different things,” he notes. “I’m always trying to evolve exponentially not only as a person, but also as a vocalist, writer, and musician. I’m married to the idea of growing and doing something bigger and better. I’m sort of a workaholic too,” he smiles.
He absorbed a passion for music from his old man. Dad worked construction, but he also played guitar constantly. At just three-years-old, JJ often fell asleep in his father’s lap as he jammed on the guitar with buddies. He eventually learned guitar from pops on “an old Rickenbacker electric buried in the case under a bunch of things.” In between trading blues licks with dad for hours on end, the budding musician listened to everyone from Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughan—“as every guitar player does at some point,” he grins.
At just 12-years-old, he performed for the first time with a country band in a “middle of nowhere Pennsylvania field.” Joining his first proper band in high school, he continued to cut his teeth in talent shows, assemblies, and at the local carnival. Soon, he found himself on stage with local classic rock outfit Shotgun, honing his chops further. Before even graduating high school, he rocked the cover scene. Despite being escorted out after his sets due to being underage, it felt like destiny. “If somebody’s handing you a couple hundred bucks a night to play your guitar in front of girls, it doesn’t get any better,” he laughs.
During 2018, he served up his debut Wild Things EP. In its wake, he performed alongside everyone from Jimmie Allen to Old Dominion, averaging hundreds of shows per year. Throughout 2021, he wrote and recorded Make You Mine with producer Matt Holmes, co-writer Brandon Hartt, and engineer Matt Malpass [Machine Gun Kelly]. Along the way, he further developed his signature sound.
“Coming from the cover band world, I really do love every style,” he says. “The music lives in rock, country, pop, and blues, but the key is always just quality songwriting.”
This songwriting defines Make You Mine. Right out of the gate, it reacted with listeners to the tune of 500K total Spotify streams anchored by the gauzy lovestruck bliss of “Kiss Me” and dreamy fifties-style melodies of “The Way You Lie.”
Elsewhere, “Make You Mine” struts along on palm-muted guitar towards a stadium-size refrain uplifted by a hypnotic harmony and chantable hook.
“Malpass programmed these beats, and I fell in love with it,” he recalls. “It turned into a fleeting love ballad trapped inside a more upbeat song. The idea is, ‘Things can be bad, but I’m not going to give up on this, because I think it’s the right thing to do—and you’re the one who’s worth doing it for.’ It suits my personality.”
The single “Mexico” illuminates another side of JJ altogether. Spanish guitar underlines his vibrant and vivid hook, “Here I am heading south of the Border looking for a mamacita who can lean on my shoulder in Mexico. Trading this Jack for a shot of Cuervo.”
“It’s a heartbroken storytelling song,” he reveals. “So many younger single men such as myself are like, ‘I’m done with this. I need to get away. I need to clear my head. Maybe I’ll go have tequila or get high’. You’re coping in all of the wrong ways. Instead of being sad here though, why not be sad in some beautiful place like Mexico? It’s borderline old school country with the clean guitars, and it felt good.”
In the end, JJ’s music has the power to resonate with people everywhere.
“I feel like there’s something in this for everybody,” he leaves off. “I hope people connect with it and want to hear what I’m going to do next. We’re all growing together. That’s the biggest thing.”
