Stephen Kramer Glickman

Actor/TikTok Star Adds to Iconic Career Resume With The Moving Company

By Kenneth Tse

Stephen Kramer Glickman has many things to celebrate in 2021. For starters, the longevity of his podcast The Night Time Show, which celebrated its 200th episode on July 3rd. Next, the milestone of his TikTok account surpassing an impressive 1.5 million followers and 23 million likes. And, of course, who can forget Glickman's continued icon status as Gustavo Rocque on Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush.

Now, the actor soars to even greater heights. He presents The Moving Company, a debut album covering the best of pop music past and present. It comes following the traction of his “Crazy” cover, which now has over 208 million streams via TikTok. From Green Day to Billie Eilish to The Beatles, TMC reaffirms Glickman’s excellence as a dynamic and versatile talent. We spoke to him about music, his show business journey, and more!

Hey Stephen! Thank you so much for speaking to us today. First of all, congrats on your debut album! How are you feeling now that it’s been released?

Honestly, it feels pretty exciting to be so vulnerable. I mean, I didn’t write these songs, they are just covers of songs that mean something to me but there is something pretty intense about doing music like this publicly for the first time. I’m used to doing comedy where the response is instant because of the laughter but when your covering hit songs from Billie Eilish, Radiohead, and Post Malone you’re just hoping to connect with people and that’s pretty exhilarating.

You’ve celebrated an iconic, decades-long career in the entertainment business. So, what made 2021 the year to release The Moving Company?

Honestly, in 2020 I went through a breakup, got Covid, and was left alone with just my pug and my piano. With the entertainment industry shut down, my artistic energy kept trying to find other ways to express itself. I kept finding myself drawn back to making music and singing my favorite songs. So, I would do live streams on TikTok and 30,000 - 50,000 people would tune in for my song request lives. It was a crazy amount of people! When I was healthy enough, I went to a recording studio and started singing my favorite songs. I was literally so nervous; you have no idea. The recording engineer Mitchell Haeuszer said, “Maybe go live and you’ll feel more comfortable.” So, I did and recorded the first few songs with live piano and vocals.

Deciding to actually release music really came from the want to let people see a part of myself I’ve kept quiet for a long time. There were so many reasons to NOT do an album, to not release music. I had convinced myself for a long time that my fans from Big Time Rush wouldn’t want music unless it was from the guys from the show. I had convinced myself the people hate when comedians and actors release music. I had convinced myself that I’m too far into my career to grow another branch. I’m glad I finally got over that bullshit.

The album is a beautiful listen– How did you choose which songs to cover for the project?

In the beginning, I just chose songs I liked to sing, but every once in a while, I would do a song that really emotionally affected me, and it changed my approach. “Yellow” by Coldplay is a great song and I sound nice singing it but I couldn’t care less about “Yellow”. On the other hand, a song like “When the party‘s over” by Billie Eilish hits me right in the gut. It was a very emotional song to get through. That song became the level on which to measure all the other performances by.

Photo Credit- Orion Bustamante.jpg — Photo Credit: Orion Bustamante

And what was the recording process like? Can you talk about working with Greg Collins and Natalie London on the album?

Honestly, I got super lucky in a couple of crazy ways. The first person to tell me that they thought I should record an album was a longtime friend, Grammy award-winning producer Greg Collins who I had met through my Comedian friend, Roast Master Jeffrey Ross. Greg took me into his studio and together we recorded the first few songs. Then I went off on my own two record a bunch more and honestly, I started getting a little overwhelmed and lost in the process.

I had started reaching out to musicians that play with other bands including Violinist Jessy Greene who plays with The Foo Fighters and P!nk, violinist Rachel Grace who plays with Ariana Grande, bassist and singer Casey Abrams from American Idol, cellist master Marza Wilks and Zo the guitarist, who’s videos on TikTok are insane. I knew that I needed to bring in a producer that could not only write arrangements for these other musicians but help mix and master the album while helping me pick my ten tracks for the album. There was only one choice: Natalie London. The lead singer and songwriter for one of Rolling Stone Magazines’ favorite Indi Rock bands, Hey, King!, Natalie was perfect to help me craft an album that is cohesive and beautiful. Lucky for me Natalie was just a phone call away because Natalie is my little sister. As I said…I am super lucky.

Once I had her on my team the rest was a cakewalk. She arranged music and orchestrated for multiple instruments helping to set the tone that I had been searching for. Working with my sister on an artistic endeavor like this is hands-down one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to do in my life. I loved every minute. We even got to play piano together on the cover of “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum.

We love the “Crazy” teaser! Can you walk us through the inspiration for the video?

I have always been such an enormous fan of Gnarls Barkley and Ceelo Greene. I remember watching him perform that song in so many different costumes over the years that when it came time to do a music video, I knew I had to continue the tradition. An artist friend of mine named Mario Delgado had painted a picture of me as the joker and I always liked it, so I took my inspiration from that.

Well, you can officially add TikTok star to your list of achievements. What has it been like to blow up on the app?

It’s absolutely incredible connecting with fans in new and interesting ways and TikTok really does that. When TikTok asked me to join I said no multiple times because I thought nobody wants to see a 40-year-old guy on that app. But I joined anyway, and I currently have 1.5 million followers on there which just goes to show that sometimes you have to prove your insecurities wrong.

In what ways is TikTok different from the rest of the music and entertainment space?

If you have 1000 followers on Instagram the chance that more than 1000 people are going to see your Instagram post is very little. But on TikTok people are blowing up on a regular basis that have very few followers. That app really opened up the playing field for new talent to rise up.

What would you say has been your favorite content to make and why?

I’m not sure but I can tell you the weirdest content I’ve had to make was when I promised my followers that if I hit 1 million, I would do the WAP dance. That may have been the most awkward moment of my life. Nobody ever needs to see that again.

The Night Time Show has welcomed so many incredible guests. Is there a particular podcast moment that still feels surreal to you?

There was a moment at the 100th episode where Mike Black, Michael Glaser, Matt Walker, and I sat on stage in front of 200 people at the Hollywood Improv while Grammy Winner Lisa Loeb sang “Stay” to the audience. We just stared at each other in disbelief.

If you were to host a musical festival, which three artists are you choosing to headline the event?

Big Time Rush, Hey, King! and Billie Eilish.

You’ve played a pivotal role in the childhoods of so many of us, Gen-Zers. How does it feel that so many fans continue to support you and BTR eight years after their last show?

It’s actually pretty incredible and is a phenomenal legacy. I talk to people all the time whose lives were changed because of that show and it’s an absolutely magical thing. Being a part of so many people's childhoods is not something I take lightly. I really try to do good work in my career but more importantly in my life. That’s why every year my podcast does a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and so far, we’ve raised over $70,000. I feel very honored to be able to work with them every year.

What has been your favorite part about playing the role?

My favorite thing about playing Gustavo was spending every day with that amazing cast and crew. Hands down the best people I have ever worked with in my life. So many happy memories.

The guys recently broke the internet by teasing their reunion! We have to ask...Can you spill any more tea on what exactly this may entail?

I am so happy they are touring together again, and I really hope the touring continues into next year. I know my dogs worked very hard to make this happen. I would love a reunion TV movie or a reboot TV show but time will tell!

What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to get into the music and entertainment business?

Make choices that bring you closer to who you want to be, not who you think other people want you to be. Sure, that's a wordy sentence but it's the truth. Go after what you want in this business with your heart open and you will always win.

Jenn Melon

Andy Jiang