Ajay Friese is not another bored TV actor looking for a vanity project to fill the gaps between shooting schedules. You see it in the way he leans into a conversation about his debut EP, *light a match... then run*. There is a frantic, earnest energy there that suggests the music was always the primary engine, even if the world met him first through the lens of a camera. He has spent years navigating the high-stakes world of Netflix science fiction and CW teen drama, but his sonic output feels far more intimate than the polished gloss of a *Riverdale* set.
The industry is littered with screen talents who think a few chords and a decent haircut make them a recording artist. But Friese has a pedigree that demands a closer look. He has been a recurring fixture on *Lost in Space* and *Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency*, and he anchored the gritty 2019 film *Riot Girls*. Yet, sitting with his new music, you realize the curiosity driving him is expansive. It is a wide net. It is a refusal to be boxed into a single discipline.
His debut EP is out now, anchored by the lead single "Blackberry," a track that arrived with a music video directed by his *Lost in Space* co-star and close friend, Mina Sundwall. The timing is calculated. As Friese prepares for the world to see the third and final season of the sci-fi epic on Dec. 2, he is simultaneously staking his claim in the indie-pop theatre.
When asked about the genesis of this collection, Friese is quick to point out that these tracks are not recent pandemic-born experiments. They are the artifacts of a decade of quiet labour.
"The EP is my debut EP, but it’s really a culmination of my favorite songs I’ve written over the past decade or so," Friese says. "I started writing music when I was in middle school and it was produced and recorded in New York City by my friend, Everett Bradley, who is a member of Bon Jovi."
The transition from the screen to the recording booth is a pivot many attempt, but few execute with this much historical weight. Friese has been plotting this move since he was barely old enough to see over a steering wheel. Most 12-year-olds are worrying about gym class; Friese was busy architecting a career.
"It’s always been my dream ever since I was about 12 when I started writing music, that’s when I made my first album plan on my mom’s old red Mac Book," he explains. "I could probably still pull it up if that thing even turns on. I just kind of felt like now was the right time. I had an audience from acting and I had connections from acting to the music industry and I just felt like it was the right time to go for what I had been dreaming of doing throughout all my teenage years."
The timeline of his music career feels accelerated, but it was actually a byproduct of the global shutdown. While the rest of the world was baking bread, Friese was fielding calls that would change his trajectory. He only began dropping visuals on YouTube about 10 months ago, a relatively fresh start for someone who has been in the public eye for years.
"Definitely. It all came about during the pandemic actually," Friese notes. "My acting agent got a cold call from this really good music manager and it was totally unexpected. My acting agent phoned me up in early October, about a year ago today. And that’s kind of when it all started. I had these songs recorded already, but that’s when we started planning the releases, making music videos, and everything else."
The connection to Everett Bradley—a man whose resume includes the E Street Band and Bon Jovi—is not just a lucky industry handshake. It is a generational link. There is a certain charm to the fact that Friese’s entry into the high-end production world started in a restaurant.
"Well, actually I was pretty lucky," he says. "My dad and him worked at the same restaurant when they were in their 20s. My dad was a waiter and Everett was the entertainment. They’ve always kept in touch and Everett’s been around from time to time, as I’ve grown up, and I think he really saw the musicality in me. Then as I got older and he started to hear some of my songs that I had written, he was really enthusiastic about producing a project with me. And of course I said, yeah, and here we are."
Working with a veteran like Bradley provided Friese with more than just a clean mix. It provided a philosophy. In an era where digital perfection is the default, Bradley taught him the value of the flaw. If you listen closely to the EP, you can hear that warmth—the slight imperfections that keep a record from sounding like it was generated by an algorithm.
"So much. We worked probably a few hundred hours on this project together," Friese says. "I learned so much from him, but probably the biggest thing I learned from him is that you can be too much of a perfectionist with music and especially with music recording, because you have the digital files, right. You can do anything to them, but when you’re too much of a perfectionist and you nudge it by a millisecond to make it right on the beat and everything, then it just starts sounding lifeless and it starts to lose that really human feel to it. I think that was one of the biggest lessons I took away from this whole experience."
The standout track, "Blackberry," carries a weight that belies its indie-pop exterior. It is a song rooted in a specific, terrifying moment from Friese’s youth. It is a track about the crushing gravity of a secret, written by a kid who had just seen the world literally burn.
A big part of acting is just making the lines feel real and perceivable to yourself... I actually jumped off of my balcony at home when I was home alone one day and it took me 45 minutes to will myself to do it. And I jumped onto a couch, but it was scary.
"Blackberry is the oldest song on the EP because I wrote it at the back of science class when I was in grade seven, after I accidentally burned down a hill that very dry summer by my house," Friese admits. "And luckily no one got hurt and the fire department arrived pretty quickly. I was left pretty impacted from the intensity of it all. So I wrote that song and it’s really about hiding a secret, hiding the truth and how it kind of chases you everywhere you go. And then the release that comes with finally telling the truth."
The visual for "Blackberry" is equally compelling, marking the directorial debut of Mina Sundwall. There is an organic chemistry to their collaboration that you cannot manufacture in a boardroom. It started with a casual listen on a set and evolved into a full-blown production.
"Mina’s incredible and she’s also into directing and this is her narrative directorial debut," Friese says. "I showed her the song casually when we were on set for Lost in Space season three early in quarantine. And she really liked the song and I kind of discussed what I just told you about the backstory. Then she just cold calls me three months later out of the blue with this whole idea shot for shot, story for story, everything that you’re going to see in the music video, she told me over the phone and she’s like, can we make this music video? I just thought of it. She had written up this whole Word document with all these concept photos and everything. And it was really amazing working with her. I think she’s going to make some really incredible pieces."
For Friese, the music video is not just a marketing tool. It is the bridge between his two identities. It allows him to use the technical skills he honed on massive Netflix sets to serve his own personal narrative.
"I think it’s pretty fun because it’s where I get to mix my two mediums, especially when I’m doing narrative music videos, not just performance pieces, but where I’m acting," he says. "I think hopefully for fans, it’s cool to see that bridge, me acting in my music videos."
But as much as the music is taking centre stage, the looming release of *Lost in Space* season three remains a massive point of pride. The show has been a steady climb in quality, moving from a family adventure to a high-stakes survival epic. Friese is confident that this final outing is the peak of the series.
"Yeah, I’m super excited," he says. "I think honestly I loved season one. I thought season two was even better and I really do mean this. I think season three is the best season we’ve done. I feel like it just keeps on getting better and better. It was so fun to shoot. And honestly I think it’s going to be nuts."
When pushed for spoilers, Friese stays professionally tight-lipped, though he drops a hint that suggests his musical talents might finally bleed into his on-screen persona.
"I don’t think I can say anything really. Well, as you know, I like to act and I also like to sing, so maybe that’s a clue," he teases.
His character, Vijay Dhar, has undergone a transformation since the early days of development. Originally named Sebastian Mendoza, the character was renamed after Friese was cast, creating a strange synchronicity between the actor and the role. Vijay is the son of Victor Dhar and the romantic foil to Penny Robinson, but Friese’s approach to the role involves a level of commitment that borders on the extreme.
"Well, my character’s name is Vijay Dhar. Original name was actually Sebastian Mendoza and I auditioned for Sebastian and after they cast me, they changed his name to Vijay Dhar, which is pretty funny, because it’s super similar to my name Ajay," he says. "He is the son of the colony leader Victor Dhar. He’s also the love interest slash friend of Penny Robinson who’s the middle Robinson child. For creating the character, it took a lot of creation, but then after filming the first season, you just step back into it every season and it comes really naturally after that. A big part of acting is just making the lines feel real and perceivable to yourself. And then when you say them, it’ll just come across way more believable."
To illustrate his point, Friese recounts a story from the first season that involves a balcony, a couch, and a genuine fear of heights. It is the kind of story that separates the casual actors from the ones who are willing to bruise for the craft.
"And so there was a poem in season one where I talk about how I battle my fear of heights," Friese explains. "And I actually have a bit of a fear of heights and so to prepare for it, I just wanted to feel something genuine when Penny read out that line where I said, I battled my fear of heights."
The preparation was visceral. It was not about reading lines; it was about physical memory.
"And so I actually jumped off of my balcony at home when I was home alone one day and it took me 45 minutes to will myself to do it," he says. "And I jumped onto a couch, but it was scary. Honestly, sometimes it’s just stuff like that, like you’re really in it and then you’re emotionally connected with the character."
Beyond the Robinson family’s space adventures, Friese also made a mark on the neon-soaked streets of *Riverdale*. Playing Eddie, one of Dodger’s street kids, he found himself working closely with the show's lead, K.J. Apa. It was a surreal experience for an actor who was already a fan of the series.
"I was on five episodes playing a smaller character," Friese recalls. "I played Eddie, one of Dodgers street kids, and it was incredible. Every single one of my scenes was with K.J. Apa who plays Archie. And that was really fun meeting him because I had also been such a fan of the show since the pilot actually. And he is really, nice and funny. That was great getting to work with him and getting to be on the set of a show that I loved so much. And ironically, the season that I’m in is the only season that I haven’t watched."
It is a classic actor’s quirk—being too busy making the show to actually sit down and consume it. But he is catching up now, watching the fifth season as the finale airs.
"I’m not really sure why, but I mean I’m fully watching season five right now," he says. "It’s incredible. The finale actually airs tonight as we are recording this interview."
As for what comes next, Friese is keeping his cards close to his chest. There are projects in the wings, but his focus is squarely on the Dec. 1 launch of *Lost in Space*.
"Nothing I can talk about. I can say that Lost in space, season three, is going to come out on December 1st," he says firmly.
The final question is the one every multi-hyphenate hates, but it reveals the most about Friese's internal compass. If he had to choose between the safety of the screen and the vulnerability of the stage, the answer is surprisingly clear. Acting offers the paycheque, but music offers the soul.
"Part of my brain thinks acting because even though they’re both pretty unstable, acting has a bit more financial stability to a degree, but I don’t think I could pick that because music is my true love and it’s just what comes out of me," Friese says. "I would definitely just have to choose music and put everything into it, which is what I’m trying to do."
And that is the definitive take on Ajay Friese. He is an artist who would rather jump off a balcony for a poem or risk his financial future for a song than play it safe. In an industry that rewards the predictable, Friese is a welcome variable. Keep an eye on the charts and the credits; he is likely to dominate both.
