Jake & Shelby Release New Single & Announce Album
Today, Nashville-based pop duo Jake & Shelby released the thrilling new single, “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” alongside the announcement of their debut studio album, Learning To Love. Slated for release on October 10 via EMPIRE, the soul-baring LP tells the story of love in all its forms, featuring earworm pop melodies, heart-warming harmonies, and shapeshifting rhythms. Pre-save/order Learning To Love HERE
In an exclusive interview with American Songwriter, Jake & Shelby revealed they were “determined to embrace joy and excitement” for the new single after listening to Role Model’s latest album. “Both sonically and lyrically, ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’ embodies that unmistakable mix of giddy emotions,” adds American Songwriter, while the music video “equally embraces all those feelings of young love, showing Lawson and Hiam flirting as they roam around the carnival at Santa Monica Pier.”
“Writing ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’ was a truly seamless process,” share Jake & Shelby. “We were in the studio with two of our favorite people to work with, Josh Ronen and Tony Ferrari. It all started with the main guitar riff. The music felt like something cute and hopeful, and we wanted to match that lyrically. We started writing about the excitement of the beginning stages of a relationship, where you’re still a little shy, but you’re totally falling for each other. You just haven’t quite made a move yet. Once we landed on the hook of shut up and kiss me, the chorus and verses just fell into place after that. It was like we were just finishing a puzzle. It’s always really exciting when it all comes together like it did for this song.”
“Shut Up and Kiss Me” follows the release of “You Don’t Know” and “Loophole,” two vibrant bops with soaring melodies that help set the new record’s deeply personal yet universally relatable tone. Straying from their signature stripped-back elegance, Jake & Shelby worked closely with more producers, including Josh Ronen (Kelly Clarkson, Erin Kinsey) and Micah Tawlks (COIN, The Brook & the Bluff), to embrace a far more elaborately detailed sound that is adorned with shadowy beats, Jake’s inventive guitar tones, plus Shelby’s haunting piano and jazz-tinged vocals.
Thematically, Learning To Love explores all facets of love– falling in, falling out, chasing, questioning, and surrendering to it. The singer-songwriter duo beautifully captured both the highs and lows of relationships with an honest and emotionally-charged delivery. Raw yet polished, Learning To Love is the perfect soundtrack for anyone who has ever found themselves tangled in love, whether they were running toward it, running from it, or somewhere in between.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the album and meaning of its title, Jake & Shelby explain, “While a lot of this album is about learning to love someone else, a bigger part of it is about learning to love yourself. It’s about learning to love yourself enough to leave what isn’t good for you. Learning to choose someone who will truly care for you. Learning to love yourself enough to work through trauma from your past. To fully love someone else, the first step is learning to love yourself, and that’s what this album means to us. We hope this album can meet people wherever they are. Whether they’re in a relationship or not, we want them to feel seen.”
Learning To Love Tracklist
- “Loophole”
- “mhm”
- “You Don’t Know”
- “A Little At A Time”
- “Shut Up and Kiss Me”
- “Fragile”
- “Stuck On Your Love”
- “You”
- “Our Hands”
- “Run Run Run”
- “Anymore”
- “Falling Out Of Love”
Jake & Shelby emerged in early 2022, fresh-faced with a mesmerizing pop sound and heartfelt lyrics that quickly gained a devoted fan base, including notable figures in entertainment such as Michael Bublé, Gracie Abrams, and the Kardashians. “Loophole” was the duo’s first new release of 2025 following last year’s singles “Control” and “Chasing Ghosts,” which emphasize their relatable songwriting.
What started as a few simple social posts of acoustic duets has led to a global following for Jake & Shelby with millions of streams and over a million followers on socials to date. Acclaimed artists, including Gracie Abrams, have sung praises on social media. Michael Bublé dueted with them via social media and invited them to sing with him backstage before a show at Bridgestone Arena (watch here). Even Kim Kardashian asked them to send a special birthday song to her sister, Khloé (read the People exclusive here).
All these celebrity endorsements could go to a young group’s head, but not Jake & Shelby, who remained focused on their songwriting, putting in the work, and not missing any steps on their way to nascent pop stardom.