Outspoken Rocker Jake Bugg Talks Friends, Finding Inspiration, and Surviving His Rise to Fame

As we say in the biz, Jake Bugg has officially "made it." He's toured with Noel Gallagher, opened for The Rolling Stones, had a number one debut, and collaborated with music's gold maker, Rick Rubin, for his successful sophomore album, Shangri La. But even after the Brit's meteoric rise to fame (not to mention his short-lived but very public relationship with then up-and-coming model Cara Delevingne), this 20-year-old has something on his mind: that some fans think he has a "bugger off" 'tude. "I went straight on the tour bus after a gig the other day because I didn't feel very well," Jake recalls while sitting onstage at New York City's Webster Hall, the site of his _ Teen Vogue _ photo shoot. "I heard someone outside going, 'He's a miserable guy' and 'He never smiles!'" When, in reality, he insists, "I have a funny sense of humor!"

The brooding balladeer is undoubtedly a shade more mysterious than your average pop product—he was born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy (he took his father's surname for the bright lights), grew up in a broken home with his kid sister (now immortalized in his throwback lyrics), and gave up further education to make ends meet (he's not a high school dropout, as some may believe). Jake is also completely self-taught: "The whole reason I started playing was because it was an outlet," he says. "With other pop artists my age, music gets written for them, so they don't have an outlet. For me, it's the music that keeps me sane."

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