Jake Whittaker home for FLAME Festival
Logan’s own country music maker Jake Whittaker is regularly taking his talent to stages around the nation these days, but the fire in his heart burns the brightest for playing on home ground in Jimboomba at the FLAME BBQ & Music Festival.
Jake is hyped to be back at Jimboomba Park at the Festival on Saturday, 13 September, in a talented lineup including country music stars such as Max Jackson, Country Music Association of Australia’s New Talent Of The Year and multiple Golden Guitar winner.
‘I can’t wait. I’m really grateful to be able to be playing to my hometown,’ Jake says.
‘I love where I live and to come back and play to my community is pretty special actually.’
The Festival crowd will be treated to Jake performing some new material along with firm crowd favourites such as Shoey and The Next You’re Gone.
‘I’ve just released In My Blood and then I’ve got 2 more singles coming and an EP at the end year,’ Jake says.
‘Everyone’s going to get a little taste of the new songs … a little sneak.’
He describes the new material as having themes of ‘just me, country life and loves’.
‘You know, your usual things of country music I guess, just with a bit of a Jake twist on it all.’
Jake is also looking forward to another round of the wagyu steak skewers he taste-tested last year at the Festival, which is set to have an impressive array of food trucks, stalls and barbecue goodies on offer, along with a variety of fun activities from whip cracking workshops and fire shows, to a mullet competition.
‘I’m more a steak guy than ribs, and these wagyu sticks were outstanding, plus I picked up some rubs that I’ve been putting on my own cooking at home, which has been elevating my cooking and helping me,’ he laughs.
Jake rates the FLAME Festival highly, and he’s performed at many around the country, including the recent Gympie Muster in August.
‘As a community festival, FLAME is such an epic day. There’s something for everyone, everything’s there and it’s really affordable for families, which is a really great thing.’
ABOVE: Jake Whittaker doing what he does best, delivering country music to a crowd.
As a family man himself, having just experienced his second Father’s Day as a dad to toddler Eddie, Jake is all about keeping it real – part of the reason why he loves living at Stockleigh, which is a short 10-minute drive north from the FLAME Festival stage.
Living the dream on acreage seems so far removed from appearing on television screens around the country when Jake was a semi-finalist on Australian Idol in February.
He says appearing on the show led him to make some great connections and boosted his fan base with Australian viewers.
Jake has his sights set on an Australian tour next year and writing more material.
For now though, FLAME Festival and a home crowd this coming weekend is foremost on Jake’s mind.
He laughs as he thinks about what will inspire his next songwriting session, joking that he may have to come up with some lyrics that rhyme with ‘wagyu’.
For event details and information on how to purchase tickets for the 13 September Festival, visit flamefestival.com.au
PHOTO AT TOP: Logan’s own country music talent Jake Whittaker, who will perform at the 2025 FLAME BBQ & Music Festival at Jimboomba Park on 13 September.
