Q&A with Jordana EL - December 9, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Music: Q&A with Jordana EL
Q&A with Jordana EL
by Andrea "GodSistah" Sutherland
I first discovered Jordana EL's music in the middle of a sea of friend requests on my myspace page. My first thought as I focused in on her picture was, "Wow, it's Pam Grier with an acoustic guitar!" I was more than pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this beautiful woman also made beautiful music in the tradition of the quintessential singer/songwriters that have come before her. With her debut album, "Nearer To You", released eariler this year and performance dates scheduled through October 2007, Jordana took time out of her busy schedule to thoughtfully answer some questions about her music, her influences and her diverse fan base.
GodSistah: Jordana, I became an instant fan when I first heard your music. Your debut album, "Nearer to You", is packed with some fantastic acoustic guitar based folk rock, but you actually started out playing the piano at a very young age. What made you gravitate to the guitar?
Jordana: My ear was more attracted to the sound of the guitar. I think that’s because it was the instrument of choice with my childhood top two favorite artists--Jim Croce and James Taylor. While I liked piano, I didn’t have an affinity toward piano and I rarely practiced! My guess there is that it was perhaps because I couldn’t attach a personal inspiration to the instrument like I could guitar. It wasn’t until I heard the Carpenters (love Karen Carpenter’s voice), I began to appreciate the piano and renewed my interest. I discovered Pop songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Close To You” were available in sheet music for piano! Nonetheless, in spite of this, I still wanted to play guitar and promised myself guitar was going to be something I learned when “I grow up.”
GodSistah: In your CD credits you thank your Mom, Dad and brother Dan for music appreciation in the household. What kind of music surrounded you in your childhood and influenced you throughout your life?
Jordana: I certainly was surrounded by music as a child. My older brother, with whom I’m very close, played piano beautifully. My brother was and still really is into classical music. He introduced me to Prokofiev and Beethoven, my Mom-Bob Marley and The Wailers and James Taylor and both parents loved Motown (The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, etc.), Joan Baez, Jim Croce, Carly Simon, Carole King, Barbra Streisand and Gregorian chants. I loved it all and then some!
GodSistah: You have the whole package as an artist: musicianship, songwriting and vocals. Which of those roles [musician, songwriter, vocalist] do you identify with most and get the most fulfillment from?
Jordana: Wow! What a great question to ask of someone. Moreover, what a compliment—THANK YOU! :) While I love the process of how all three come together, I’d have to say it’s a real tie between the lyrical part of songwriting and the vocals. I often times feel compelled to write down my feelings rather than verbalize them in everyday conversation. I’m more comfortable delivering intimate feelings, thoughts, observations vocally through song. Why is that? Hmm. I’m going to go ahead and answer that because I think I’d like to know myself! Ok, I believe it’s because I can always revisit gut feelings whenever I need, want or chose to. It’s that, which I find fulfilling.
GodSistah: In one of your blog entries you wrote: 'Music has so many purposes and for me it holds answers'. I was so fascinated with that quote. Can you elaborate on it a bit more?
Jordana: Sure. I can elaborate… I’ve discovered that most of the time when I’m drawn to write or decide to listen to a particular song, it’s because I’m sparked by a personal event I feel requires me to step away from the momentariness of the situation to enable me to adequately and appropriately respond. If I write a song, that music and everything about it becomes my answer because of the rawness within which it was captured. That becomes my truth. My listening to a particular song(s) of other artists is very intentional and is either a form of escape for me or reinforcement of known truth(s).
GodSistah: I know from previous discussions we've had that you are partial to singer/songwriters. What singer/songwriters from the past and present influence and inspire you and why?
