For Jkyl & Hyde, February 28th at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom is a full circle moment that feels earned. More than a decade ago, he stepped onto a stage at Cervantes Other Side for the first time, playing to a room of maybe eight people at an Electronic Tuesday. It was his first DJ set ever. Fast forward to now, and he returns to headline the main room, backed by a rapidly expanding fanbase and a project that feels more defined than ever.

Over the past year, the evolution of Jkyl & Hyde has been impossible to ignore. What began as a project largely rooted in heavier bass music has expanded into something more melodic, emotional, and experimental. That shift wasn’t accidental, nor was it purely strategic. It began with a conscious decision at the start of 2025 to reassess the vision for the project and ask what it was truly meant to represent.

For years, he had always envisioned Jkyl & Hyde as a vehicle to showcase his full production range. Heavy records gave him footing and recognition, but there was another side that rarely saw the light of day. The more melodic, vocal-driven, and emotionally textured ideas often stayed private, quietly archived rather than released. Eventually, that imbalance caught up with him. Instead of trying to force new music into a heavier box, he made the choice to stop holding back and begin writing for himself first. That honesty became the catalyst for everything that followed.

The momentum built naturally from there. A series of SoundCloud remixes began gaining traction, official remix opportunities followed, and the confidence behind the music continued to grow. Rather than chasing numbers or trends, he leaned into what felt good creatively. The result was Second Self, an EP that formally introduces the “Jkyl” side of the project as more than just a contrast to “Hyde.” It isn’t a departure from heaviness, but an expansion of identity.

Second Self represents the first full step into that melodic world through original records. It prioritizes songwriting, emotionality, and atmosphere without abandoning the energy that initially defined the project. The title itself feels deliberate. It isn’t a reinvention, but a revelation of something that was always present beneath the surface. That authenticity is part of why the new direction has resonated so deeply. While social platforms may have amplified discovery, the staying power appears rooted in honesty. Fans are connecting not just with the sound, but with the person behind it.

The name Jkyl & Hyde has always implied duality, but now that duality feels intentional rather than symbolic. Instead of separating the heavier, high-energy side from the melodic and emotional one, he’s actively weaving them together. Moments of chaos and aggression sit beside blissful, vocal-driven sections that feel introspective and cinematic. The live sets have evolved into full journeys rather than genre showcases, with tension and release carefully balanced throughout. The contrast is no longer something to manage or compartmentalize. It’s become the identity itself.

That evolution extends beyond the music. For this tour, the live production has leveled up in tandem with the sound, with dedicated visuals, expanded production elements, and a full-time VJ presence bringing the world of Jkyl & Hyde into sharper focus. At the center of that visual identity is meditut.media, his longtime friend and collaborator of nearly 15 years. What began as graphic design support has grown into a fully immersive creative partnership, with trust and shared history shaping everything from artwork to onstage visuals. The two now live together, build together, and bring that chemistry directly into the live environment. The result is a cohesive world that feels intentional rather than assembled.

Cervantes feels like the right place for this version of the project to land. As a Denver native who grew up attending influential shows in that very room, the venue carries personal weight. Headlining it during a period of undeniable momentum only amplifies that significance. With support from BEASTBOI. and SNAXXX, the night represents both a celebration of growth and a marker of what is still ahead.


Success, for Jkyl & Hyde, looks different now than it once did. Earlier in his career, metrics and milestones carried more influence over how progress was measured. In recent years, that perspective has shifted inward. Falling in love with the creative process itself has replaced chasing external validation. Ironically, that mindset has coincided with the most significant growth of his career so far. The focus is no longer on forcing outcomes, but on building art that feels fulfilling and trusting that the rest will follow.

Looking forward, the duality at the heart of Jkyl & Hyde will only expand. The dream of one day hosting a multi-day event that fully separates the melodic “Jkyl” side from the heavier “Hyde” side hints at how far this concept can stretch. For now, however, February 28 stands as the next chapter in that story. A hometown headline. A balanced identity. A project no longer split between two impulses, but strengthened by both.

We caught up with Jkyl & Hyde ahead of his Cervantes headline to talk about Second Self, creative honesty, and what duality means to him now. Check out our conversation below!

[Rooster]: Over the past year, your sound has noticeably shifted toward something more melodic and experimental. What prompted that change, and how intentional was that evolution?

[Jkyl & Hyde]: Thanks so much for having me and taking the time! Great first question. What initially prompted that change, or push into this “jkyl”/melodic era, was taking a step back mentally and assessing the vision for Jkyl & Hyde at the beginning of 2025. 

I’d ALWAYS wanted the project to showcase my full skillset with production across all styles of bass music, melodic stuff, experimental stuff, you name it, BUT also the heavy stuff that I found my “footing” with if you will. I realized that I was keeping A LOT of the more “pretty/melodic” stuff to myself, and trying to fit the publicly released stuff into a “heavier” box. 

It’s almost like one day it just clicked, and I said no more holding back, I’m going to be honest in my music, and just write, make, and release music for myself first, stuff that makes ME happy and feel good, and it came pretty natural from there. That led to a handful of soundcloud remixes that took off, the official remix for Angrybaby’s “Put It Down”, and writing a lot of music that just felt good and made me happy. The intention continued to grow throughout the year, as I felt myself feeling more and more confident in the plans I had, and what I was creating, which ultimately led to writing the Second Self EP.

