Jake Soberlak: A New Generation Keeps the Canadian Blues Alive

The 17-Year-Old Kamloops Musician Bringing an Old-School Sound to a New Generation

At an age when many young musicians are still discovering what kind of artist they want to become, Jake Soberlak already knows exactly where he belongs: in the blues.

The 17-year-old singer, guitarist and harmonica player from Kamloops, British Columbia, is emerging as an intriguing young voice in Canadian roots music. His debut album, I’m In Trouble, released September 11, 2026, draws inspiration from blues traditions that took shape generations before he was born.

But Soberlak isn’t treating the blues as a museum piece.

His connection to the music began at home, grew through years of listening and learning, and is now developing into a career that has already taken him from local stages to festival appearances and his first professionally recorded album.

Discovering the Blues Through His Grandfather

Soberlak’s musical story begins not with an algorithm or streaming playlist, but with a collection of old records.

His grandfather had brought a collection of blues albums from England, and Soberlak began exploring them. One record led to another, and he started tracing musicians, influences and recordings backwards through the history of the genre.

B.B. King, Peter Green and Eric Clapton became important influences. Rather than simply learning their songs, Soberlak immersed himself in the musicians and recordings surrounding them, gradually developing an understanding of how blues music evolved.

Music was already part of his family life. His father is a musician and gave him some of his earliest instruction. Soberlak picked up the guitar at 13 and added harmonica at 14. Within only a few years, he was performing publicly and attracting attention from experienced musicians in the Kamloops music community.

Learning From a Century of Music

What makes Soberlak particularly interesting as an emerging artist is the seriousness with which he approaches music created long before his generation. He has spoken about seeking out blues recordings from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, finding songs with which he connects and then developing his own interpretation.

That distinction matters.

Soberlak isn’t simply attempting to recreate vintage records. He is learning the language and history of the blues before deciding what he wants to say with it. His own explanation is simple: the blues represents life, not merely sadness.

I’m In Trouble: A Debut Built the Old-Fashioned Way

For his first album, Soberlak went to Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, where producer and drummer Leon Power assembled an experienced group of musicians.

Darren Parris played bass, Darryl Havers handled piano, and John Raham engineered the sessions. Power, whose credits include City and Colour and Frazey Ford, played drums in addition to producing. The recording method was particularly appropriate for Soberlak’s music.

Rather than constructing the album through extensive overdubbing and digital editing, the musicians played together live off the floor. The sessions took place over two days, capturing the interaction and spontaneity of musicians performing together.

For a teenager making his first record alongside seasoned professionals, it could have been intimidating. Instead, Soberlak has described the experience as both welcoming and fun, with the musicians giving his ideas room to develop.

“You Gotta Leave”

Soberlak introduced himself to a wider audience with his debut single, “You Gotta Leave.” Released ahead of I’m In Trouble, the original song immediately established several elements of his sound: traditional blues structures, guitar, harmonica and a preference for the feel of musicians playing together rather than heavily polished production.

The track also helped challenge an easy assumption about Soberlak. Despite sounding rooted in an earlier blues tradition, “You Gotta Leave” isn’t an old standard — Soberlak wrote it himself.

That makes the song an important starting point for understanding where his career could go next.

“I Can’t Find”

A second single, “I Can’t Find,” followed ahead of the album. Together, “You Gotta Leave” and “I Can’t Find” provided listeners with their first substantial introduction to Soberlak before the September release of I’m In Trouble.

The album gives him considerably more room to demonstrate the breadth of his musicianship, including guitar, slide guitar and harmonica.

Building His Reputation on Stage

Recording may introduce Soberlak to listeners outside British Columbia, but live performance is already an important part of his development. He has been playing around Kamloops and the surrounding region, gradually building an audience. In July 2026, he also performed at the Salmon Arm ROOTSandBLUES Festival, appearing both in workshops and his own performance. Local campus station CFBX reported that he had already developed a strong following after a series of local performances.

A series of British Columbia dates is following the album release, giving Soberlak an opportunity to turn the attention surrounding his debut into something more lasting. For an emerging blues musician, that stage experience may ultimately prove every bit as important as streaming numbers.

Essential Listening

“You Gotta Leave”
The debut single and an ideal introduction to Soberlak’s traditional blues influences, guitar playing and harmonica.

“I Can’t Find”
Another early glimpse of the young musician developing his own voice within the genre.

I’m In Trouble
The September 11, 2026 debut album captures Soberlak performing with a seasoned band using the live recording approach at the heart of many classic blues records.

Listen and buy directly from Jake Soberlak

Did You Know?

• Soberlak began playing guitar at 13 and harmonica at 14.
• His introduction to the blues came partly through records belonging to his grandfather that had travelled from England to Canada.
• His debut album was recorded live off the floor over just two days in Vancouver.
• Soberlak has said that his ultimate goal is refreshingly straightforward: he wants to keep playing music and gigging.

Canada has a rich blues tradition, from internationally recognised veterans to thriving regional scenes and festivals. Keeping that tradition alive, however, depends on younger musicians discovering the music and finding something new to contribute to it. That is what makes Jake Soberlak interesting.

His age makes for a great headline, but being 17 isn’t the reason to keep watching him. His commitment to understanding the music, willingness to learn from older musicians and desire to develop his own material are considerably more important.

I’m In Trouble is only a debut. Where Soberlak takes the blues from here will be the more interesting story.

For now, one thing seems clear: a new generation of Canadian blues has arrived.