A founding member of the beloved North Carolina bluegrass-ish band Mipso, Jacob Sharp has always loved a team. He attributes this to being a middle child, which is the basis for his debut solo album, Middle Kid. Born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Jacob not only loved being on a team but also radiated towards musical collaboration on guitar and mandolin. He studied at UNC Chapel Hill where he met his bandmates and formed Mipso in 2012. He ended up moving to Brooklyn after school where he fell into a musical community with folks like Courtney Hartman, The Brother Brothers, and Sarah Jarosz. From there, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles, then to Altadena, until the tragic wildfires of 2025. They eventually made their way back east and now reside once again in North Carolina. Their young daughter is named after Jacob’s mother, who died when he was 21 years old, just weeks before Mipso’s first concert.
Jacob is such an interesting and gentle person to be in conversation with in ways that make you want to know his whole story, which is vast! He speaks about his early life as well as the loss of his mother and what that feels like in tandem with becoming a parent himself. He is actively sharing music and surrounding his young daughter with music; we talk about what that looks like and how she’s responded. Jacob is also very passionate about wine and shares where that came from and how it intersects with music. We also discuss the possible future or non-future of Mipso, who announced an indefinite hiatus on May 7, 2025, and wrapped up their final shows from October 8–9, 2025. I’m thrilled Jacob released his solo album! I have loved all the solo songs he has dropped so far and the new record does not disappoint.
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Photo Credit: Jude Zazadski
