Chord Overstreet is black, white, and sexy all over in the first of our brand new Just Jared Spotlight of the Week photo series, exclusively on JustJared.com shot by photographer Justin Campbell!

The 24-year-old Glee hunk opened up to JJ about his songwriting process, biggest musical heroes, and growing up on Elvis and Michael Jackson.

Don’t forget – Chord is set to take the stage at The Roxy on Sunset in Los Angeles this Saturday (July 20) at 1pm PST. Grab your tickets now while you can!

In case you missed them, check out some behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot too!

Click inside to read our interview with Chord Overstreet, and 10+ photos…

JustJared.com Interview – Chord Overstreet

JustJared: We’re excited about your show this weekend! What can fans expect?

Chord Overstreet: Most of the songs I’m playing I wrote and then I’m doing a couple of covers, just fun songs that I love. We have a setlist and everything ready to go.

JJ: Do you get nervous before you hit the stage?

CO: It’s one of those things, you probably get nervous beforehand, but it’s like a football game on Friday night. You get those butterflies before you go on, but once you hit that field, instinct takes over and you just want to have fun.

JJ: Do you have any plans to do an album at some point?

CO: A lot of the songs I’ve written will probably go on an album or EP. For now, I’m just doing the show and having fun, and seeing the response to the original songs. I think it will be a really good time.

JJ: What is your songwriting process usually like?

CO: There are some songs that have taken me six months to finish. They’re are also songs I’ve written in an hour. It’s just different. The process, usually when I’m writing about myself, sometimes it will just come out of you and that’s one of the times you just have to… it’s just natural, it flows, and it just feels right. Then there are times when you really get stuck and you just have to work through it, spend a lot of time going over it and over it, until you figure something out. I started writing with my dad when I was 16 or 17. My dad’s been a songwriter since the beginning of time, for me. But he helped bring me along, encouraged me, and definitely made me into the writer I am today.

JJ: You’re close with your brother Nash, who is in the band Hot Chelle Rae. Do you guys find time to write or jam out together?

CO: Nash is a super talented producer and writer. He’s one of the best guitar players, which not a lot of people know. He’s extremely talented. He’s a great writer, so whenever we get a chance – he’s busy 24/7 with his gig and I have an intense schedule sometimes as well, so it’s kind of hard – but when we both go back to Nashville, we link up and write.

JJ: When did you first pick up a guitar?

CO: I probably started playing guitar around 10? I grew playing a little bit of drums, but I wasn’t cut out to be a drummer. I started moving more toward guitar, and I played bass a little bit. I can play piano enough to where I can write on it, but I’m not a piano player. I kind of play it by ear on a few different things and figure it out.

JJ: You grew up in Nashville, which is a breeding ground for talented musicians. Who would you say are some of your musical heroes?

CO: When I was young, my dad had a big huge box of Elvis cassettes and CD’s, so I would take them down to our basement and listen to Elvis Presley all day. That was one of my favorite things in the world to do. In 1993, I was like four years old, but that was the first time I remember hearing Michael Jackson. It was when he played the Super Bowl. I was immediately drawn to his music, of course. He’s one of the greatest artists to ever live. But yeah, a lot of older stuff. One of my favorite bands is Aerosmith. I grew up listening to a lot of really great country – Randy Travis, I listened to a lot of him. And one of my favorite country artists is Keith Whitley. I grew up with a mixture, just a lot of different genres – Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings – listening to a lot of stuff like that. My dad would play me a lot of Beach Boys stuff. I got to hear the greatest music. Sam Cooke is one of the most incredible songwriters of all time.

JJ: How would you describe the music that you write?

CO: It’s tough to say. It’s definitely different. It has a pop vibe, but it has a singer-songwriter vibe too. I write a lot of different stuff because I don’t just write exclusively for myself. I just write what I feel at that moment. It varies. My stuff is kind of acoustic-y, pop-y, with a country element to it. One of my favorite artists and one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time is James Taylor. I love his music and listen to his music since i can remember.

JJ: What’s your go-to karaoke song?

CO: My go-to karaoke song would probably be a Hall & Oates song. Probably “Rich Girl.”

JJ: Good choice! We know you’re so busy with acting, but will music always be a big part of your life?

CO: I love music and music is what I grew up doing. It’s one of the greatest things in the world – being able to communicate to somebody through song.

PHOTO SHOOT CREDITS (PICTURES BELOW) �”�”

Pictures #1, #5, #7, & #8

- Shirt is vintage

- Jeans by J Brand

Pictures #4 & #12

- Shirt by Dolce & Gabbana

- Trousers by Diesel Black Gold

Picture #6

- Shirt is vintage

- Jeans by Diesel

Pictures #2 & #9

- Shirt by Dolce&Gabbana

- Suit by John Varvatos

- Tie by Title of Work

- Shoes by Tom Ford

Pictures #3, #10, & #11

- Shirt and pants by John Varvatos

- Tie by Title of Work

Producer: Jared Eng (@JaredEng)

Photographer: Justin Campbell (@JustJustinNYC)

Stylist: Avo Yermagyan (@AvoYermagyan)

Grooming: Melissa Adelaide (@MelissaAdelaide)

Interviewer: Sharon Tharp (@sharontharp)

Photo Shoot Locations: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Beacher’s Madhouse