Bergen County's Jack Antonoff Ready For Closeup: Talks Taylor Swift In NJ Mag Cover Story

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Bergen County native Jack Antonoff — who just won a "Producer of the Year" Grammy for his work with Taylor Swift and other musicians — has landed the cover of next month's New Jersey Monthly Magazine. In a new interview in the magazine, he talks about Swift, Bruce Springsteen, the "heavy" academic pressure in Bergen County towns, and more.

"[Bergen County towns] can be really heavy in terms of expectation, and there’s not a lot of space...for people who have a different concept of what they want their life to be," he says in the interview, when talking about college pressures. "I was really lucky because I didn’t give a s--- what anyone else thought, because my family was cool with what I was doing.”

Antonoff was born in Bergenfield and raised in Woodcliff Lake and New Milford. He attended Solomon Schechter Day School in New Milford before commuting to New York City to attend the Professional Children's School for high school.

The story notes that the Bleachers frontman and former guitarist for fun. will turn 40 next month. Besides Swift, he has produced Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Sara Bareilles, Tegan & Sara, Grimes, St. Vincent, and more.

"A few miles away [from MetLife Stadium], that song was made in this tiny little space,” he says about Taylor Swift's "Getaway Car."

He also talks about his marriage last year (in New Jersey) to Margaret Qualley, about relationships in general, and about dealing with his sister's death at 13 from brain cancer. And he reveals that he used to go to Jersey diners alone on Christmas to people-watch.

The issue hits newsstands on Feb. 27. Read more of the interview here.

Read a previous story about Antonoff's recent wedding in Patch here: In Swift-Studded Wedding, Bergen County Boy Jack Antonoff Gets Married