Jake Wesley Rogers Takes A Wistful Look At Faith And Queer Identity On His New Album

On “In the Key of Love,” Rogers makes a confident bid for music stardom. He's also hopeful fans will see him as “an instrument of peace and love.”

After honing his craft on the road and as a supporting act for Panic! at the Disco, Kesha and other artists, Jake Wesley Rogers is taking center stage with a project he views as the journey of his lifetime.

The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter makes a confident bid for music stardom on his debut full-length album “In the Key of Love.” Released last week, the record finds the 28-year-old reflecting on his queer identity and his Christian upbringing against ebullient synth-pop and wistful piano melodies. Songs like “Mother, Mary, and Me,” “Kitchen Table,” and “Heaven in My Head” are thoughtful mediations on faith and mortality, while the propulsive single “Loser” is an underdog anthem that evokes Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga.”

Rogers is beloved by fans for his innate theatricality and sexy, glam-pop persona, prompting Vogue to deem him “Gen Z’s Elton John.” Listeners familiar with his four previous EPs won’t be surprised by the spiritual subtext of the new album; speaking with The Advocate in 2022, he cited Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” as an influence.

But as a gay man, Rogers says his goal is to be “a presence of love” for those who have come to view religion as a means of oppression toward the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups.

“I’m not a religious person, but the Christian lens is sort of embedded in me,” Rogers said. “It’s an extension of who I am, where I am and my curiosities as a human being. Also, it’s my belief that those who are disenfranchised, disempowered and oftentimes ridiculed by society are the ones who end up saving the day.”