Jeremy Shada Channels James Bond 007 in Video For New Single "If Looks Could Kill" — Debut Album "VINTAGE" Due Out October 1st
/
Bi-coastal Emmy and MTV Award winning actor and musician Jeremy Shada unveils another enticing teaser ahead of his debut album launch for “VINTAGE”, set for release independently on October 1st. With the assist from producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, it’s a collection of autobiographical vignettes fusing pop music’s greatest eras to redefine romance in the modern age. Across 12 tracks, Jeremy explores the crooners of the ‘20s to the funk lines of the ‘70s to the catchy hard-hitting pop melodies of the ‘80s through present day. In the new single “If Looks Could Kill,” the rising talent channels all things James Bond 007—the mystery of classic film noir, the seduction of the thrill and chase, and the timeless charm of a suit and tie.
On the inspiration behind the new song, Jeremy Shada explains, “Lyrically, ‘If Looks Could Kill’ is about hitting emotional rock bottom and falling prey to bad decisions that you hope will dull the emotional pain from your past, but ultimately a momentary pleasure can lead to a long lasting regret. I wanted to compose the song in a way that makes it feel like a James Bond song. Sonically the song has a moody orchestral feel to it which hits home the cinematic spy movie aspect. I grew up loving James Bond movies and always wanted to make a song for one. Since that’ll probably never happen officially I just decided to make one unofficially.”
This summer, the 24-year-old multi-hyphenate shared a slew of singles and videos to promote his upcoming LP, including fan-favorite “Humphrey Bogart” as well as the video for single "Dancing With Strangers"—a fun tune paying homage to the '80s with epic Phil Collins-esque drum beats in which Jeremy Shada looks deep into his psyche and examines the societal pressures around dating in your 20s. The release went on to receive praise from Entertainment Weekly and HollywoodLife to start, the latter raving that the song "gets stuck in your head with its infectious beat and surging, neon-soaked production…” Recently, he also revealed “This Feels Right”—the Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees-inspired bop that dropped alongside the official homemade-style video filmed inside the magical world of Disney. Marrying the funk pop of the ‘70s with his modern love poetics, the track details finally finding the right person for you and the euphoric comfort of knowing you’re exactly where you need to be.
Writing his own music always seemed out of reach. It wasn’t until he took part in a writing camp for Netflix’s now-Emmy-award-winning Julie and the Phantoms, in which he secured the lead role of Reggie Peters in 2019 that he came to terms with his natural knack for writing and intense love for it as well. “As an actor, I am happy to be a faithful soldier,” he states plainly. “I enjoy being able to bring other people’s stories to life. But once I started writing music, I realized this was my way of getting to tell the stories that I wanted to tell.”
This realization led to the creation and release of Jeremy Shada’s first solo musical project at the end of 2020—a sweet, stripped-back track titled “Ballerina,” dedicated to his beloved wife Carolynn and a four-track EP called Mad Love resulting in tens of millions of streams, millions of YouTube and TikTok views, thousands of TikTok creator and user-generated playlist adds, and inclusion on Spotify’s New Music Friday Canada. Looking back now, the midwestern native and Los Angeles / South Florida resident defines the intersection of performing arts. Inspired by his older brother to step into the acting space, Jeremy Shada quickly embraced his theatrical side, securing commercials, live action gigs, and voice acting. Though he has amassed great success in this space through roles in Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, Incredible Crew, and Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms, his passion for performance surpasses the camera. Having grown up with a family of huge music fanatics, Shada was always surrounded by musical influences, some of his favorites being Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, and My Chemical Romance. He embraced musical instruments from a young age, learning guitar, piano, and vocals, and additionally mastered bass. In 2014, he and his brother started the pop punk band Make Out Monday, in which they self-released their EP Kicking Cars. Fusing his two worlds of voice work, theatrical, and music, Shada and the band frequently performed at Comic Con events he’d be invited to for his work in Adventure Time. This quickly escalated their live resume, performing at the House of Blues in San Diego, San Diego Comic-Con, Atlantic City Boardwalk Con, Supanova Comic-Con, and Asia POP Comic Con.
As someone whose voice is known and adored by millions, VINTAGE is Jeremy Shada’s step, or leap rather, into his most authentic self and an inspiration for others to actively be the main character in their story.
Watch the music video for “If Looks Could Kill” now, stream it on your preferred music service, and connect with Jeremy Shada on his website and IG.