- Sun, 2007-10-07 11:19
If you’re wondering where all the British pop superstars disappeared to, your answer is about to come in the shape of David Jordan, who releases his debut single, Place In My Heart on Mercury Records on October 22nd, followed by the album, Set The Mood, on October 29th.
Born in Barnet to a mother from Montserrat and a father from Calcutta, at only 21 this singer, songwriter and natural, effervescent live performer is throwing contemporary British pop in exciting new directions. I Like Music caught up with David to talk about his new single and album, playing Sega Megadrive with Amy Winehouse and drug-taking.
"I Like Music because.... it makes me feel good and it puts me in a happy mood.” David Jordan
ILM: Your debut single, Place In My Heart is out October 22nd. Can you describe its whole message and vibe and how the track came about?
David: Well I wrote Place In My Heart with Tim Hutton and Dave McCullough many years ago. It’s kind of like a political number. We talk about brainwashing and our Government and how we’re led to believe certain things as a society, and just how we’re moulded as a society. I wanted to leave people guessing though. I didn’t want to leave a blatant message there. It’s not as deep as scary as I just made it sound. It’s quite lighthearted and jokey, because, at the end of the day, I don’t really care.
ILM: Your debut album Set The Mood, is out now, it’s got it all searing rock guitars, throbbing party rhythms, blissful. Which track did you enjoy laying down the most?
David: I enjoyed every single one of them. They were all enjoyable to put down; they each held their own challenges and every day was different. I enjoyed mostly doing Sun Goes Down, just because I enjoy that song, Set The Mood, If I’m In Love. I enjoyed doing all the bouncy numbers.
ILM: Having been spotted by co-founder of ZTT Jill Sinclair, David Jordan’s album has been produced by the legendary Trevor Horn. What did you learn on this album about the process of making a great album that you’d not known before?
David: You have to be patient and you have to take your time and wait for the song to come to you, you can’t force anything. There needs to be a natural progression, and it takes the form of what it takes on, you’re just a fixator, you know?
ILM: The songs are punchy, emotive and exciting. Please can you describe the David Jordan music making process? Lyrics first then melody or vice versa or random?
David: It depends. Sometimes I go to the studio and say, ‘right I need to write a song’ or we need to think of something to write about, any old garbage and make it sound good. Sometimes the melody comes first, sometimes the lyrics come first. Sometimes, I’ll be lying in bed asleep and I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a melody running in my head and I’ll have to go to the piano and work it out and record it down. So it’s all different.
ILM: You’re joining Beverly Knight on her October/November Tour - what do you look forward to most about playing live?
David: She’s fantastic. I’m most looking forward to just getting up there and letting the other side of me come out.
ILM: Your biog says you were a bit of an outsider at school and very single-minded which is a good thing I think. Better than being a sheep. What’s your advice on dealing with peer pressure and earning respect from peers while still staying safe?
David: Well I’ve met some kids who are really strong-minded. You always find that the ones who are well-disciplined, I don’t mean beaten to death or abused by their parents, I just mean the ones who are disciplined well and have respect for their parents are often the ones who turn out all right.
I meet some really intelligent kids and they haven’t fallen under the usual pressures of smoking and taking drugs and they’re really inspiring because they’re sticking it out. Of course, temptation is there and curiosity is there, kids are curious at that age, but the ones that see it through to the end are the ones who’ll go far and the ones who sink, hopefully they can pull themselves out of the water.
ILM: You used to play Sega Megadrive with Amy Winehouse and have even experimented with drugs yourself… Amy’s had a bad time of it lately. As someone who’s been there done that, how important do you think it is for teenagers to stay informed about drugs, whether or not they do them, do you think they need to know and be aware about the affects of drugs?
David: I often think that information is very important, but I remember being a teenager and I was never interested in information, I was already the doing type, try it and see. Now, you won’t see me going on TV and saying, ‘heh kids, try it and see.’ But, you need to learn from your own experiences. Drugs are all different though.
Amy [allegedly] takes heroin, that’s a big no-no. Smoking marijuana is calming. Knowledge is very important to teenagers though. You have to be very clever and smart and know when to get off, otherwise you’ll go through that period of doing it in the morning and all day and that’s not a good place to be.
ILM: You used to work the minimum wage at Starbucks by day and write songs by night and now you’re poised for success. What advice would you give to young people on following their dreams to get the career they want for themselves?
David: It sounds naïve and fairytale like to say ‘follow your dreams’ but when I was young, that’s all I ever heard and it’s worked. I’m a strong dreamer even now, so follow your dreams, that would be my advice.
ILM: Your album title is set the mood, when you’re in a chilled out mood, what will you listen to?
David: Chilling out at home would probably mean candles, incense, to create a soft ambience and a bit of Ray Charles. I usually do that at Christmas. It’s a great feeling, being indoors near Christmas with some music playing.
ILM: When it’s cold outside and you’re all warm inside?
David: Yeah exactly, that’s the best feeling
ILM: And what track would you put on to lift your mood?
David: Probably a Bob Marley song.
ILM: Glorious Day, is about when you fell in love with a friend of yours. The girl doesn’t know it’s about her....do you think she’ll guess?
David: Maybe, who knows? We don’t know what the future holds, so maybe. Time will tell I guess. That’s funny, because that’s a lyric in the song.
