Why Jeremy Pope Is Recording Songs in His Closet

Photo: Michael Rowe/Getty Images for IMDb

These days, Jeremy Pope is feeling particularly proud. To release his debut EP, Last Name: POPE (which dropped today), during Pride month—“arriving at this moment as confident as I feel as a Black queer artist”—is something special, he exclusively tells AD. The star already boasts an impressive résumé: He’s as a two-time Tony Award nominee for his work on Broadway, an Emmy nominee for Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, and a Golden Globe nominee for his performance in the 2022 drama The Inspection. But while Pope’s roles on stage and screen have earned him accolades for transforming into different characters, his new music is personal.

The multihyphenate has been hard at work on his EP for over three years. “What I learned is you just do,” he says. “You just start. You make space for the process. You write one song, and then you write another song, and then you write another song that’s better than the first. You have to build.”

Pope began piecing this project together while on the road for other jobs. “A lot of these songs were written in hotel rooms in different cities,” he says. But when he’s at home, Pope prefers to record from the comfort of his own closet. We caught up with the singer-slash-actor to talk about life (and work) from home, his new music, and his dream renovation.

AD: What city do you live in primarily?

Jeremy Pope: Primarily LA, but New York has my heart.

How would you describe the style of your home in one sentence?

It smells divine in here. I’m hypersensitive to smell, so I spend absolutely way too much money on candles and oils and fragrances.

What is one kitchen item you use every single day?

A pot. I boil eggs every morning.

What is your favorite gadget or appliance?

My favorite gadget—love/hate—is Alexa. The love is like, “Alexa, play this,” or “Do that,” or “What is this?” And she can answer it. But the hate is, “Are you listening to me all the time, Alexa?” Sometimes I’ll see her glitch, and I’m like, Why are you glitching? It’s almost like I caught her listening to me. She definitely gets [the job] done, and she knows everything. But I do wonder, is she out to get me at some point?

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What is your bedtime ritual?

I always like to end the night laughing, so I’m usually watching a sitcom.

What is your ideal bedding setup?

Four pillows behind me…. One probably in between my legs, a big duvet cover, and a blanket, just in case it gets a little cold. I want to be super cold but warm at the same time.

Which room in your house is your favorite and why?

The bathroom. I start my mornings in the bathroom, whether it’s literally sitting on the toilet or just there thinking, reading. I’m a very “self-love” person, so if I can recreate that in a room, it’s ideal. My bathroom is special because I have palo santo, I have great candles, I have oils for the shower—eucalyptus, or lavender, or wherever you want to go—and then I’ve got books.

Describe one item in your home that you brought back from a trip.

I have some dinnerware that I stole from my grandma’s house, that’s a trip.

Does it hold sentimental value for you?

The trips that usually are the most special to me, in reflection, are the trips home. My grandma loves to cook, and I love eating whatever she cooks. I’m probably not eating something as good as her cooking on said plate and silverware, but it definitely makes me think of her. She’s still living, [so it reminds me to] ask her what she got on that stove, or to make another trip home.

What is the oldest thing that you own in your house?

I have an old vintage credenza. I think it’s from the ’70s or something.

What is the newest thing in your house?

Let’s really tie it together—I got a new record player that is really dope that goes on that credenza! On the vintage credenza, we’re giving new and old; it’s a record player that also has Bluetooth functionality. Maybe that’s why Alexa was glitching. They’re close to each other, so maybe she’s feeling jealous because I’ve been heavy on the rotation with the new record player.

Do you have a room or area that serves an unusual purpose?

My closet. I’m always recording in my closet, so a lot of times I’m just staring at suits and shirts while I’m recording and trying to get into the moment. It’s in the guest room, which is also the room where, if you don’t know where something goes, you just throw it in there. So every now and again, there’ll be a blazer and a wig and photography gear. It’s a closet full of gadgets. That would probably be the most unconventional room, but it serves a big purpose in my life. You don’t hear the air conditioner or street noise. You lock in, and you really get intimate vocals. But it kind of looks like Party City.

What would you change about your home if you could only choose one thing?

I want to knock down all the walls. I’m really into open spaces, and maybe that’s because I lived in New York for as long as I did. I’ve always imagined the big warehouses where it’s just open space, all the rooms are flowing in and out of each other. That would be the thing that I would do.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest