Drake Bell on New Music, Touring and a Potential ‘Drake and Josh’ Reunion

Drake Bell has been playing music since he was in his early teens, honing his sound over the years as he made a name for himself as one of the two titular characters on Nickelodeon’s beloved ’00s sitcom Drake & Josh.

Now, he’s still working as both an actor and a musician, creating slick pop songs that draw from a multitude of influences that showcase the star’s versatility as an artist and willingness to explore new sounds, with Bell ultimately churning out tracks that his fans can’t get enough of.

After recently releasing a pair of singles, Bell is now preparing to share more new music with fans, which he’s able to do on his own time as an independent artist.

“I’ve got all kinds of music coming out,” he told PopCulture.com. “I’ve been collaborating with different artists, producers, so there’s everything from urban to pop to Latin, all different kinds of stuff.”

Thanks to his relationship with his fans on social media, Bell is able to hear their feedback and use it to influence his creative process.

“I can have direct connections with my fans and let them hear songs before they’re even finished and get their reaction to things. It’s just a lot cooler and you just feel much more free as an artist,” he explained. “Especially with today’s technology, I know what my fans want.”

The 32-year-old is also getting ready to hit the road, but first, he’ll perform a benefit concert in Orlando, Florida on August 14, with net proceeds to benefit onePULSE Foundation.

“I love being able to get on stage and see the fans,” Bell said of performing. “The fun part is being able to see those who find themselves at one of my concerts not knowing what to expect and then see that we play real music and it’s all cool stuff.”

Bell began his journey as an artist back when he was starring on Nickelodeon, first on The Amanda Show and then on Drake and Josh, and his role as the fictional Drake Parker enabled him to make a seamless transition from the screen to the stage.

“My character on the show was named Drake and he played guitar and all the pieces that I played on the show I wrote and created,” he explained. “And when I went and played live, or when I made my records, it was the same music. It was the same person. It was the same everything. And it wasn’t weird for me to have a guitar in my hand.”

With all the reboots and reunions currently happening in the television world, it’s easy to imagine that fans would be thrilled to see Bell and co-star Josh Peck reunite on the small screen. According to Bell, the possibility is there.

“Absolutely, I’d be up for a reboot,” he said. “I’m down and I’d love to. It’s just kind of like scheduling and all that. A lot of stuff that has to come together for something like that to actually happen, but it’s definitely not off the table. Knowing Josh and the way that I’ve talked to him about it, and the way that I’ve heard him talk, he would be into it and I would be into it too.”

He added that while the interest is there, the story would have to be just right to warrant a Drake & Josh reunion.

“It’s gotta be something really cool,” he explained. “It can’t just be like, ‘The College Years,’ or ‘Where are Drake Parker and Josh Nichols now?’ It’s gotta be something special that can live on and be able to go on, not just like an hour special or something.”

“If all our schedules work out and we got a great idea, which a lot of the stuff that’s floating around is, I think we would absolutely do it.”

Photo Credit: Vince Trupsin