Allegra Jordyn
I instantly enjoyed Allegra Jordyn’s single “Talk of The Town”. Her voice is enchanting, the melodies are haunting, the harmonies are beautiful and the production is unique (gotta love the end of the song) - shout out Chris Grey for killing it.
Toronto has some dope artists out there and Allegra Jordyn is no exception. “Talk of The Town” is a good pop/r&b song that deserves so much love.
Thank you so much Allegra for this conversation.
“Talk of The Town” is out now !
Photo credit: Chris Grey
Hi Allegra, how are you? Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hey, I’m pretty good! I’m Allegra Jordyn, a Toronto-based, 19-year-old pop artist. I’ve been making music literally my entire life and have spent years trying to develop as a person and as an artist and make music that feels right! In the past, I’ve struggled to trust my instincts and creative visions, and make music that reflects my personality and demonstrates my full potential as an artist. This year I started releasing music again, and I am so excited to share everything I have learned and created with the world!!
"Talk of The Town" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
“Talk of The Town” is essentially a song about not feeling appreciated or valued by someone you give so much love, support, and attention to. It’s about feeling like you can’t give somebody any more than they already have and are getting from other people around them. As an artist myself, when I have a relationship with another artist, it can be hard to not feel overshadowed by their success and their achievements. I wrote it about learning self-control in relationships, knowing your worth and what you deserve, and understanding when to let go of somebody and move on.
When did you start working on it? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single?
I started working on this song years ago, back in the summer of 2018. It has actually been re-written three times, and “Talk of The Town” is the third title it has ever had. I truly adored the chords and the melody but could not find lyrics that felt right until I wrote the lyrics it has now. I held onto the song since then because I had such a strong vision for its production and sound that nobody ever seemed to hear. I began recording it at the start of this year with my producer, Chris Grey, who was the first person to understand exactly what I wanted for it. He never once questioned my vision, and we had such a fun time bringing the song to life!
What did you feel when writing this song?
Writing this song was so healing. It was a story I desperately wanted to tell and with each rewrite of the song I was frustrated that it didn’t feel complete. When I came up with the title “Talk of The Town” and the lyrics for this version, I felt so much relief. It was exactly what I needed to hear myself say in the moment.
What's your favourite thing about this song?
This song as a whole is my favourite song of mine and there are so many things I love about it! It is so powerful and hard-hitting and is also so unique and different from anything I’ve made before. The harmonies and vocal layers are so pretty to me, especially in that little break between the second verse and the second chorus. I also love the beat change at the end, which was kind of an accident when producing the song but works so perfectly.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork is actually a bit of funny story. I planned on using a shot from the music video as the cover art, but we weren’t able to film the video until way too late (due to both lockdown restrictions in Toronto and me getting my wisdom teeth removed!). The cover art was a bit of a last-minute improvisation between Chris and me. I put the red coat on with my sweatpants and AF1s and stood outside on his street in the rain while he took photos of me. It ended up looking super cool, but not without a ton of photoshop and lightroom editing! If you actually look closely, I put a little hint about the EP title as well in it…
What can you tell us about the music video?
The music video is seriously the most visually appealing video I have ever made! Just like the song, it also went through three of its own rewrites. We kept having to change the video concept because of lockdown restrictions and weather forecasts but we ended up filming it in a small theatre in Toronto and it was another <5 person shoot just like the last music video I made, for my song “Numb”. The lighting in this video is gorgeous, which was all directed by Chris, and the Shure 55SH vintage mic we used was a last minute, night-before rental that enhanced the entire aesthetic of the video. Best $8 I’ve ever spent.
As an independent artist, how's it like to release music in 2021? Any challenges?
Releasing music in 2021 is so challenging and stressful. With the unlimited shelf space of Spotify, everyone can release as much as they want, which is a blessing, but also a curse. There is so much noise out in the world and I wish so badly my music can just speak for itself, but instead I feel like I’m constantly shouting over my music into a void.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
The music industry is everchanging and is definitely challenging, especially right now. I think if I could change anything, it would be the emphasis on metrics and numbers. Everybody seems to be really focused on stream and view counts rather than quality and talent, and it seems like people feel the need to see those numbers to appreciate a song or believe in an artist. I think people should listen to, share, love, and believe in the music they want to, rather than only thinking it’s good enough, if it has high metrics and they know tons of other people like it too.
Why do you make music? What keeps you motivated?
I make music because it is truly the thing that makes me the happiest in the world. It is completely an introspective, healing experience for me. I learn so much about myself and the world and become so much more self-aware and empathetic of others because of it. Every time I create something I truly adore, I become so much more motivated and inspired to do it again.
What biggest lessons have you learned so far?
Trust your instincts and follow your heart! It sounds so easy to say but it can be so hard not to do things to please other people sometimes. The EP I’ve been working on is all about sharing the lessons I’ve learned with others and the biggest one I want people to know is to take control of your life and your art and do what heals you and makes you happy!
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
If everybody would just take care of each other and support and accept each other! There is so much hate and judgement and out there and people need to be so much more empathetic and kinder towards others.
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