The Second Self EP feels like a clear statement of this new chapter. What does Second Self represent for you, both musically and personally?

Musically & personally, I think the title perfectly describes it. It’s a look into the “other side” of this project and myself. I’ve always really enjoyed making melodic music of all kinds, but felt that I never fully put it into a body of work like this.

Second Self is really the first full step into the “Jkyl” side of the project. Leaning into the vocal driven, pretty, vibey, records, with emphasis on emotionality. I felt this was the first time I really got to explore that with original records and focus more on the songwriting aspect of things, not just heavy/hard hitting club bangers.

A lot of new fans discovered your music through viral moments on social platforms, but the response seems to have stuck well beyond the initial hype. Why do you think this sound is resonating so deeply right now?

I feel like there are a handful of reasons all together, whether it be the change in what’s popular as a whole and what’s trendy, the scene/genres going through cycles, new fans finding music they like, the ease of discovery with social media, BUT the biggest in my opinion, is fans just resonating with the honesty behind it. 

As simple as it sounds, I think putting my face out there so you can see I’m just a lil ol human in my room making music that I like, sharing it with the world, and being consistent with that, has made a huge difference.

Your live show is evolving alongside the music, with dedicated visuals and a more immersive production setup on this tour. How important was it for the live experience to match this new era?

This was VERY important to me. With the change and evolution of my music and style in the last year or so, I wanted the live show to feel fitting and the visual vibe to match the music. From new visuals, to extra production, and my VJ coming along to every single stop, myself and my team are really looking to take the experience with this tour and some of the bigger shows we have planned up a notch.

You’ve built this visual world alongside, meditut.media, a longtime friend and collaborator. How does that kind of trust and shared history influence the way the project comes together onstage?

Speak of the devil^ Meditut(Grant) is actually who will be joining me to VJ all the shows! We’ve known each other for around 15 years now, currently live in the same house, and he’s been the day 1 graphic wizard for Jkyl & Hyde. 

It’s been amazing to grow together through the years, and it’s so cool to see his work on such a big scale for myself or even others he has done work for. I’m SOO excited that he’s taking a step into the VJ world, and will now be controlling the visuals he makes. Meditut is a HUGE part of what makes the world of Jkyl & Hyde possible, and being so close, and comfortable working together is something I am very grateful for.

As a Denver native, what does it mean to bring this version of Jkyl & Hyde back home to a room like Cervantes, especially at a moment when everything feels like it’s leveling up?

Oh man, it definitely feels like a “bucket list” moment and feels VERY full circle in a way. A little over 10 years ago, I DJ’d at an Electronic Tuesday, at Cervantes Other Side. It was the FIRST time I had ever DJ’d on a stage, there were probably 8 people in the whole building. Fast forward to today, it’s almost hard to believe that I get to headline the main room. I saw so many great and influential shows there growing up in Denver, and it truly feels like an honor to be able to come back for my own.

With festival opportunities, new collaborations, and growing momentum all lining up, how do you define success differently now than you did a few years ago?

Another great question, I think as I’ve grown my definition for success has become a lot less dependent on external things, and ironically that’s made more “successes” happen for myself. I think 5 years ago I cared a lot more about “numbers, stats, streaming, etc” playing the game, if you will. 

I’ve grown a lot personally, and learned to focus more on what makes me feel good, and happy, and fulfilled with my art, rather than the external outcomes of that. 

One thing that stuck out to me for many years now, was hearing some say “you need to fall in love with the process of creating, and the product will come. Not the other way around”

I think a lot of my recent success can be attributed to falling in love with the process of creating, and “magic” coming from that. 

Although I have a lot more I want to accomplish and feel like I’m just getting started, I also feel like I’ve made a lot of personal progress figuring out what success means to me and how to be in the best place to create the best art I possibly can.

The name Jkyl & Hyde suggests duality, and it feels like that concept is starting to play a bigger role in your music and branding. How do you see those two sides evolving moving forward?

Absolutely, and I appreciate you noticing this! I’ve always loved how the brand stood for duality, and how that could be portrayed through my music and my live sets. I think I’ve always tried to make my sets feel like a “journey” but now more than ever, feel I’m dialing in the balance between the Jkyl & Hyde sides, having them both present in a live set, and showcasing that duality. 

In a basic sense, a “Jkyl & Hyde” set, will be a pure fusion of that duality. Moments of high energy, heaviness, and moments of bliss, beauty, and a whole rollercoaster to take you to each of those places.

I also look forward to expanding upon that, and having really special times or places where I can go fully into one side or the other. The dream would be a Jkyl & Hyde 3 day event, with one day having a Jkyl set(vibey, beautiful, melodic, emotional), one day having a Hyde set(heavy, high energy, experimental), and one day having a Jkyl & Hyde set… you get the idea, but I don’t want to say too much;)

Thank you so much again for having me

SEE YOU AT CERVANTES FEB 28!