In the music business, the Swift with the most global popularity has the first name Taylor. But now, a Swift by the name of Jeremy has stepped up to the mic.

Best known for his time on “Downton Abbey” as Spratt (and for hinting at a Downton movie!), Jeremy Swift recently veered outside of the acting world to write, record and independently release his debut solo album, “Everything’s a Joke.”

“I’m not really a rocker and I don’t think I’m having a mid-life crisis. I did hesitate because I’m 56 and I don’t want people to think I’m trying to exploit the fact I was in Downton,” explained Swift during an interview with the Daily Mail.

Swift, who has played with several bands in the past, recorded much of his album with the assistance of an iPad and raised £9,000 on Kickstarter to fund it. The end result is an experimental pop album that features a bunch of electronic playfulness.

“I did a lot of the editing in bed,” relayed Swift. “I’d be wearing my headphones but my wife would still tap me and say, ‘I can hear it!’ She and the kids aren’t really interested. My son, who’s 13, likes one song a bit, but my daughter, who’s 15, doesn’t like my music at all. The kindest thing she’ll say is, ‘Daddy, it’s just not my thing.’”

What helped motivate this album was the untimely death of Swift’s close friend and musical collaborator Alan Neve. In many ways, this unfortunate situation sparked something significant in Swift.

“I suppose subconsciously you do think about your own mortality as you get older,” said Swift. “I’m not sure I’ll have the gall to promote the songs live, but I wanted to send them out into the world to see what people think.”

“Everything’s a Joke” is available now on iTunes.

-Adam Grant

Here’s a little taste of Swift’s musical chops:

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