Jordana: James Taylor because I think he’s quite gifted on the guitar and has a unique singing style. A lot of his songs have this traveling type feel. I always feel like I’m in forward motion when I listen to his songs. He takes me somewhere…Carole King is another one of my favorites from the past because she just sings from the heart. She and the piano become one voice when she performs and I love that. As for the present, Jewel is my absolute favorite singer/songwriter from the present. She has one of the most beautiful voices and vocal ranges. I like the control of her voice and of her songwriting. She’s a storyteller who has a very clear beginning, middle and end to her songs, both lyrically and musically. I truly believe her artistry is legendary.
GodSistah: One of the things that impressed me most is the devotion and loyalty of your many fans. Your CD release party was a standing room only event. As well, your myspace page is filled with pictures of happy fans and listeners that seem to encompass people from all walks of life...young/old, male/female, and just about every culture are represented. That is so exciting! What is it about you and your music that attracts so many different types of people?
Jordana: You know, I love that too! My music is easy listening acoustic folk, which I think is palatable for many people if they’re in the mood to relax, recline, slumber, etc. Also, I’m a very inclusive person and believe the human race is one family, we just come in different shades. I think my personal beliefs of such are manifested on my myspace page and that just pleases me to no end.
GodSistah: The songs, "Hide" and "Say You Do" are my absolute favorites from your album. However, you recently polled your myspace friends and they voted, "Hey Baby" as their favorite song, with "Hide" and "Rain on my Parade" as runner ups. Why do you think those three songs resonated with your fans the most and what is the story behind each of them?
Jordana: I think many people like “Hey Baby” because of the phrase itself and that it’s repeated with a kind of call to listen to what comes next. I’m trying to get someone’s attention, which I really was at the time. I wrote the song after a very heart-wrenching split with one of the loves of my life and the song was quite melancholy at first but I sped it up after healing.
With “Hide”, I think a lot of people can relate to that because we’re 100% our true selves with a select few people. I wrote this more as a song of observation. With youth, there’s no restraint of emotion. There’s such an unbridled freedom in self-expression. As we age, outsiders and sometimes our inner self places limitations and constraints on our words, actions, thoughts, etc.
“Rain on my Parade” is more guitar driven and I think people like the undercurrent of the djembe. I think in this song, people are more drawn to the beat of the music than the lyrics. Just a guess. This song was borne from inner struggle with life events, relationships, etc.
GodSistah: You have a full time job and do a lot of gigging throughout the week and on weekends. Where do you find time for songwriting? Do you write every day? How many songs do you have sitting in the Jordana EL vaults at home?
Jordana: Yes, work gets in the way, doesn’t it? Good question. I write whenever the mood strikes. I’ll wake from bed to write down lyrics and the time of my waking to do so is of no importance to me. What matters is capturing that moment. I also keep a recorder with me in my car because I love to drive and I find myself humming tunes or making things up on the fly sometimes and I have to find a way to capture those moments too. I’ll take those recordings, listen to them and then I’m able to write the music. Funny, I do have some songs sitting in the Jordana EL vault! I have 6-7 that I need to either finish writing or just need to tighten.
GodSistah: What is your definition of the word "muse"? What does the word mean to you and who and what are the muses in your life as a woman and as an artist?
Jordana: My definition of the word “muse” is just inspiration, pure inspiration. To me, I’ve never really thought about a muse or muses but since I’m being asked and have stated it means inspiration to me, my parents and brother are true inspirations to me as a woman and artist. Each is extremely bright, open-minded, welcoming and well-rounded. They’re very loving and giving of themselves. I was raised to question my existence here on Earth, to discover my purpose and to make every effort to do good will on a daily basis. I still live by these familial expectations, which I adopted as my own once I hit adulthood.
GodSistah: What one song [either your own or from another artist] would you pick as the soundtrack theme to Jordana EL's life?
Jordana: What a great question! I’m just going to go with the one that comes to my mind first and it’s “Leave Your Heart To Me”. In this song, I want everyone to know that I’ll never give up, and that I’m emotionally reliable and accountable. I sing that song to stress you can count on me to be there for you.
