Look Who It Is! · Episode 34
Jackson Hymel: From Bedroom Recordings to Nashville
Jackson started making pop-rap songs into his phone at 10. Now he’s writing guitar-driven songs, recording in Nashville, and learning how to turn real life into music people can feel.
Meet Jackson
Jackson Hymel is a New Orleans singer-songwriter making music across alternative country, folk, Americana, and rock. In this conversation, the high-school senior takes us from recording early songs in his bedroom to performing live, signing with independent label Young Outlaw Music, and working with producers in Nashville and remotely.
What we talked about
- Making pop-rap songs on an iPhone with BandLab at age 10—and what happened to those recordings.
- Picking up a friend’s guitar, then discovering he plays left-handed even though he writes right-handed.
- His first guitar, his early project American Blood, and getting past the nerves of performing live.
- How an application through ReverbNation led to Young Outlaw Music and vocal coaching.
- Recording with Brent McCollough in Nashville and working remotely with producer Jacob Zebel.
- How “Love Again” and the unreleased “Ups and Downs” trace different sides of his first heartbreak.
- Balancing senior year, powerlifting, songwriting, and the demand to post on social media.
An iPhone, BandLab, and a left-handed guitar
Jackson remembers making pop-rap recordings into his phone when other kids his age were playing with Legos. He eventually moved toward songwriting with a guitar, although that journey started with a small surprise: he picked up a friend’s right-handed guitar left-handed, then bought his own inexpensive left-handed guitar despite being right-handed.
He still keeps old song ideas in his files and stores new ones in a crowded voice-memo app. Even a rough recording can become the beginning of a new song.
From “Love Again” to “Ups and Downs”
Jackson wrote “Love Again” after his first real heartbreak. Recording it with Brent McCollough was his first professional studio experience, and Brent and fellow songwriter Tyler Bond helped reshape the song. Jackson talks honestly about the strange part of playing a heartbreak song live after he no longer feels the same way he did when he wrote it.
“Ups and Downs” takes the story forward. It began as a low, mellow song, but Brent heard a more upbeat, rock-leaning comeback in the lyrics and helped Jackson bring that energy into the performance. Jackson also shares what he’s working on next, including “Rabbit Hole” and “All I Had.”
Still building the show
Jackson is learning to get more comfortable onstage by playing more shows. He hopes to put together a band so songs like “Ups and Downs” can have the full sound he hears in his head. Meanwhile, he’s juggling music, school, powerlifting, and all the work that comes with releasing songs independently.