Hot Gig Alert (6/8): BU alum Jordy headlines Pride Music Festival tomorrow (Interview in Post!)
(photo credit: Dante Velasquez)
Pride is a month-long party in Boston, of course, but tomorrow is the biggest day of the month when it comes to city-wide celebrations. With the parade kicking off at 11 am in Copley Square tomorrow to a block party to the Boston Pride for the People festival going down at Boston Commons from noon to 6 pm, the opportunities are endless to celebrate Pride in our beautiful city. A BU alum will be co-headlining the festival tomorrow, JORDY, and his set is surely something not to be missed.
As aforementioned, JORDY is a proud BU alum, who is on the cusp of releasing his third album, “Sex with Myself.” In talking with JORDY ahead of his show tomorrow, JORDY spoke about the album as something he just wanted to have fun with. JORDY shared in regards to the album, “I always wanted to kind of dip my toes into more sexy, kind of clubby, hyper-pop type stuff. And as soon as I wrote that song, I was like, wow, I just feel like this is the beginning of something really cool.” And if we can tell anything from the singles released so far, his message will be perfectly on point with his latest project.
You can find more information about the festival/parade and all the details for tomorrow’s festivities here. Our chat is below, and keep your eyes peeled for much more to come from this talented act!
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Colleen Johnson: So maybe to get right into it, I know you’re playing in Times Square tomorrow, and then you’re obviously coming back to Boston for a huge show. Maybe emotions or preparations going into these shows that you have coming up?
JORDY: There is just so much excitement and pride. I am so excited to be doing these shows and playing in New York, which is one of my favorite cities. Boston is a very special place for me since I went to BU. I am just really excited about that.
CJ: Then Boston Pride is such a big deal. You’re headlining Boston Pride for the People on Saturday. There’s the parade that day. As you just mentioned, you are a BU alum. Maybe how does it feel to be coming back to this city that you spent so much time in?
JORDY: I’m very nostalgic and sentimental. I actually have two friends from college who are coming, and we’re going to spend some time in the city together for the first time since college, so it will be super fun to get together and reminisce on old times. Again, Boston was a place where I discovered a lot about myself and definitively decided I wanted to pursue music, and it will be really special to be back.
CJ: Perfect, then speaking of music, you’ve been really busy. The first album came out in 2021, but you’re already on the cusp of releasing your third, “Sex with Myself,” in just under a week. Considering how much music you’ve put out in these past few years, when did you kind of start working on this latest album? When did it start coming together?
JORDY: I wrote the first song last August after my last album, “Boy”, released. At the end of August, I wrote “Second Minute Hour.” It was right after I got dropped by my record label, which was a good moment for me to sit back and reflect and figure out what I’ve done and what I haven’t done. I always wanted to kind of dip my toes into more sexy, kind of clubby, hyper-pop type stuff. And as soon as I wrote that song, I was like, wow, I just feel like this is the beginning of something really cool. And then all the other songs followed.
CJ: And then considering the last album came out last year, the first one came out, as I said before, in 2021, so that’s three albums in four years. That’s definitely really impressive. Is there something that you still feel in the process that you changed with this album, maybe somehting you changed in the writing process, maybe something you left behind?
JORDY: I feel like for this project, one of my biggest goals was just to have fun. I feel like at the end of the year last year, I was in this tense place. I was feeling a little bit of projection coming out of the label, being completely independent. And specifically, I’d say I chased those feelings and wrote sad music, which I’ve done many times in the past. But I truly feel like I needed fun music to make myself happy. And so going into these sessions, it was way more the idea of I just want to be un-serious, I want to have fun and I want to make good hooks and catchy singles that people can dance to. I feel like my set is much different that kind of past projects that were more kind of centered, I guess, around more emotionally driven topics.
CJ: So you just wanted to cut loose with this one, enjoy yourself, and make fun music?
JORDY: Yeah, I just feel like it was what I needed. I needed to have fun. I mean, I always have fun when I make music. But I think we were kind of able to explore weird and funny and quirky tunes that I didn’t necessarily feel confident doing yet. So it’s definitely a different kind of project, and the process is definitely a little bit different, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had making a project. So, very happy with it.
CJ: Perfect! Then I wanted to ask. It may be a little emotional, but it may be something to look back on. Obviously, in the past few years in music, LGBTQ acts have been so embraced. You see Chappell Roan, you see yourself, you see Morgxn, you see Kim Petras. Advice to people just getting started, or kids just getting started that want to explore doing music? You’re still so young, of course.
JORDY: Oh god, I mean, just do it. I mean when I was young, I didn’t have things like social media. I mean, I had YouTube, where I would just do covers at my house. If you’re making stuff, share it with your friends, share it with your family, share it with the world. Don’t be in your head, and do what makes you happy. It is very possible, I think that there’s such a language associated with pursuing art. Like it’s so competitive and blah blah blah. And it’s funny because so many of my friends in the corporate world can’t find a job. And it’s just funny because we’re told from a young age that doing art is so risky, and here are all of my corporate friends, jobless like all stuck in the interview process. And I feel grateful that I get to work for myself and do what I love. So I just feel like, follow your passion. Because at the end of the day, everything is hard. Working is hard. So, just do it. And you know, I had my side gigs, too, for a very long time. I was Postmating, I was Doordashing, I was a barista, I worked as a host in a restaurant, I worked in a studio. I did all the things. And afterward, I’d just go home and write. If it’s something you love, chase it.
CJ: Then you are obviously about to have some whirlwind weeks. Like I just said, you have a huge show tomorrow. You’re coming to Boston to headline the Boston Pride for the People event. You have a brand new album about to come out. Maybe hopes or goals for these next few months for you as a performer?
JORDY: Well, I think this is dropping before I share some exciting news about future shows. I’m definitely excited to play some more shows in the future, so that’s very exciting. But I do think these next few months will be devoted to promoting this album, putting out more music, and, yeah, getting ready to hit the road again!
