Jake Schroeder Is Ready To Take His Comedy Ballads On Tour

Listening and reacting isn’t just an important tool for actors in a scene, but comedy balladist Jake Schroeder says it’s the best career advice he’s gotten, too. During a recent coffee meetup, the 23-year-old content creator says Get Out composer Michael Abels told him: “Lead with your listening, because when you’re writing music, you’re hearing things that other people can’t. When you listen to people in conversation, you’re able to learn and react in a way that isn’t just steamrolling or cramming a joke down everyone’s throat.”

As we chat over Zoom, I point out that it’s also one of the first lessons you’re taught in an improv class. Schroeder lights up and asks, “Are you an improv girly?”

From a young age, the Los Angeles native loved to make people laugh. Before committing to comedy, the self-described “sweetums” tried a bit of everything. “I did all the sports and activities as a kid,” he says. “My sister used to dress me up in her clothes, and we’d do drag.”

It was through improv classes he took at the University of Chicago that Schroeder first discovered his comedic talent. “You’re either funny or you’re not,” he says, “and I got to play different characters, like a grandmother or a French dude, and I realized I have this sort of natural empathy that people find amusing.”

He discovered his sense of humor through Saturday Night Live cast members like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Ana Gasteyer. “Those women make me laugh so hard.” Schroeder also fell in love with musical comedians like Bo Burnham and Broadway shows like Book of Mormon and Avenue Q. “I would listen and consume a lot of that,” but it wasn’t until college in 2020 that Schroeder started songwriting for himself.

I hadn’t started therapy, so I wrote this song called ‘San Diego.’

“I was going through my first heartbreak ever, and I had no outlet,” he says. “I hadn’t started therapy, so I wrote this song called ‘San Diego,’ and it wasn’t a comedy song. Now, when I listen to it, it’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever written.”

After college, Schroeder moved from Chicago to Brooklyn. And a little over a year ago, after working as a software engineer at Grindr (“I got fired for being so bad at the job”), he started sharing his comedy ballads online. At the time, his songs covered a range of topics from holidays to names like Emma. His song for the name Addison was even reposted by Addison Rae.

Nowadays, Schroeder says his humor is more nihilistic. “Last year, I was doing a lot more observational comedy in my apartment, but now, I’m reading so much of the news.” The TikTok he gets most recognized for is a parody ballad about the rumored thieves of the Louvre break-in from October 2025. “That song hit the hardest,” he says. The inspiration came from a post Schroeder saw online, claiming two attractive guys had robbed the museum in France. “I immediately freaked out and was like ‘They’re so hot; I have to write this song.’” It turns out the OG post was incorrect. “I Googled them later and realized I was spreading fake news the entire time, but that’s OK. The photos are nice,” he says.

Schroeder’s Louvre post has almost 26 million views online, and a comment from Megan Trainor saying “Best one yet.” Now that he’s gained a fan base of nearly 775,000 followers across platforms, Schroeder has collabed with celebs like Frankie Grande, Riz Ahmed, and Melissa Barrera on comical songs on things like being a Cancer or lesbian. His biggest “pinch me” moment, though, was getting to meet Carrie Coon backstage at her Broadway show Bug. “I made this song about Carrie when I was watching The White Lotus last May, because naturally, she stole the show,” he says. “Someone told me that she had seen it, which was awesome.”

It’s very meaningful that an Internet post can actually have you meet a hero and connect with them.

When Coon’s shows started, Schroeder was invited to attend one and meet the Emmy-nominated actor backstage, where she said, “I know exactly who you are. I love your song.” “It’s very meaningful that an Internet post can actually have you meet a hero and connect with them,” says Schroeder. “That was such a thrill, and a highlight of my career.”

Through his success, Schroeder has befriended other creators and actors, including Lisa Kudrow. “I did a song for The Comeback, she liked it, followed me, and then we started DMing each other,” he says. “I feel very lucky, like how the hell am I sending a DM to Lisa Kudrow on my phone?”

If Schroeder had to choose a celeb to work with next, he’s quick to say Adele. “Sitting in the same room with Adele, coming up with something funny to sing would be the biggest gag in the world to me,” he says.

Until then, he’s interested in getting into a recording studio to put more of his tracks on streaming platforms and focusing on his next dream: a comedy tour. Weeks after our chat in March, Schroeder announced a two-date tour that started at the end of April, but he’s hoping to do something bigger soon. “I kind of just started performing live in the past couple of months, and I want to continue doing that,” he says. “It’s a little lonely to make TikToks in my room and sing songs. But when you get a whole room of people together singing, ‘SohCahToa, she’s that girl,’ that’s f*cking magic.”