From Wheatfield to Worldwide: Jake June's Climb to 30K Monthly Listeners

June grew up in the small town of Wheatfield, Indiana, which had a population of just 800. During his childhood, he pursued basketball dreams until an injury in his senior year made him reconsider his future. What began as a spontaneous opportunity to join a friend's song soon evolved into a new passion, leading to a rapidly flourishing independent music career.

Jake June

Jake is the first to admit the song was not special but it sparked an enjoyment in writing, recording, and expressing himself through music. That creative process sparked a passion that eventually replaced the basketball dreams he had chased for years and set him on the path to becoming an independent artist.

Challenges of Jake's Career

Just as June was beginning to pursue music seriously, an unexpected medical condition nearly ended his journey before it truly began. He was diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), which causes acid reflux to reach the throat, and muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), an anxiety-related vocal disorder. The pain became so severe that speaking—and especially singing—was nearly impossible, forcing him to step away from music for nearly three years while searching for answers.

"I started making music two or three years ago. I also had to stop making music two or three years ago because I started getting this pain in the right side of my throat," June said. "I went through doctor, doctor, doctor, and after two or three years I finally found out I had LPR and MTD."

After learning how to manage the pain, June was finally able to release his debut single, Never Again, marking the true beginning of his career.

"I just started being able to manage the pain when I dropped my first song, Never Again," June said. "I've wanted to make music since then, but really, I started making music three months ago."

June's Journey as an Independent Artist

After overcoming his health challenges, June acknowledges that succeeding as an independent artist means handling almost every aspect himself. This includes recording and mixing his music, creating social media content, and juggling a full-time job with community college. The workload is relentless. Although content creation isn't his forte, he understands its importance in reaching new audiences.

Despite having only six songs released, June has cultivated a growing fanbase without the costly recording setup many believe is necessary. He opts to buy affordable beats online, records his vocals with a Shure SM58 microphone, and mixes and masters each track himself using BandLab. This DIY approach has enabled him to maintain consistency while minimizing expenses, demonstrating that creativity and persistence can surpass the need for expensive gear.

"I spend like 30 bucks to lease the WAV file for beats on BeatStars or YouTube," June said. "I kind of just put it into BandLab... I started with Apple earbuds, then I bought the Shure SM58." June feels that his minimalist setup has taught him a valuable lesson as he progresses in his career. "It kind of showed me that I don't have to have all this equipment to actually gain a following and gain a fan base," he said.

Jake June

With only six songs out, June is still in the early phase of his career, but his readiness to manage nearly every part of the creative process—from sourcing beats and engineering vocals to promoting his music online—has already secured him a spot in the indie music scene.

Finding Confidence on Stage

Although June has built much of his audience online, stepping onto a stage for the first time became another milestone in his young career. After performing at a small local open mic, he entered a talent competition at The Forge in Illinois simply to experience performing in front of a larger crowd. Competing against roughly 50 artists, he performed his songs Tonight and Never Again and finished fifth, earning an invitation to return for the finals with a chance to win $5,000.

Despite describing himself as an introvert who struggles with social anxiety, June said performing felt familiar because it reminded him of playing competitive basketball.

"In real life, I've got a lot of social anxiety, and I'm very introverted," June said. "At first I was super nervous... but I was able to work with the crowd, feed off of them, and it just got me more confident. I was just in the zone."

Looking Ahead

June has no plans of slowing down. He said he intends to release two songs every month during his first year as an artist while continuing to build momentum online.

His next major project is a six-song EP titled Crush, a concept project centered around the early stages of falling in love. The project follows the emotional progression from having a crush on someone to developing a deeper relationship.

"It's called Crush. It's just a small EP, like six songs probably," June said. "It's basically putting a meaning behind 'crush' instead of it just being a high school term. The first couple songs are about liking somebody, and the last couple are about falling in love with them."

Beyond the EP, June already has his sights set on his debut full-length album, appropriately titled June. He hopes the summer-themed project will serve as his official introduction as an artist and showcase how much he has grown since first discovering music after his basketball career came to an end.