Jimothy Lacoste: how a viral internet enigma became a Glastonbury star

It is a peculiar thing, to listen to music, and have no idea whether it is good or bad. Such is the reaction to 20-year-old North Londoner Jimothy Lacoste (real name Timothy Gonzales), who broke through in July 2017 with a self-produced, lo-fi YouTube video called Getting Busy.

In it, Jimothy, crisply attired in a white and blue striped shirt tucked into bright red trousers, stands on a plastic green chair and jiggles his knees into a strangely captivating shimmy. Over a heavy bassline, he delivers with deadpan confidence - and ever so slowly - such banalities as: “What am I gonna do on Monday? Schedule’s getting busy / Might have to hire a maid.” The comments below the video range between “iconic” and “I had cancer, now it’s cured”, to “what the hell is this s---?” and “this is surely a joke.”

Two years later, with further songs including I Can Speak Spanish, Future Bae and Getting Burberry Socks, the comments have largely been positive, but Jimothy continues to mystify his small but growing fanbase. He is genreless, cannot be compared to any other artist, and his entire existence seems primed to divide.

His bizarrely simple lyrics are both profound and bathetic. His sound is both hypnotically catchy and infuriatingly mindless. He is both well dressed and badly dressed. Beyond music, he has become known for his collection of curiously choreographed dances and preposterous yet prophetic sound bites on everything from love and drugs to money and politics. Interest and support, too, has rallied around his recent revelation that he suffers from severe dyslexia.

And yet Jimothy’s unique, un-configurable brand has done him well, bagging him a record deal with Black Butter Records (home to Mercury Prize nominee J Hus and chart-topper Jess Glynne), on which he will soon release his debut album, and, astonishingly, a billing on this year’s Glastonbury Pussy Parlure line-up. Like it or not, it seems music’s biggest enigma is here to stay.

How much do you read your YouTube comments? They're pretty conflicted about your sound.

I only look at the hate comments for fun. Because it boosts me. “What is this s---? I can’t stand it. The production is terrible. His lyrics are terrible. He can’t even sing.” I love that s---. I love it.

When you first broke through there were people who loved you and people who didn’t understand you, who thought you weren't for real. How depressing was that for you?

I didn’t mind that because my idols got that. Yung Lean got that, and Playboi Carti got that. They were like “Playboi Carti isn’t not saying anything, is he taking the piss?” So when I hear that about me I feel happy because I’m getting the same comments that my favourite people get. What did annoy me more was when people were like, “He is making straight up comedy music.” I’m not there thinking, is this going to sound funny? You could say the same about Dean Blunt. He’s not trying to be funny, that’s just his language and the way he talks.

Do you think the simplicity of your lyrics are a product of your dyslexia?

Yeah I think so. Dyslexia has probably created my whole career. Most dyslexics that I’ve met are all very creative.

Your lyrics are a big contrast to the word play found in grime and hip hop. Is this intentional?

I believe the reason why music moves people is, of course, the lyrics, but more the sound and the drums. Like in the Seventies, funk, disco, soul, was about the sound and dance. People weren’t paying much attention to the lyrics. What’s moving you is that nice little snare. Playboi Carti uses his voice as an instrument. I think some people definitely tend to focus far too much on the lyrics than actual sound.

Your music is bouncy and uplifting. Are you purposefully countering the rise of sad rap and sad bangers?

I always try and make my music as happy as possible. I’m just a very positive guy in general.

Were you happy as a teenager?

I was actually. I was never sad. I was very angry but only in school. I would just like throw chairs in the classroom, smash things, but only because teachers would annoy me.

But you had issues with dyslexia at school?

Yes. I can’t tell the time. I only bought this watch because of the design, at the bottom it’s got the time in digital.

Can you spell?

Yes, but things like “specifically” I’d have to think about and probably get it wrong. Just recently I learned how to spell “specifically”. I can spell table, bacon, green, silver...that’s easy.

How easy is it for you to follow song lyrics when you listen to music?

I’m getting better at it now. But like two years ago I’d listen to a song, a lyric, and I wouldn’t follow any of it.

Could you rap fast if you tried?

I stutter a lot, so I think dyslexia does stop me. I’m a shy guy but I haven’t got social anxiety, so the stuttering is obviously coming from dyslexia.

You warn about the dangers of drugs in one of your songs, and you rap that you won't date a girl that takes Xanax. How much are you noticing rappers glamourising Xanax in their songs?

My favourite rappers talk about it. And one of them said a specific drug and I was like “I’ve heard about this drug before”, and then I went out and bought some. Music influences people. It influences me, it makes me dance, it makes me move. It makes me try things, you know? The most beautiful things in life create good and bad.

Do you remember the day you found out you were going to play Glastonbury?

No. I never even know what day it is when I wake up. I have to follow my calendar, to find out whether I'm going to the studio, reading a book, or drawing.

Do you still have a highly regimented diet?

