From a painful American Idol experience to taking the stage with Elton John at Glastonbury, Jacob Lusk left a painful past behind to release the album of the year as part of musical trio Gabriels
Words Cliff Joannou Photography Azazel Fashion & creative direction Joseph Kocharian
THE BREAKTHROUGH AWARD JACOB LUSK
The booming voice of Jacob Lusk almost perforates the dressing room’s brick wall as it travels across the photography studio: “Man of God!” he calls out in delight. “This jacket is everything!” His eyes beam as we follow Attitude’s fashion director into the dressing room where Lusk is running his eyes across the rails of clothes comprised mostly of elaborate capes that have become the singer-songwriter’s signature look. “Can I have this? I have to have this,” Lusk says excitedly, wrapping the voluminous yellow Patrick McDowell jacket around his shoulders, that, to be fair, I’m having a similar reaction to.
At 6ft 3ins, Lusk is an imposing presence in the room, but his demeanour is every bit the gentle giant. There’s not an ounce of the diva that one might presume a singer who commands such an epic voice might carry with them. As we begin the shoot, Lusk apologises if he appears lacking in energy. “I’m sorry, I’m tired today,” he says sincerely after having flown to London from Japan the night before. If this is ‘low-energy Lusk’, then ‘high-energy Lusk’ must exist somewhere in the heavens. Which, I find out later, is not too far removed from the truth when we get into his belief in a higher being.
A deserved Attitude Awards 2023 Breakthrough Award-winner, Lusk is one third of Gabriels, which is completed by Ryan Hope and Ari Balouzian. Named after St Gabriel’s Avenue in Sunderland, where Hope hails from, the three-piece came to prominence in 2021 after releasing debut EP Love and Hate in a Different Time, a slice of vintage soul performed through a modern lens that was hailed by Elton John as “one of the most seminal records” he’d heard in the past 10 years. As praise goes, that’s a blessing from a musical god. The band’s debut album Angels & Queens — Part II was released to universal acclaim in July this year, went on to chart at number three and was lauded by the Guardian as a contender for album of the year.
The album release followed another standout moment for Lusk when he was invited by Elton John to join the legend’s first and final Glastonbury set to deliver a thundering duet on ‘Are You Ready
