JØRDYN
Captivating, magical, enchanting, emotional, soulful, beautiful. Those are the words I could come up with when listening to JØRDYN’s debut EP. Titled i didn’t ask for this, the 5-track EP explores different topics such as loss, mental health and grief. With this record, the Cincinnati-based artist has created her own unique musical identity. It is just the beginning for her and I’m sure she has so much more to share with the world.
i didn’t ask for this is out now on all major streaming platforms !
Photo credit: Emmie Myers Photography
Hi JØRDYN, how are you? What's your story?
Hello! I’m doing great! I am JØRDYN, a black indie singer/songwriter and producer from Washington D.C. currently residing in Cincinnati. On the verge of turning eighteen, I released my debut single “Dolly Zoom” which shares my experiences with anxiety as a teenager. This song springboarded my music and drive and two months later right after my first semester of college, I took part on a headline tour, The End of Seventeen Tour. Now, two years later I released my newest single “Clean” telling the story of the complicated loss of a friendship. Rebranding with a more powerful and professional sound. My debut EP i didn’t ask for this is about the realities, struggles, and unfairness of life. I speak on my struggles with loss, grief, jealousy, and displacement in life while experimenting with harmony, vocoding, and soundscape to create my own sound.
You've just released your debut EP i didn't ask for this - how does it feel like to release this first project?
It feels great! I love sharing my music and my art! It’s such a release. I really love hearing what people think of the things I create. I am very happy with the work I've done.
When did you start working on this EP? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this project? Who helped you create it?
The oldest song on the EP is Joy with an I, it was written about 2 years ago now. I wrote it just with the intent of writing and having fun and then it just became a song people really enjoyed and now it lives on the EP. I wrote and produced a majority of the songs myself with help from a few key players in my life. Josh, my guitarist. Dom The Composer, my keyboardist and co-writer/producer for a few songs. And Tristan, my engineer and co-producer.
What different topics are you talking about on this EP? What's the story behind each song?
The intro track is a collection of audio recordings of the creation of the EP. “Clean” is about an ex friend, when I met this friend I was not planning to stay in this place for a long time. and we became very close friends in spite of this. One day out of nowhere he began avoiding me and ghosting me and we haven’t spoken since. Half of this song was written prior to the end of our friendship and the other half re-written after the end of our friendship. Me and him shared a lot of things in common including loss, sickness and mental health struggles. The use of clean is a metaphor for health, and betterment. Insisting that the end of our relationship will help him get “clean”.
“Joy with an I” is about knowing someone and not knowing them at all. One of the most popular girls at my highschool had a major social media presence and she would talk about everything going on in her life. It was very personal but she and I never had a conversation. So this song comments on popularity and the facade of social media.
“Jurnee” is the middle name of my little sister. She and I lost our mom when she was 5 and I was 13. We are very close because of it and the song is about her and I understanding each other in ways no one else could. And how her youthfulness allowed her to be understanding and more open to the struggles our family was really going through. Throughout the song you hear my mom and my sister’s voice from videos and audio messages. This song is essentially a love letter to my little sister.
“i didn't ask for this” is the title track. It recaps the EP by expressing the unfairness of all of the trials and struggles that I talk about prior in the EP. This song particularly also shares the struggles of being stuck in one place, and once getting the chance to leave, struggling to move on from the sameness. This was recorded and written over the span of a year with my band.
What did you feel when recording the song "i didn't ask for this"?
It was a lot of fun getting to record that track! That was the only song recorded outside of my room! It was fun to record it with the full band.
Any favorite memories from the making of this EP?
Any moments collaborating whether it be with my bandmates or just like getting people's opinion of a specific part. Art is inherently human and sharing art is just in my nature.
What was the hardest part about making this EP?
Finding time, I am a student full time and I also am an actress, so musical theater has been my life for a little bit. I am so busy all of the time. So just finding the time.
What message do you want to deliver through this project? What do you want people to feel when listening to it?
The only thing I can hope for is just that people feel it and receive it. I love when people can relate to my music, I try to make songs that make people feel like how my favorite songs make me feel. Music is my life blood and if people can relate to it I have done my job.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The aesthetic of the EP is kind of this graveyard, death, kind of moving on vibe. All of these songs were written at a time in my life I somewhat have moved on from literally and figuratively. The ‘place’ that I reference in the title track is my previous college in Boston, MA. Which I moved from at the end of my first song to attend a different school. So the imagery is metaphorical for the death of an era.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What advice would you give to women out there?
It’s tough. I have never been in a music space with predominantly women. Which I want to change. I’d say to the women musicians do not let anyone downplay your talent, intelligence, or skill.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I’d change how music is digested. I really love and hate tiktok. It has brought up so many artists but it has also ruined many attention spans and ruined the concert experience. People don’t really listen to projects anymore, instead they digest short clips and trendy sounds. I wish music was still as intimate.
What does singing make you feel?
Free. I have never lived without singing. It is such a gift that I have an instrument with as many colors, dynamics, and range as I do. I am so grateful and proud of the position my instrument is in.
Could you list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
I Know The End. Phoebe Bridgers is one of the artists that truly renders me speechless. And the way she ended her album Punisher is only something I could ever wish to emulate. I wanted to make people speechless.
Five Seconds Flat by Lizzy McAlpine is such a standout record to me! It is so informative when it comes to talking about change in style and production.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
If you want something, make it happen. Doors won’t always open for you, sometimes you have to barge in and just say “IM HERE”.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
More and more art. I love art of all forms and facets. Art is so human and art helps us understand other humans. So the more art the more understanding.
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