As he unveils his new single "i get high," queer artist JORDY opens up about finding inspiration, playing for a hometown crowd at Lollapalooza, and his upcoming album.
No one is making music as honest as JORDY. His sound may have obtained some inspiration from The Spice Girls and Avril Lavigne, but it contains a unique spirit that is both nostalgic and contemporary. After a whirlwind of a summer where he performed for his hometown in Chicago at Lollapalooza, the queer artist has gotten time to finally sit down and make sense of it all. Or as he put it, capture this moment in time and create music so that one day we can experience this chapter of his life, too.
In this moment though, spirits are high with the release of his latest project, "i get high." Bits and pieces of this song have been circulating social media for a while, earning responses like "i need this song right now" and "i've been waiting for someone to write this song." As it is the case with JORDY's body of work, "i get high" is a painfully honest anthem that gives us a glimpse into his personal thoughts, yet feels so universal.
"My goal with my music is always to be upfront and honest, and this song is truly a reflection of that. It’s simply my truth. And if it’s mine, it’s probably someone else’s too. Whether it’s taking a hit or having a drink, going on dates or a casual hookup, we all something we turn to help us feel a bit more or feel a bit less. But my overall goal with this song is to help people feel a little more heard and understood.” - JORDY
Read JORDY's conversation with MUD's founder, Hector Gutierrez, below.
H: I feel like I saw your name everywhere this summer. Same with your music, whether it was a TikTok video or a Spotify playlist, you were there. Did you get a chance to be creative but also to relax and enjoy life?
J: My summer was great. I feel like it was the perfect mix of a super busy schedule, but I definitely had some time to relax and spend it with family and friends. I was coming off a couple of months from touring, and had some time in LA since I recently moved. That's been really fun. I also wrote a lot of music this summer which is really exciting. I use the summer for inspiration because the world is in such a place that keeps inspiring me.
H: As an artist, has your process changed as your career continues to grow?
J: It's hard. As an artist, you'll be sitting and all of a sudden there will be a thought like "you should make a TikTok right now" or "you should make a video and post it." It could be a very 24/7 kind of job. But at the end of the day we do it because we love music, and we love creating it. I'm very grateful that I get to do this. This summer I worked with a lot of great people and I'm super grateful for it.
H: I'm so stoked to hear some of it soon. Do you get inspired by the present, or do you go back to specific moments?
J: It's so crazy you ask that cause yesterday I had a session to write a top secret title track for the next project, and the entire next project is very much about digging at different stages of life. As we get older, each stage of your life has struggles and you find yourself looking forward to the next stage. I think what I'm finding is that the same feelings have stayed with me forever, but they show in different scenarios as an adult. I use that as inspiration all the time, and I'm excited because this next collection does a really cool job of showing that.
H: You can even see that with your previous single, "Dry Spell" which we can all agree is peak summer. It also feels so relatable to the queer experience. Was this something you kept present as you wrote it?
J: Of course. If it's my experience, it is innately a queer experience. And if I've experienced it, it's likely that other queer people have experienced those feelings too because we're all in that common journey together. When I wrote it I felt more nervous to show it to everyone, because it didn't hit me as hard that it was a shared experience until it came out and people were so supportive. That made me feel less alone, and it was really cool.
The thing with me is that I'm queer, so everything I write comes from a queer perspective. "Dry Spell" is painfully honest, and I think that's maybe the reason why people like it so much.
H: There's a nostalgic quality to your music that reminds me of Avril Lavigne, but it also feels so contemporary. When you're writing, do you feel more focused on the present, the past, or the future?
J: That's like one of the biggest compliments ever For me, I go into these stages where I live a little and then I write about them. Each project is a collection of what's been going on during the past year. So when I'm writing I'm always writing in real time about experiences that I'm living in that moments. But sometimes to get a good lyric or a concept you have to dig into other feelings and other experiences in your life. But for me, I'm always writing about the present time.
For me it's cool to share projects like this and say "this is what I'm going through." It's easy to curate things and make everything look picture perfect, but my music is an avenue where I can be vulnerable and show what I'm living.
H: This past summer, you played at Lollapalooza in Chicago, your hometown. That must have been such a unique experience.
J: Oh my gosh. it was one of the best experiences of my life. The show was so incredible and fun, there were so many beautiful moments. I had such a positive experience. I also got to see a lot of artists that I really like.
Growing up in Chicago, Lollapalooza was what you did for fun. So this year to get to be on stage, it was so cool. It was the best.
H: You're working on your sophomore album. What can fans expect from this upcoming project?
J: Definitely a collection of ten plus songs that come from real experiences that I've lived through during the past year. There is a softer and more emotional side to this project than my last. I think there's more vulnerable songs, there will be bops, obviously, but I think I allowed myself to dig a little deeper into the more emotional experiences. I'm just excited for people to see this chapter. I'm very proud of it.
Listen to JORDY's new song, "i get high" on Spotify and every streaming platform. Make sure to follow MUD on Instagram for the latest con
This Q&A was condensed and edited for clarity.