JORDY is a big, bright new voice in pop, and the perfect artist to kick off your Pride weekend festivities with. Especially as his new track "Better In My Head," premiering with PAPER today, is written from the perspective of a musician navigating an industry that hasn't always supported its LGBTQ+ artists.
A followup to playlist favorites like "Better By Myself" and "Long Distance," "Better In My Head" is a raw song about looking for genuine love and intimacy, but instead being disappointed by walks of shame and quick hookups. It tells an unabashedly queer story, and JORDY tells PAPER that the lyrics are so personal that he "never even considered" using universal pronouns, or pretending to chronicle the tortured romance of a straight couple. We have enough of those already, right?
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"As a kid I always found ways to connect with a lot of straight artists because there weren't many queer artists I had to look up to," he recalls. Thankfully, things have changed. "As an artist, my biggest concern is making music that is honest to me and enjoyable to listen to — and who I love will naturally fall into that lyric."
Let's not pretend, though, that artists like JORDY aren't still asked to disguise their feelings and intentions in order to cater to an imagined audience. Even in 2021. "Have I been pushed to change?" JORDY asks. "Yep. Do I plan on changing the way I write songs? Absolutely not. I am going to continue telling my story, and 'Better In My Head' is the perfect example of that."
For any A&R people reading, we're prettty sure that the emotions conveyed in "Better In My Head" and its yearning late-night hook are highly relatable to listeners of all genders and sexualities. But either way, they're valid. And JORDY knows it.
"There have been instances where people have give my management the 'advice' that I should change the pronouns I use in my songs when singing about love or heartbreak or, in this case, a bad hookup," he continues. "Maybe saying 'she' would garner more fans for me and make me more 'relatable.' And to that I say no, nope, never in a million years."
JORDY is building a career on the one thing you can always bet on: yourself. And we love to see it! "I have already spent half of my life hiding who I am, and I don't plan on going back there ever again," he says. "Even if people think it'll be good for my success. I absolutely beg to differ."
Take a listen and watch the music video for "Better In My Head," below.
Photo courtesy of 300 Entertainment
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