“I wanted to prove I really had it in me”: Jack Valero is doing it for himself
By George Phillips
The singer-songwriter on the pressure he’s faced combating perceptions of nepotism - and how it drove him to reinvention.
JACK Valero takes in the cool October afternoon air on a bench outside Tiny Rebel, the venue he’s just played.
After an energetic performance at Cardiff’s annual Sŵn Festival, he’s feeling a bit worse for wear at the end of his debut headline tour.
Clutching a half-pint of coke, he reflects on the journey he’s been on as a musician to find his own identity.
“There was a lot of pressure for me to prove myself and do everything I could and I think that’s why I’ve done almost every job there is to do at some point,” he said.
“I felt like I always had a lot to prove, so I wanted to prove that I really had it in me.”
After years of playing as a guitarist in bands, Valero is now front and center, daring to be a singer-songwriter.
On his debut EP ‘This Is A Nightmare’, he has experimented with lyrics and music. Valero says he has always loved pop for its tunefulness and hooks and he looks to combine the two with lyrics that “aren’t throwaway”. He uses The Cure as an example of what he means.
“The tunes are so beautiful and bright, but some of the lyrics are very macabre, you know? And I love juxtapositions,” he said.
In his juxtapositions, entertainment is just as important as the messaging but Valero wants listeners to think about his lyrics as well as enjoy the music.
“People will hear that hook and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, this sounds great’ and they’ll just love it for the tune,” he said.
“And then they’ll suddenly hear what the lyrics are”.
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Valero comes from a musical family. His mother is involved in management and his father is veteran singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg.
“It’s inevitable,” he says, that this fact has impacted him. He admits he has struggled with comparisons.
“It’s not really fair (when) you haven’t been doing it long enough.”
“It’s worked because it’s given me my own identity whilst also embracing who my dad is,” he said.”
Valero was worried about people’s perceptions of nepotism and did not want to ride on his father’s coat-tails. He set about creating his own sense of self, choosing his mother’s name — Valero — instead of Bragg.
Initially, Valero wanted separation from the family ties, going through a period of banning his famous dad from his gigs.
“It’s worked because it’s given me my own identity whilst also embracing who my dad is,” he said.
Valero now believes he’s done enough in his own right to realign himself with his family’s musical heritage.
As a result, 2023 has been a breakout year. He played Glastonbury, completed his first headline tour and released his debut EP.
These achievements as rewards for years of graft in which he has created a sound and style unique to him — and makes Valero one to watch for 2024.
· Valero’s debut EP ‘This Is A Nightmare’ is out now on Modern Sky. Listen here
