If you’ve been scrolling TikTok in the last two years, you already know Jax. Or rather, you’ve been emotionally sideswiped by her arsenal of pop-punk confessionals, painfully catchy anthems, and enough dad jokes to make an actual dad proud. But behind the viral hits, there’s a songwriting brain that’s been waiting its whole life for the world to catch up. “I get to story tell the way I want to now,” she tells me. “And people actually care about the stories. That’s the miracle of the whole thing.”
That miracle started with parodies—think Stacy’s Mom rewritten from Stacy’s POV—and blew up when Victoria’s Secret took off as a body positivity anthem, kicking corporate ass with a smile. “I didn’t expect Victoria’s Secret to do what it did,” she admits. “So I felt like, what’s the follow-up? I’m used to every day being a follow-up.”
Cue Cinderella Snapped, a rebellious, glittery middle finger to fairy tale tropes and emotionally constipated Prince Charmings. “It came from a book my Nana scribbled all over. She literally crossed out the parts of Cinderella she didn’t agree with,” Jax laughs. “She was the OG feminist CEO in my life.” The track channels that energy with lines like “Relax—you’re being too emotional,” which she flips back at her real-life experiences in the music industry. “It’s what I wish I could’ve said when I was being gaslit,” she says. “So now I get to say it… in a pop-punk anthem.”
Jax admits that for years she was told her lyrics were “too written.” Too many puns. Too smart. Too much. “You start to believe it,” she says. “And that sucks because ‘too written’ is what I love. That’s what makes me happy.” Now she’s weaponizing that style into a brand—one that feels like early-2000s Warped Tour filtered through your group chat. “I call it ‘dad pop.’ It’s pop, but with Hot Topic energy.”
Even love songs don’t get the generic treatment. One fan favorite wasn’t about her own fiancé, but about her parents. “Their love story is my favorite,” she beams. “So I wrote about them and just hoped other people would connect. And they did.” She grins like she still can’t believe it.
With a background in writing songs for other artists (two a day, seven days a week, she notes), Jax is no stranger to burnout. “I used to think I had to lose part of what I love to make money in this business.” But social media flipped that script. “TikTok was the first time people validated the things I was insecure about as a writer.”
She’s acutely aware of the platform’s power and the audience behind it. “If a 14-year-old girl says she doesn’t like my voice, that’s a major note for me,” she shrugs. “That’s my demographic. But if it’s a 45-year-old A&R guy? Depends on the note. If it’s about strategy, fine. But if it’s just taste? Eh.”
Still, she’s found balance in the chaos. “I don’t take a mental health day for my mental health. I take it because if I don’t, no one makes money,” she jokes. “And I can’t create when I’m spiraling. I need my brain to be in that magical place.”
That brain is currently building toward an album—or at least something resembling one. “I’ve narrowed it down to 12 to 15 songs that could really mark this era of my life,” she teases. “It’s cohesive. Or at least I hope so. You said it, I’m jotting that down.”
Live shows are on the horizon too, including a tour with Big Time Rush and Max—whom she met at a barbecue, naturally. “I’m excited to be on the road with Max and his baby. And I’ve got a badass girl band. One of them was in The Somerset. Another is this insane guitarist from Venezuela. I wrote the most douchey letter of recommendation to get her visa approved. I made myself sound like Taylor Swift.”
Jax may joke like she’s still winging it, but her grip on her vision is tight. And that balance between parody and purpose? It’s not an accident—it’s a survival tactic. “I’m just ADD on the app posting songs if I feel like it,” she shrugs. “But if I can sneak in the real stuff between the jokes, that’s the win.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
