August 19, 2022 |
Through the pandemic, we were starved of sticky dancefloors, sugary alcopops and the right to let loose under the strobe lights of our favourite weekend spots. That’s why emerging from lockdown, Rochelle Jordan has pivoted: crafting some of her most hedonistic tracks to date.
Cutting her teeth with experimental R&B, the British-born, Toronto-raised artist mixed a cocktail of club-ready sounds on her 2021 album Play With The Changes. Colliding UK garage, skeletal D&B and left-field pop, the album is a tour de force in progressive dance.
Gearing up to her debut London headline show at Corsica Studios, Jordan is releasing a slew of remixes of Play With The Changes standouts – the latest, “Got Em” (Sango Remix) drops today.
Here we catch up with Jordan for a quick fire round of VIQs (that’s very important questions).
1. As a musician with a transnational upbringing, how would you say this experience impacts not only your music but your outlook on life?
“I was brought up in a Jamaican household so that alone gave me a strong sense of culture and pride. Then you mix in the British ways of life, the foods and ’90s music coming from the UK at the time of adolescence. Then off to Toronto, Canada, where I was raised, which has a strong West Indian presence and is a melting pot of many different cultures and races. It all gave me a true understanding of pride, acceptance and curiosity. All that birthed an experimentation spirit in me and made me a genre bender within R&B from the start. As for my outlook on life, I’m quick to recognise the beauty in things I cannot relate to and in people who are not like me. I appreciate it all. That’s what makes this world as colourful as it is.”
2. How was your experience working on the remix album?
“I really allowed the producer-artists involved to do whatever they wanted with little to no requests or direction. I wanted to be surprised as well! So the standout moments were hearing one track at a time and being so blown away by the way they flipped TF out of these tracks and “played with the changes”, no pun. Every day I have a new favourite and honestly it sounds like a new album.”
3. If Play With The Changes were a flavour, how would it taste? Likewise, what ingredients have been added to make Play With The Changes Remixed?
“What a question! It would be sweet and goes down smooth for sure. It tastes like fresh crème brûlée from a 80 year old family-owned bakery in the heart of France.”
4. What personal achievement are you most proud of?
“I’m proud that when it got really tough, and I thought there was nothing left, that I stuck it out.”
5. Why is experimentation so imperative to you as an artist?
“Experimentation is imperative to me because we cannot afford to stay in one place forever. Unfortunately, this information age / social media time we’re in has made it scary for us to not follow, as much as we’d like to deny it.. Copy, paste and repeat is so abundantly strong right now. We all feel it and that’s from fear of not being accepted. So for me personally, preserving evolution in art and courage in soundscapes and feeding my soul in general has and will always be my number one intention. It means so much to me to see and feel it from other artists too. I might not always get it right, but i’m doing my best to authentically think outside of the box… That makes me feel like I’m participating in creating something new and valuable for the future. It also excites my creativity!”
6. What is your go-to karaoke song?
“It’s a toss up between “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey and “Say You’ll Be There” by Spice Girls.”
7. What songs do you want to hear on the dance floor, besides your own?
“CeCe Peniston and Silk Hurley “He Loves Me 2”, Todd Edwards “The Chant”, Rihanna “Kiss It Better” (Kaytranada Remix) and UNIIQU3 “Microdosing.”
8. Can you describe your personal style in just three words?
“Classic, effortless, edgy.”
9. What is the key to your signature curls?
“I mostly prefer to put my hair in protective styles from single braids, passion twist to crochet braids, which I do by myself. Leaving my hair alone as much as possible promotes so much growth for me. I only use Kera Soft products as it cuts through my low porosity hair so amazingly. Every wash, I ALWAYS deep condition my hair with moister treatments for either two hours, or i’ll sleep with it in and wash it out the morning after. This keeps my hair soft and strong. I then use the Kera Soft leave-in conditioner and moister lotion which coils my hair up beautifully.”
10. What’s next for Rochelle Jordan?
“Everything the universe has heard me ask for.”
Rochelle Jordan’s ‘Play With Changes Remixed’ is out September 16. Grab tickets to Jordan’s London show on September 22 here.