Yes, although I'm no longer eating five oranges a day. The reason I was eating oranges was I wanted to make sure I would never get a cold, right? But I was still getting loads of colds. So now I just eat fruit for two days a week. I eat two packets of grapes a day. A whole pineapple. Strawberries. And Nandos, I've got a black card, so it's free for a year.

Do you take girls on dates to Nandos?

I don’t take girls to eat. Not on the first date. I take them to a pub in Camden.

Are you with someone at the moment?

No comment. I’m like Adele you know, I like privacy.

So Future Bae is unknown.

Someone told me, “Be careful with calling Future Bae because you’re not manifesting the now, you’re manifesting the future. If you say Today Bae you’ll be meeting loads of girls in one day.”

Is that a forthcoming song, Today Bae?

Maybe.

For your song I Can Speak Spanish, could you speak Spanish beforehand?

Yeah, I used to go to Bilbao, Spain every year with my mum to visit family. My mum’s six sisters are Spanish.

The video for that song really reminded me of Dizzy Rascal’s I Luv U.

That makes my day. I was obsessed with that song; the instrumental. Because I’m dyslexic I wasn’t able to keep up with the lyrics but the instrumental and the video I loved. Dizzy Rascal is one of my influences.

I saw in the YouTube comments people were saying their teachers had used the video in their Spanish lesson.

Yeah people send me videos of it being played on the whiteboard. I had to make sure it was totally correct. My mum corrected it all.

Do you like the comparisons to Despacito 2?

No, it sounds nothing like it. This is the problem with London. Londoners will hear something new and they’ll be like, “Oh he’s trying to be like so-and-so. To copy that.” It’s very arrogant and closed minded. London is very small, you know?

Your dancing is a big part of your brand. Fans want you to bring some of your moves to Fortnite.

It’s something I’ve thought about but like, I don’t have a father or mum with big connections, who would be able to sort that out for me. This is something I have to really work for. I don’t even know where to start with that. And also rappers have been putting their dances on there, but Soulja Boy recently said that they’re idiots because they haven’t been copyrighting it and they’ve lost millions and millions.

Do you have names for all your dances?

Not yet. I need to. I need to copyright them all.

When did you start dancing?

At house parties yeah when I was younger. That’s how I discovered myself. I blew up in a certain way. And some kids who haven’t blown up with me, they hate on me, right? The same ones I went to house parties with. But they’ve gotta sit down and actually realise I was obviously going to blow up. I always wore red cords. I always wore blue cords. Black cords. I always stood out. I always had a tucked-in shirt. I always talked to everyone and I always loved to dance. Obviously I was going to blow up.

You aren’t wearing your cords today.

But my shirt is tucked in. I just love the classic Seventies look. It makes me think of class.

You have a song called Getting Carjacked. Have you ever jacked a car?

Nah, that was inspired by playing Grand Theft Auto. Although I could have, I’ve always liked doing naughty things.

You follow Kate Bush on Instagram. Is she a big thing for you?

My sister showed me Kate Bush years ago. And I looked at her music and I thought to myself, “This is very similar to me.” She’s dancing and the dance moves are very different but very beautiful, like mine. She has a very different voice. She directs all her videos and writes all her songs, like I do, so she’s like me pretty much. So Kate Bush reminds me of me, basically.

Have you told her this?

No I don’t think she uses her Instagram.

Where will we find you after your Glastonbury set?

I’ve got to go to Oxford. I’m performing at the Oxford ball.

Which college? There are 26.

Are you serious? It’s like Hogwarts. How it’s all laid out. You’ve got candles and stuff. Do they actually have candles?

Yes.

Are there chandeliers?

No. Oxford colleges don’t have much money.

My favourite show was in Oxford. Whenever I play there, they go crazy, say crazy things, I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Like what?

Like this one girl was like “Jimothy, f--- me.” and then this guy was saying, “Jimothy f--- my girl” and this other girl on her phone wrote “Jimothy f--- me”. Apparently I said to her “DM me on Instagram”. I don’t remember doing that. That’s very unprofessional of me. I don’t even know how old she was.

Gosh. Were you naked?

No! I was just wearing my leather jacket like always. I mean, I know girls like leather jackets but honestly…it’s only in Oxford that this happens. I have the weirdest groupies in Oxford. And Northampton.

They’re all quite repressed, probably. Have you ever taken home a fan?

She was a fan not a groupie. Groupies are the ones you have to stay away from. But anyway, I never want to do that again.

Final two questions, why the name, Jimothy Lacoste?

My real name is Timmy. And then I discovered my style from people who wore Lacoste. The old man swag, you know. Knitted, crew-neck sweaters...I felt very very attached to the brand. Timothy’s a bit boring. The J gives it more spice you know.

And how old are you?

I don't want that information out there. No one knows my age.

It says on Wikipedia that you are 20.

Oh. Well, it shouldn't.