For more information on Jordana EL visit www.myspace.com/JordanaEL
Music: Q&A with Jordana EL
Q&A with Jordana EL
by Andrea "GodSistah" Sutherland
I first discovered Jordana EL's music in the middle of a sea of friend requests on my myspace page. My first thought as I focused in on her picture was, "Wow, it's Pam Grier with an acoustic guitar!" I was more than pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this beautiful woman also made beautiful music in the tradition of the quintessential singer/songwriters that have come before her. With her debut album, "Nearer To You", released eariler this year and performance dates scheduled through October 2007, Jordana took time out of her busy schedule to thoughtfully answer some questions about her music, her influences and her diverse fan base.
GodSistah: Jordana, I became an instant fan when I first heard your music. Your debut album, "Nearer to You", is packed with some fantastic acoustic guitar based folk rock, but you actually started out playing the piano at a very young age. What made you gravitate to the guitar?
Jordana: My ear was more attracted to the sound of the guitar. I think that’s because it was the instrument of choice with my childhood top two favorite artists--Jim Croce and James Taylor. While I liked piano, I didn’t have an affinity toward piano and I rarely practiced! My guess there is that it was perhaps because I couldn’t attach a personal inspiration to the instrument like I could guitar. It wasn’t until I heard the Carpenters (love Karen Carpenter’s voice), I began to appreciate the piano and renewed my interest. I discovered Pop songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Close To You” were available in sheet music for piano! Nonetheless, in spite of this, I still wanted to play guitar and promised myself guitar was going to be something I learned when “I grow up.”
GodSistah: In your CD credits you thank your Mom, Dad and brother Dan for music appreciation in the household. What kind of music surrounded you in your childhood and influenced you throughout your life?
Jordana: I certainly was surrounded by music as a child. My older brother, with whom I’m very close, played piano beautifully. My brother was and still really is into classical music. He introduced me to Prokofiev and Beethoven, my Mom-Bob Marley and The Wailers and James Taylor and both parents loved Motown (The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, etc.), Joan Baez, Jim Croce, Carly Simon, Carole King, Barbra Streisand and Gregorian chants. I loved it all and then some!
GodSistah: You have the whole package as an artist: musicianship, songwriting and vocals. Which of those roles [musician, songwriter, vocalist] do you identify with most and get the most fulfillment from?
Jordana: Wow! What a great question to ask of someone. Moreover, what a compliment—THANK YOU! :) While I love the process of how all three come together, I’d have to say it’s a real tie between the lyrical part of songwriting and the vocals. I often times feel compelled to write down my feelings rather than verbalize them in everyday conversation. I’m more comfortable delivering intimate feelings, thoughts, observations vocally through song. Why is that? Hmm. I’m going to go ahead and answer that because I think I’d like to know myself! Ok, I believe it’s because I can always revisit gut feelings whenever I need, want or chose to. It’s that, which I find fulfilling.
GodSistah: In one of your blog entries you wrote: 'Music has so many purposes and for me it holds answers'. I was so fascinated with that quote. Can you elaborate on it a bit more?
Jordana: Sure. I can elaborate… I’ve discovered that most of the time when I’m drawn to write or decide to listen to a particular song, it’s because I’m sparked by a personal event I feel requires me to step away from the momentariness of the situation to enable me to adequately and appropriately respond. If I write a song, that music and everything about it becomes my answer because of the rawness within which it was captured. That becomes my truth. My listening to a particular song(s) of other artists is very intentional and is either a form of escape for me or reinforcement of known truth(s).
GodSistah: I know from previous discussions we've had that you are partial to singer/songwriters. What singer/songwriters from the past and present influence and inspire you and why?
