Jack Vandervelde

Singer and songwriter Jack Vandervelde launched his career in thoughtful, earnest pop during the mid-2010s, issuing his first official single, “My Mind,” in 2018.

Raised in suburban Boston, he began making music as a child, moving from banging on pots and pans to playing drums before adding guitar, piano, and vocals. The Beatles sparked his interest in songwriting during his mid-teens, while a live Ed Sheeran performance later supplied additional impetus. An aspiring actor as well, Vandervelde belonged to his high-school drama club when a casting call went out for lacrosse players in a film slated to shoot on Massachusetts’ North Shore; he and his older brother both landed roles in Crooked Arrows (2012).

He relocated to New York in 2015, where he collaborated with songwriters such as Eren Cannata and committed several high-school-era compositions to tape. Regular live shows followed, a habit he sustained after returning to Boston. In 2017 he supported Aston Merrygold on a U.K. tour and opened a hometown date for the Goo Goo Dolls. Released in early 2018, “My Mind” surpassed half a million streams before appearing on the Colours EP at the beginning of 2019.