Layke Jones: Performing with Timothée Chalamet on SNL
BY MASON FRIDLEY ’23
2 MIN. READ
“The stage was a lot smaller than I imagined,” chuckled Anderson University alumnus Layke Jones ’20.
Jones had the remarkable opportunity to perform on the legendary Saturday Night Live stage with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award-winning performer Timothée Chalamet.
“Being on that stage was surreal,” said Jones. “Even now I’m still in awe that I got to perform on that stage. I am just so grateful to have had that opportunity. It certainly has been the coolest opportunity I have had musically and just as far as something that’s affirming to me creatively, and that I’m in the right field.”
Jones was fortunate enough to perform on SNL through a group he is a part of, Broadway Inspirational Voices. This group has been around since the ’90s and most of the performers in Broadway Inspirational Voices have either been or are currently active on Broadway. “The director of Broadway Inspirational Voices reached out to five or six of us and asked if we would be interested in performing on SNL because Timothée Chalamet needed a few background singers,” said Jones. “And of course, I said ‘yes!’”
After receiving the green light to perform on SNL, Jones received access to Floor 8 of Rockefeller Plaza. “You know, once you get access to the floor, nobody is paying attention to you at all,” Jones said. “Everyone is so busy with sketches that they are rushing around, doing make-up, hair, all the things. I walked past Steve Higgins, one of the head writers, and Bowen Yang, a current cast member, and again, these people are so busy that they aren’t asking questions. They are just doing their thing.”
Jones had the opportunity to meet some household names as well. “Before we went on stage, I walked past Adam Sandler in his ill-fitting tracksuit that only he could pull off, and he comes up to us and asks us who we are, shakes our hand, and tells us he’s excited to see us perform,” Jones said. “And we see Lorne Michaels, who was the coolest person to see for me, knowing that he watched the first SNL sketch 50 years ago. I’m just amazed at the history. Again, it was so surreal.”
The night of the show was just a small piece of the experience. Jones and his band of singers practiced all week with Timothée Chalamet to prepare for the big event. “Timothée was run ragged all week with press, recordings, ads, videos, and all the other things, and just as a guest act alone, there is a lot of work to do,” Jones said. “But then you add in the musical act as well, and like I said, it is no small feat.”
Jones continued, “So we wondered if we would get a guy who is super stressed out and tough to work with, but he was so kind and down to earth. He actually referred to us as the ‘angels.’ He would keep saying ‘Where are the angels at?’ Timothée was just so in awe of our vocal ability, which was amazing. He was so supportive of us, and even though we played a small role, he wanted to be collaborative with us, you know, asking about the length of our vibrato and whatnot.”
Along with meeting top A-list celebrities, Jones made a unique Anderson connection through this experience. He said, “The band for the music portion was all from California, and we shared a group dressing room with them. While I was there, I connected with the rhythm guitar player who was probably 28, and he said he is a pastor’s son. As we were talking he said to me, ‘I’ve been getting into Christian contemporary music from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, and I was wondering if you know who the Gaither Vocal Band is?’ And I was just cracking up at that! I told him yes obviously and that I’m from the same town as they are. It was just a really cool connection, and it made me proud to be an Anderson resident.”
From meeting all these amazing people, performing on one of the most legendary stages in America, and even making an Anderson University connection, saying that Jones had an amazing experience is an understatement. Above all, Jones was grateful to be there, and he looks forward to continuing his passion for music in the Big Apple.
Anderson University educates students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 50 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized for excellence in business, computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, music, nursing, psychology, and teacher education programs. Established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God, the university remains committed to its Christ-centered mission.