In a world where entertainment often demands versatility, Jason Schmidt stands out as an artist who effortlessly balances acting, singing, and songwriting. With notable roles in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and his Broadway debut in The Outsiders, Jason is making waves on both stage and screen. Yet, his artistry doesn't stop there. His musical side is blossoming with the release of his new single, "Growing Up," a track that touches on the universal struggles and joys of becoming independent, finding oneself, and the inevitable distance that grows between loved ones as life takes you in different directions.

You’ve had an exciting career so far, from Broadway to TV to music. How are you feeling about where you are in your artistic journey right now?

I’m incredibly grateful. I have so many interests and I love getting to delve into all of them. The fact that people get something from it and care to watch/listen makes it that much better. That being said, I have so much more i’d still like to do.

You’re currently starring in The Outsiders on Broadway, and you just released a new single, “Growing Up.” How do you balance working in theater while also pursuing your music career?

Prioritizing sleep big time. Need that energy. I also try to squeeze in as much personal time as I can so I can still my cup and my loved ones cups. Although, I’ll admit it can be very hard.

Growing up, did you always know you wanted to be a performer? What was your earliest memory of wanting to be on stage or write music?

The first time I remember wanting to pursue a career in the arts it was in high school. My grandma was a piano teacher, so lessons were a family requirement. However, little Jason did not practice very much. Even then, though, I loved music. My parents were huge music lovers and showed my sisters and I all the classic 70s and 80s rock. I always dreamed about acting and writing but I don’t think I considered it a real possibility for a long time. I used to spend hours looking up chords on Ultimate Guitar Tabs and playing through different songs that I loved. Eventually, that turned into me attempting to write my own music.

You’ve worked across multiple mediums—television, theater, and music. How do each of these platforms challenge you creatively, and do you have a favorite?

I couldn’t pick a favorite… Theater I love the pure expression of emotions. It can be hard sometimes to find life in it when you do it eight shows a week but you get to explore a character so deeply. There's a pressure in tv that I like. You are trying to capture a moment, just one take will be used for each line. With no audience, your only relationships to connect to are the actors in the scene with you, and sometimes the camera.

You’ve lived in a lot of different cities, from Chicago to LA to New York. How have these different environments influenced your work, both as an actor and a musician?

I like to think that a big part of being an artist is taking in as much of the life happening in around you as you can and channeling it into your work. Living in all these different environments, i’ve seen life through so many different lenses. Whether conscious or not, I like to believe that really aids what I try to give in my work.

Your career spans acting, singing, and songwriting. Which of these did you fall in love with first, and how did the others come into your life?

I think I fell in love with listening to music first and foremost. However, out of the things things I do, singing, then acting, then writing.

How does it feel to make your Broadway debut in a critically acclaimed production like The Outsiders? What has the experience been like so far?

Oh man, I’ll need to get back to you 2 months after I finish my run with the show. I’m a post-experience processor. Trying to slow it down and take it in as much as possible. The most special part is the way the show affects the audience. It’s rare to be able to tell such a timeless story. That's what I try to take in most.

You started acting in community theater at a young age. What was it about those early experiences that made you fall in love with performing, and how did that eventually lead to songwriting?

It was just so fun. I felt so free to express myself. I made a ton of friends. It was great. I loved making people laugh, I loved making them cry on rare occasions (mostly just my Grandma Seymour. She loves listening to me sing) . Songwriting started very personal and joyful too. I had an idea that I might want to release music someday if I ever thought it was good enough. But, I really just wanted to write for myself. It was really once I started showing people and I felt how it made me feel seen and how sometimes with music you can speak feelings others couldn't name.

What first sparked your interest in musical theater? Was there a particular show or performance that inspired you to pursue a career on stage?

I was in Les Mis my freshman year. I’ve talked about this a good bit but it completely switched by trajectory from wanting to pursue basketball at a college level to wanting to do theater. It was the actors around me and the creatives that switched my perspective on how powerful music could be.

At what point in your acting career did you start writing your own music, and how did that transition come about?

I started writing music in High School. Only my eldest sister has ever heard those songs and she will be the only one who ever does because I can’t remember them anymore. It was in college when I really started taking it more seriously. However, even then it was like journaling for me. Something I used to get thoughts out of my head. I had a best friend, later roommate, now best friend again, who released a rap album our freshman year of college and he inspired me to write and keep writing. My first writing mentor of sorts. His name is Andy Lebuhn aka Kid Wolf.

Your bio mentions that Carnegie Mellon influenced your artistic outlook. Can you talk about how your training there shaped the way you approach acting and songwriting today?

Yeah absolutely. I left Carnegie halfway through my junior year for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies but my years there were transformative. It taught me not just how to be an actor and singer but also how to be an artist. The teachers pushed me and the artists around me inspired me. Very grateful for the lessons I learned there.

As a multi-hyphenate artist—actor, singer, and songwriter—how do you juggle these different talents? Do you feel that they influence each other, especially when you're working on a project like The Outsiders?

I love the way they play off each other. Sometimes I'm in a song writing phase and other times, acting. When I'm acting professionally, writing keeps me inspired and vice versa. I’m such a creative person and it can be hard for me to focus on one thing at a time so it keeps me engaged wherever i’m at. They absolutely influence each other. The way I'm looking at the world and perceiving it changes based on the acting project for sure. With that change, the music I write becomes different.

How did your time in community theater help prepare you for the demands of Broadway? Were there any early lessons that still guide you today?

The lesson of treating people right is still the most important. This career is so much about the way you interact with others both on stage and off. The community you build affects the outcome of how the show is. I’ve found that to still ring very true at the highest level.

