‘Voice’ veteran Jake Worthington plays at MCT next weekend
LINDEN, Texas—If you ask Jake Worthington what he’s been up to lately, he’s quick to say he’s been doing a lot of living in a short amount of time.
A Texas-raised runner up on “The Voice” in 2014, the talented La Porte native sings a traditional style of country and released his second EP, “Hell of a Highway,” earlier this year. It’s a follow-up release from his eponymous debut, which spawned successful singles like “Just Keep Falling in Love” and “How Do You Honky Tonk.”
While he was on “The Voice,” Worthington learned under the guidance of Blake Shelton and released three Top 20 tunes.
Worthington plays in the Texarkana area soon when he comes to Music City Texas Theater in Linden, Texas, for a concert on Saturday, Oct. 28, start time 8 p.m.
If folks like to dance, he said, that’s what he’s going to get them up and doing. He’s excit-
ed to be back in East Texas to do just that. He feels fortunate to have two records out but already has more songs to record—“a lot of new music,” he said.
“We’re getting ready to get back in the studio, I believe, this coming year and put out another project,” Worthington said. He’ll have them at the ready to perform at his Linden performance with his full band. So, in that sense, the concert will be sort of a sneak peak at his next record.
There are a number of things Worthington enjoys about playing live, including meeting those folks who’ve supported him since “The Voice” and getting to show them who he is on a personal level. There’s no better way to do that than through a live show, he believes.
“What I enjoy personally the most is getting to tell the stories of the songs,” Worthington said.
His exposure on “The Voice” got his name out to a wide spectrum of people. He feels fortunate to have worked with the people he’s been able to work with following his appearance. He also learned to hone his singing skills on the TV show.
“As far as performing goes, I learned a whole lot of different techniques,” Worthington said, referring to the experience as a kick-start for his career. “Blake was a cool guy, real down to earth. A lot of fun,” he recalled.
While he still meets people who heard about him from the TV show, that’s starting to vary, though, as people discover him through other means, such as Pandora. “It’s starting to vary, which is a good thing, I believe,” he said.
How did he get his start in music? He traces the inspiration back to his grandfather, who’d play guitar for him. It sparked the “music bug” in young Jake, the singer recalled.
“Sooner or later, I got the itch for it and wanted to learn guitar,” Worthington said. He never thought he’d end up as a singer, but that’s how it started. He made some friends in high school who also had the bug and went from there.
Worthington recalls he was a bit reluctant to try out for “The Voice.” But those around him talked him into it, and he’s forever grateful that they did.
“It was kind of a collective, just from family and friends,” Worthington said about being cajoled into going for it on “The Voice.
Now, this 21-year-old is looking forward to getting back into the studio and recording more music for fans old and new.
“We’re planning on putting out a full record this next go-round. I’m excited for that,” Worthington said.
In the interim, you can catch him in a little more than a week at Linden’s MCT.
(Tickets: $5 per person. Call the box office at 903-756-9934 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, to buy tickets or visit MusicCityTexas. org for more information.)