Introducing Jordana Bryant
Today we are really excited to feature Pennsylvania-based Jordana Bryant for the first time… please remember her name as you’ll no doubt be hearing a lot more from this talented and hardworking 15 year old in the future.
She began singing and songwriting aged just 9, gained a massive following from posting cover videos on her Youtube channel and Instagram last Summer, and in October released her debut single “This Love” which already has over 51K streams. The upbeat country/pop song, which oozes the thrill of a new relationship , was a co-write with Grammy Award winner Seth Mosley and singer/songwriter Jesse Lee, who alongside Forest Glen Whitehead and Kelsea Ballerina co-wrote Kelsea’s No. 1 hit “Peter Pan”. If that wasn’t endorsement enough, Jordana is currently working with Rick Barker who formerly managed Taylor Swift in her early days.
Her sophomore single “Not Sayin'”, this time a solo-write , has just been released, it cleverly takes the new relationship concept to the next stage with Jordana explaining that the track is “my take on a classic love song about who’s going to say’ I love you’ first… I hope to capture all the nerves, excitement and joy that goes along with saying those three little words for the first time“.
Already featured on Spotify’s “New Music Nashville” playlist, what better time to find out a bit more about Jordana, who kindly found time in her no-doubt busy life to answer a few questions for us?
I’m sure you’ll agree that she shows a maturity way beyond her years in both her music and approach to life.
1. LH Hi Jordana and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I like to start by asking interviewees to briefly describe where they are …..to help paint a picture, just as any great country song does!
JB Hi! So glad to have this opportunity to chat with you! Right now, I’m in the suburbs of Pennsylvania where I live, and there’s a bit of snow on the ground because we’ve been getting some snow this week, but luckily it’s not too cold! I’m currently sitting on the couch in my living room, where I often hang out with my family or play the guitar!
2.LH Country music is generally not a genre that many youngsters would gravitate to here in the UK, but it gets more exposure on your side of the pond I know. How were you introduced to it ….did you grow up listening to it on the radio, is it something your parents are fans of and what in particular made it resonate with you? Were there any particular artists or songs that fired your passion?
JB Because my parents are fans of country music and my dad actually played in a country rock band when he was a teen, I grew up listening to a lot of country artists, like Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, and Rascal Flatts. I’ve always loved how their songs felt so relatable and authentic, and how the songs were so vivid that you could almost picture yourself in them. I also love other artists like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, and I feel like they do a really awesome job at telling stories with their songs as well. A couple years ago, when I started writing songs, I really gravitated towards country music because I wanted to tell those vivid stories.
3.LH And you are now writing and releasing songs yourself….your first two singles have been phenomenally successful and you are garnering a huge following, congratulations! You must be absolutely elated with how things are going for you so early on in your career.
JB Thank you! I love knowing that my music is resonating with people and hearing how people can relate to it! I’m so grateful for all of the positive feedback on my first two songs and am just really happy to be able to share music with everyone that will hopefully bring a smile to their face!
4.LH Can you talk me through your typical songwriting process ( if you have one!). Does it usually start with an idea, a hook, a lyric…..or is it different every time?
JB My process isn’t always the same, but most often I start by playing around with some chords on the guitar until I find some that draw me in. Then, I’ll start singing out some melodies and trying to find one that I think is new and interesting. And because I feel like a melody often gives off a certain emotion, I then try to build the song and lyrics out from that emotion.
5. LH Your debut release ” This Love” was a co-write I see, is that something you are pretty new to and how do you enjoy the collaborative process of bouncing ideas off other writers?
JB Though I’ve been writing independently for the past four or five years, I just started co-writing last year, and I’ve loved that process. I really enjoy how collaborative it is and how you can learn so much about different styles and methods of writing from it. And I’m so grateful to have been able to write with so many talented writers through zoom these past months, even if we couldn’t be in the room together!
6. LH Who would be your dream co-writers?
JB There are so many writers I’d love to co-write with, but I’d say two of my dream co-writers would be Liz Rose and Shane McAnally because I love how with their writing they tell such vivid and relatable stories.
7.LH The video for your most recent single ” Not Sayin'” is such fun….all those polaroid photographs, of course referenced in the lyrics! Is that a side of the creative process you are enjoying?
JB I’ve absolutely loved getting to film the music videos for my first two singles! I’m so grateful to have gotten to meet and work with so many talented people who helped the videos come together, and getting to see the songs come to life in a completely different way has been so exciting! When I wrote “Not Sayin'” I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted the music video to be, and I’m eternally grateful for the team who listened to all of my crazy ideas and brought my vision to life!
8. LH How tough is it for you to juggle your music with your regular studies and seeing friends ….I see you even managed to find time recently to take a songwriting masterclass!