Jordana: James Taylor because I think he’s quite gifted on the guitar and has a unique singing style. A lot of his songs have this traveling type feel. I always feel like I’m in forward motion when I listen to his songs. He takes me somewhere…Carole King is another one of my favorites from the past because she just sings from the heart. She and the piano become one voice when she performs and I love that. As for the present, Jewel is my absolute favorite singer/songwriter from the present. She has one of the most beautiful voices and vocal ranges. I like the control of her voice and of her songwriting. She’s a storyteller who has a very clear beginning, middle and end to her songs, both lyrically and musically. I truly believe her artistry is legendary.
GodSistah: One of the things that impressed me most is the devotion and loyalty of your many fans. Your CD release party was a standing room only event. As well, your myspace page is filled with pictures of happy fans and listeners that seem to encompass people from all walks of life...young/old, male/female, and just about every culture are represented. That is so exciting! What is it about you and your music that attracts so many different types of people?
Jordana: You know, I love that too! My music is easy listening acoustic folk, which I think is palatable for many people if they’re in the mood to relax, recline, slumber, etc. Also, I’m a very inclusive person and believe the human race is one family, we just come in different shades. I think my personal beliefs of such are manifested on my myspace page and that just pleases me to no end.
GodSistah: The songs, "Hide" and "Say You Do" are my absolute favorites from your album. However, you recently polled your myspace friends and they voted, "Hey Baby" as their favorite song, with "Hide" and "Rain on my Parade" as runner ups. Why do you think those three songs resonated with your fans the most and what is the story behind each of them?
Jordana: I think many people like “Hey Baby” because of the phrase itself and that it’s repeated with a kind of call to listen to what comes next. I’m trying to get someone’s attention, which I really was at the time. I wrote the song after a very heart-wrenching split with one of the loves of my life and the song was quite melancholy at first but I sped it up after healing.
With “Hide”, I think a lot of people can relate to that because we’re 100% our true selves with a select few people. I wrote this more as a song of observation. With youth, there’s no restraint of emotion. There’s such an unbridled freedom in self-expression. As we age, outsiders and sometimes our inner self places limitations and constraints on our words, actions, thoughts, etc.
“Rain on my Parade” is more guitar driven and I think people like the undercurrent of the djembe. I think in this song, people are more drawn to the beat of the music than the lyrics. Just a guess. This song was borne from inner struggle with life events, relationships, etc.
GodSistah: You have a full time job and do a lot of gigging throughout the week and on weekends. Where do you find time for songwriting? Do you write every day? How many songs do you have sitting in the Jordana EL vaults at home?
Jordana: Yes, work gets in the way, doesn’t it? Good question. I write whenever the mood strikes. I’ll wake from bed to write down lyrics and the time of my waking to do so is of no importance to me. What matters is capturing that moment. I also keep a recorder with me in my car because I love to drive and I find myself humming tunes or making things up on the fly sometimes and I have to find a way to capture those moments too. I’ll take those recordings, listen to them and then I’m able to write the music. Funny, I do have some songs sitting in the Jordana EL vault! I have 6-7 that I need to either finish writing or just need to tighten.
GodSistah: What is your definition of the word "muse"? What does the word mean to you and who and what are the muses in your life as a woman and as an artist?
Jordana: My definition of the word “muse” is just inspiration, pure inspiration. To me, I’ve never really thought about a muse or muses but since I’m being asked and have stated it means inspiration to me, my parents and brother are true inspirations to me as a woman and artist. Each is extremely bright, open-minded, welcoming and well-rounded. They’re very loving and giving of themselves. I was raised to question my existence here on Earth, to discover my purpose and to make every effort to do good will on a daily basis. I still live by these familial expectations, which I adopted as my own once I hit adulthood.
GodSistah: What one song [either your own or from another artist] would you pick as the soundtrack theme to Jordana EL's life?
Jordana: What a great question! I’m just going to go with the one that comes to my mind first and it’s “Leave Your Heart To Me”. In this song, I want everyone to know that I’ll never give up, and that I’m emotionally reliable and accountable. I sing that song to stress you can count on me to be there for you.
For more information on Jordana EL visit www.myspace.com/JordanaEL