Mike Ruiz is a world renowned photographer, who also happens to be a TV personality on Logo’s smash hit A-List New York, former model, actor and director. Mike's lens has done a whole lot of zooming in and zooming out, while the world keeps a keen focus on his high-impact, surreal brand of celebrity and fashion photography.

Mike was born and raised in Repentigny, a suburb in Montreal, Canada. After working for more than a decade as a successful model, his true calling came into focus one Christmas morning, when he got a gift of a lifetime: his first camera. Wide-eyed, he took the camera out of the box, and in the blink of an adept eye, his whole life was about to change. With focused determination, Mike immediately took to his new present--taught himself the intricate mechanics of the camera and to this day, he hasn't stopped clicking away. Perhaps it's only when you might hear him say, "we got it!", that there is but the slightest of pauses to an otherwise very hectic shooting schedule. Sharing with the world the images that he captures is tantamount to poetry. Whether it's Kim Kardashian to Betty White, or from Nicki Minaj to Katy Perry, Mike has seen and shot it all.

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Jason Walker has club hits to shake yo’ booty, sultry songs to soundtrack your love sessions, and love-broken ballads to cry your heart out. With a mastered but un-doctored recorded album of his soulful vocal stylings coming out this summer, Walker takes the time to sit with Bloke. 

Bloke: Have you ever been to El Paso?

Jason Walker: I have not, no. I played in Dallas once. 

Bloke: Well, El Paso is very different from Dallas. We’re very far-west Texas. Culturally, we’re another planet. We’re basically Mexico. 

Jason Walker: (Laughs)

Bloke: Where in New York do you live?

Jason: I’m in Brooklyn. In a neighborhood called Williamsburg.

Bloke: Yeah, I know Williamsburg. I stayed there the one time I visited NYC. Lots of hipsters. I slept in a YMCA though. There were lots of weird, hot Polish men there. 

Jason: (Laughs). Yeah, lots of those around. I’ve been living in this area for about 9 years now.

Bloke: You won the competition at Showtime at the Apollo back in the day. What was that like? What year were you on? 

Jason: It was right before I moved to New York, so in 2000 or 2001.

Bloke: Did you feature electronica in your act? How did that kind of music go over with the audience?

Jason: I did send the producers a dance demo. Thought I would just take a chance. But I had a song from Deborah Cox and a song by Christine W that I covered on it. I thought it would be a good fit for a more urban, R’n’B kind of crowd.

Bloke: Was Steve Harvey hosting the show then?

Jason: Yes, Steve Harvey was the host. And he was so nice. I was so nervous backstage and the audience was just being so unreceptive that he literally told them to shut up and let this white guy perform. 

Bloke: Is that what put you in contact with Junior Vasquez?

Jason: My best friend who moved with me to New York was a singing bartender and a songwriter who was very close to Junior. She wanted to record a song with me and depending on how it came out, she’d put it out to Junior and his camp.

Bloke: How big was he at the time? How much prominence did his name have in the nightclub DJ circuit scene?

Jason: Oh, my god. He was still king.

Bloke: I’ve read about Junior’s very chic, exclusive Sunday-morning after-hours sets; these parties that would be frequented by Madonna and various celebrities. Did you become a fixture at these events?

Jason: Oh yeah! They were fun. Mad cool.

Bloke: Did you spot any famous people?

Jason: Not really. That was more the Sound Factory era when stars would come out.

Bloke: When did you part ways with Junior Vasquez and what prompted the split?

Jason: Junior and his business partner split. The label just closed and I was ready to leave anyway, so it was all for the best.  

Bloke: Was dance music always going to be your focus, or was it Junior who steered you in that direction?

Jason: I’ve always loved dance music, ever since I was little. My mother had a crazy record collection. When I moved to New York, i wanted to do dance music but I never wanted to limit myself to one genre.

Bloke: What made you want to transition from dance music? It seems that with Leave it All Behind, you feature a lot of acoustic songs.

Jason: Yeah, there is a lot of soulful, acoustic stuff on there. But there are some dance tracks too. There will always be dance music. It’s in my blood. I love club music, but there were other things I wanted to do and when I left the label, it just seemed like the right time to try something new. I’ve never been one to limit myself.

Bloke: Your rendition of Etta James’ “At Last” on your YouTube channel is awesome.

Jason: Why, thank you. 

Bloke: When does Jason Walker: Live and Unplugged come out?

Jason: I’m releasing it this summer. 

Bloke: Did you intend to make such a raw album?

Jason: No. That was actually a live rehearsal that just came out sounding good enough to record. People kept encouraging me to release it and so, we did. It’s raw, but well-done. I think it showcases my voice in a whole other way. It’s going to come out June 14th. 

Bloke: How present is the city of New York in your music, in terms of inspiration?

Jason: It’s very present. This is the best city to have good day. You feed off the energy of the city and it makes you feel so good. It’s also the worst city to have a bad day. But all of that just feeds into the inspiration.  

Bloke: Name one artist whose music you love to shake your ass to.

Jason: Lady Gaga, honey.

Bloke: Name one artist whose music you love to cry in the bathtub to.

Jason: Tori Amos.

Bloke: Name one artist whose music you love to have sex to.

Jason: Olive.

Bloke: Out of those three activities, which would you like your fans to do most, set to your music?

Jason: I can’t pick just one! I want them to do all three.