Jutes Faces Imposter Syndrome Ahead of Inkcarceration

*Jutes attends the 2026 JUNO Awards at TD Coliseum on March 29, 2026 in Hamilton, Ontario. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)*

Jutes will move into hard rock and metal territory Friday when he performs at Inkcarceration Festival in Mansfield, Ohio, after scoring alternative hits with “Sleepyhead” and “It Takes Two.”

His slot places him on a stage ahead of artists including Papa Roach and Hollywood Undead, and Jutes says he is still questioning how he fits into that setting.

“I have this imposter syndrome of, like, ‘Am I heavy enough? Are they gonna like it?'” Jutes says.

Jutes counts heavier artists including Deftones as influences on his music, but he does not consider himself fully part of that genre.

“It’s not like I consider myself a metalcore artist by any means.”

“I have moments in my songs that have, like, metalcore-adjacent riffs and whatnot,” he says. “But then I have other parts of my songs that are very pop, and I have other[s] that are hip-hop.”

When approaching Inkcarceration and festivals like it, Jutes says he tries to follow advice from his drummer.

“He’s always like, ‘Don’t shy away from being different,'” Jutes says. “‘You don’t have to pick songs that make you fit into what you think that the bill is gonna be like. It’s cool to do your thing.'”

“I kinda have to just trust other people, ’cause I’m always like, ‘I don’t know what songs of mine they’re gonna like,'” he continues. “I’ve got some heavy stuff, but I think I’ll just probably play the biggest songs I got and hope for the best.”

Jutes will release a new album, Chin Up, Beautiful, on Aug. 5. He also recently put out a new song called “Blink Twice” and will launch his own headlining tour Aug. 11 in Phoenix.

This article was adapted from original reporting by ABC Audio, as featured on 105.7 The Point.