Jordan Adetunji

In a short time, Belfast-based artist Jordan Adetunji has gained the respect of legendary artists, including Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes, and tastemaker support, including BBC Radio 1 and Huw Stephens. Having signed to RCA records with a blessing and introduction from Mr. Sykes, Jordan has been making waves unapologetically. HATC: So why not start from the beginning? Tell me a little about growing up and where music fits into that. J: So I was born in London and lived there for about 10 years before moving to Belfast. I started music at about 15, 15/16, but I was playing instruments. I started playing trumpet in school. I was doing great in that and learning classical music. Then going into drums around 18, it developed into rap. I wasn't always allowed to listen to rap in my house, so I heard many soundtracks in my video games, like Need for Speed. I was put into grime in the early days, but that was more of my cousin's taste. I had a family friend who got me an iPod, and he put all of his favourite music on there. So whatever was on that was all I knew. So those songs that I grew with in the early days, were like Drake and J.Cole. HATC: I love the mixtape throwback, which felt biblical. The true mixtape era we had growing up. Did you end up doing orchestra when growing up training classically? J: I did I was in the school band playing trumpet and learning many pieces. It helped me read music, so I developed that skill from doing that, which was quite good. HATC: What inspired you to move into different genres and push the boundaries of your music. J: My obsession with alternative music helped me push back. I was listening to alternative music like early Bring Me The Horizon. So many times, they had a significant shift in their music. Everyone would be used to what they were doing, and they would change it again. It made me think, I can do that. HATC: Have you found that you're most comfortable pushing these boundaries? J: Yes, I love it. That's why I still make music for me as well as I make it for other people. I need to make it for myself. I want people to go through the sounds I go through with me. So it's more of a journey than just doing the same thing. I want them to feel my creatively and how I express that. HATC: When you write your music, are you focused on yourself and your experiences? J: It's always something that's happened, something I've felt in my head at the time. HATC: Tell me about your latest track and the writing process of what's behind the track itself. J: So it dilutes what's going on for me. So just putting down a rough or calm feeling, sample, something scratches your brain. So it's about putting down an upbeat type of thing. I often do an acoustic version on SoundCloud, so when you break it down, you can see and hear what I'm saying and how raw it is. It's overpowering and has a vibe, and I love doing that. HATC: You've been signed to RCA, which is great because they're a great label. I hear on the grapevine that there was a nod from Oli Sykes regarding putting your music right in front of them. J: It's really crazy. When it first happened, I was like, damn. He commented on a track, then I put up another one, and he commented again. He was taking in what I was. That's a big thing, that someone I look up to and actually listen and talk about, you know, likes my music.