JB Of course sometimes I find it difficult to manage it all, but I just try to get most of my studies done during free periods in the school day and schedule out time for my music so that I can get it all done. And doing remote learning because of coronavirus has actually given me a lot more time to get my work done in the day so that I can focus on doing music and spending time with my friends and family afterwards!
9. LH What plans do you have for 2021…as much as we can make plans in these uncertain times of course…with regard to new music and (hopefully!) some shows and/or lifestreams?
JB In the next couple of months, I plan to release my third single, which will actually be connected to the first two songs that I have released. These three songs follow the evolution of a relationship, and with this third song I’m really excited to finish out the story and complete the “trilogy”! And after releasing the third song, I plan to release an EP composed of these songs and a few extras!
2.LH Country music is generally not a genre that many youngsters would gravitate to here in the UK, but it gets more exposure on your side of the pond I know. How were you introduced to it ….did you grow up listening to it on the radio, is it something your parents are fans of and what in particular made it resonate with you? Were there any particular artists or songs that fired your passion?
JB Because my parents are fans of country music and my dad actually played in a country rock band when he was a teen, I grew up listening to a lot of country artists, like Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, and Rascal Flatts. I’ve always loved how their songs felt so relatable and authentic, and how the songs were so vivid that you could almost picture yourself in them. I also love other artists like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, and I feel like they do a really awesome job at telling stories with their songs as well. A couple years ago, when I started writing songs, I really gravitated towards country music because I wanted to tell those vivid stories.
3.LH And you are now writing and releasing songs yourself….your first two singles have been phenomenally successful and you are garnering a huge following, congratulations! You must be absolutely elated with how things are going for you so early on in your career.
JB Thank you! I love knowing that my music is resonating with people and hearing how people can relate to it! I’m so grateful for all of the positive feedback on my first two songs and am just really happy to be able to share music with everyone that will hopefully bring a smile to their face!
4.LH Can you talk me through your typical songwriting process ( if you have one!). Does it usually start with an idea, a hook, a lyric…..or is it different every time?
JB My process isn’t always the same, but most often I start by playing around with some chords on the guitar until I find some that draw me in. Then, I’ll start singing out some melodies and trying to find one that I think is new and interesting. And because I feel like a melody often gives off a certain emotion, I then try to build the song and lyrics out from that emotion.
5. LH Your debut release ” This Love” was a co-write I see, is that something you are pretty new to and how do you enjoy the collaborative process of bouncing ideas off other writers?
JB Though I’ve been writing independently for the past four or five years, I just started co-writing last year, and I’ve loved that process. I really enjoy how collaborative it is and how you can learn so much about different styles and methods of writing from it. And I’m so grateful to have been able to write with so many talented writers through zoom these past months, even if we couldn’t be in the room together!
6. LH Who would be your dream co-writers?
JB There are so many writers I’d love to co-write with, but I’d say two of my dream co-writers would be Liz Rose and Shane McAnally because I love how with their writing they tell such vivid and relatable stories.
7.LH The video for your most recent single ” Not Sayin'” is such fun….all those polaroid photographs, of course referenced in the lyrics! Is that a side of the creative process you are enjoying?
JB I’ve absolutely loved getting to film the music videos for my first two singles! I’m so grateful to have gotten to meet and work with so many talented people who helped the videos come together, and getting to see the songs come to life in a completely different way has been so exciting! When I wrote “Not Sayin'” I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted the music video to be, and I’m eternally grateful for the team who listened to all of my crazy ideas and brought my vision to life!
8. LH How tough is it for you to juggle your music with your regular studies and seeing friends ….I see you even managed to find time recently to take a songwriting masterclass!
JB Of course sometimes I find it difficult to manage it all, but I just try to get most of my studies done during free periods in the school day and schedule out time for my music so that I can get it all done. And doing remote learning because of coronavirus has actually given me a lot more time to get my work done in the day so that I can focus on doing music and spending time with my friends and family afterwards!
9. LH What plans do you have for 2021…as much as we can make plans in these uncertain times of course…with regard to new music and (hopefully!) some shows and/or lifestreams?
JB In the next couple of months, I plan to release my third single, which will actually be connected to the first two songs that I have released. These three songs follow the evolution of a relationship, and with this third song I’m really excited to finish out the story and complete the “trilogy”! And after releasing the third song, I plan to release an EP composed of these songs and a few extras!
LH That’s great to hear, and something we’ll look forwards to for sure! Many thanks for you time, Jordana!
Follow this link https://linktr.ee/jordanabryant to stream “Not Saying'”, shop Jordana merch, check out her Youtube cover series and a whole lot more including of course her all-important socials where you’ll be kept right up to date with any news.
Article written and interview conducted by Lesley Hastings (twitter.com/lesleyhastings)