In “Growing Up,” you sing about missing friends and family. What personal experiences or relationships inspired these lyrics, and how do they reflect your own journey of growing up and moving around?

A mentor of mine Matt Silar used to say to me that “growing up is missing someone everywhere you go” the main lyrics in the song. As I started to move around from place to place I realized that to be very true. Every new project I did I would meet a few people that were truly my people. I wished I could live with them on a daily basis. Those words began to sting. So, to get them off my chest I wrote them down on a page.

You mention in the song that moving to new places feels freeing but also lonely. How has the constant change in location shaped your sense of identity, and how do you cope with that loneliness?

In each new place I'm introduced to a completely new group of people and to a new culture. That means I get to be whatever I want but also know one truly knows me. To truly know someone you need to experience them through the years. I still have those people. They are just scattered across the country. I’m someone who constantly grows, changes, and morphs. I’m so grateful to move around because I believe it lets me do that easier. It can be hard to go back to old friends, though, who might expect an older version of me. I watched my friend Maxwell Whittington Cooper on Grease cope with the loneliness of being away from people so well. At the end of the process I asked him how he did it. He responded that you just have to make the effort. Call people and call them often. Now, I’m not a big caller, so that can be challenging and to tell you the truth I can be a recluse at points. However, it’s something I'm continually working on.

The line, "I live alone now out in LA," captures a sense of independence. How did living in LA influence your creative process, and what was the biggest challenge of living on your own?

The biggest challenge of living on my own was getting out in LA. It was a city I didn’t really have a reason to be in. I was making music with a producer out there Eren Cannata, who made Growing Up and My Ego Loves You with me. However, those sessions were few and far between. I didn't have a built in group of friends so I had to make a bigger effort to meet people. Fighting through the loneliness of that is where some of my songs I will be releasing some day came from.

The song suggests that you’ve become more confident and ready for life. What experiences in your career or personal life have contributed to this newfound sense of confidence?

I think finding independence and realizing that I really can live on my own gave me that confidence. I can feed myself, take care of myself… not always amazingly but I try. It’s through moving around and gaining many different perspectives on the world that really gave me that confidence though.

“Growing Up” feels like a love letter to the people you've left behind. How do you keep those connections alive, even when you're in different cities or focused on your career?

Like I said above, try to call them when I can. Leave them little texts of my support in love. Most of my relationships that have really kept are easy to keep up. Neither of us expect a lot from the other but when we are in the same place again we pick up right where we left off.

The lyric, "There’s no one in this time zone who has known me for more than a year," speaks to the idea of starting fresh. How do you approach forming new relationships while staying true to yourself?

Finding the right people is so important. Thankfully, I've started new enough times that I think my eye for those people is quite keen now. To form new relationships you gotta be intentional. Ask intentional questions and make intentional plans. Finally, be yourself the best you can so that the people you end up close to will love the real you.

In “Growing Up,” you reflect on both the excitement and the challenges of chasing dreams. Looking back, what have been some of the most rewarding and difficult parts of your journey so far?

The most difficult part is the amount of your time it takes up. To pursue a career like this you need to be ready to say- leave school halfway through your junior year- for instance. While you're working on the project, it can take up most of your time, making it difficult to live a healthy social life. However, when you invest like that and you see it pay off in the way you develop and deepen as an artist, there’s not many feelings better than that. The biggest reward is the people’s lives you influence in a positive way. Be it connection to a lyric, or, seeing themselves in a character, there's not many feelings that beat that either.

When you're not acting or writing music, how do you like to spend your free time? Do you have any hobbies or activities that help you disconnect from the busy world of performing?

I played basketball for 10 years of my life. I still love to play even if it's just by myself. It transports me and takes me out of the world around me for a little bit. So important to have something to do that for you.

You’ve lived in so many cities—Chicago, Vancouver, LA, New York. How do you adapt to new places, and which city has had the biggest influence on your personal and creative growth?

Vancouver is my favorite city I think. While cloudy most of the year, the temperature stays around cool but not cold. I loved that. I loved the food and nature. Would love to go back there someday. The adaptation part always takes some time for me. 6 months in, it feels like I'm just now finding my footing in the city. I love finding cafes to regular. I find a few of them in my area and it gets me out of the apartment in the morning even if it's for coffee or a cookie.

With a demanding Broadway schedule, how do you maintain a balance between work and personal life? What does a typical day off look like for you?

Lately, in all honesty, it has been packed day to day. I’ve been flying to Nashville on a lot of off days making music. That can feel like a day off generally but traveling makes it a busy day off. I do make sure I get my breaks and my time. Friends, movies, bathhouse lots of bathhouse.

You’ve been performing since you were a young child. What role did your family play in supporting your artistic journey, and how did their encouragement shape your path?

They play the biggest role in it. They are always the first people to hear songs. Without their support I truly would not have been able to do it. I can’t thank them enough.

You’ve talked about missing family and friends in “Growing Up.” How do you stay connected to your loved ones with such a busy career?

I try to call and keep them updated as much as possible. If we can’t find a time to call, we text. Sometimes we patiently wait until we see each other again and know we would reach out if we needed anything. It’s something I’m making a bigger effort to do more recently.

Jason Schmidt is a rising star who manages to stay grounded despite the demands of his multifaceted career. From performing eight shows a week on Broadway to releasing music that reflects deeply personal themes, he is always pushing the boundaries of his artistry. His latest single, "Growing Up," serves as a testament to his journey of self-discovery, showcasing his raw talent and heart. As he continues to evolve as an actor, musician, and creator, there’s no doubt that Jason’s ability to capture real moments and emotions will keep audiences captivated for years to come.

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