At 16 years old, Jordana Bryant has already captured the hearts of so many fans around the world. She has racked up an impressive 6 million + views on her YouTube channel, her debut EP, ‘Last First’ has 1.3 million global streams, and her debut single, ‘This Love’ was co-written with Grammy winning songwriter Seth Mosley, and Jesse Lee who co-wrote Kelsie Ballerini’s No. 1 hit song ‘Peter Pan’. I had the opportunity to connect with Jordana and chat with her about her career so far.
Jordana, it’s a pleasure to talk with you today. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I want to start by asking you when you first knew you wanted to pursue a career in music?
Thank you so much! So excited to be talking with you! I think I’ve honestly just always loved music, and ever since the first time I picked up my dad’s guitar when I was a little girl I knew that music is what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always loved how songwriters can choose what message they put into the world because I feel like it’s such a great opportunity to spread positivity and help people with what they’re going through. I really hope that I can have that impact on people and use music to make them feel a bit better.
Can you tell us a bit about your family and background growing up? Do you come from a musical family?
My dad played guitar in lots of country/rock bands as a teenager, so growing up I would always hear him playing guitar around the house. One day I remember just picking up his guitar and asking him to show me how to play a chord. And we’ve been fighting over whose turn it is to play the guitar ever since.
Is your family supportive of your music career?
My family is more supportive of my music career than I could ever hope for. Their support means the absolute world to me. I’ve always had this dream of having a music career, so I can’t even express how grateful I am that they believe in my dream.
Do you feel like your childhood shaped the songs you write?
My childhood definitely shaped the songs I write. Growing up listening to the country music that my parents played introduced me to a world of music that I fell in love with from the moment I first heard it. And watching all the romantic-comedies with my family definitely inspired a lot of the hopeless-romantic love songs I’ve written!
How does it feel being compared to Taylor Swift so young?
Taylor Swift has always been such an inspiration for me and she’s one of the artists who helped me realize that I wanted to make music. Being compared to her feels so incredible and unreal because of the impact her music has had on me, and I hope one day I can have that impact on people who hear my music too.
What was the first thing you did when you visited Nashville for the first time?
The first thing I did when I visited Nashville for the first time was go to one of the honkey tonk bars, Tootsies. It was such a cool scene with all of the live music and people! And I even asked one of the musicians if I could get up and sing a song with them and I ended up playing a few songs with the band! It was such a fun experience!!
How does it feel to know that so many people around the world are connecting with the music you’re making?
It truly means the world to me that people are connecting with the music I’m making. For me, music is all about making people feel better and having a positive impact on them, so seeing people respond so positively to my music makes me happier than I could ever express.
What did you learn from writing with people like Seth Mosley and Zach Kale?
I’ve learned so much from Seth, Zach, and all the other songwriters I’ve written with, but I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to voice your ideas even if you aren’t completely sure of them. A lot of times I would try to perfect an idea before suggesting it, but they’ve taught me that even if the idea isn’t exactly right, it might give somebody else in the session an idea on how to twist it and lead to something great. They’ve also definitely shown me how to just have some fun and laugh in sessions.
Who came up with the concept for the music video for your song, ‘Last First’?
I had the idea for the video practically right after we wrote it! Because the song has a lot of visual lyrics, I knew I wanted the music video to incorporate those lyrics and show everything in the song. The video turned out better than I could have imagined and I’m so grateful for the awesome team that helped me bring it to life!
What is one “I’ve made it” moment from your career so far?
When Zach Kale agreed to co-produce my next EP with Seth Mosley, it felt really surreal because I was such a big fan of the music that Zach worked on with Gabby Barrett and Seth has had so much success in both the country and the christian genres. Them both wanting to work on my next EP with me really just meant the world to me.
If you could inspire your fans to make one change in their lives, what would that change be and why?
If I could inspire my fans to make one change in their lives it would be to just be themselves. I know how difficult it can be to be vulnerable and really show who you are, but life is so much more fulfilling when you get to be your authentic self! And I hope that they know that their authentic selves are enough no matter what.
What is something your fans might not know about you that you would want them to know (hobbies, funny stories, etc)?
Some people might not know that I’m graduating high school a year early so that I can move to Nashville to pursue my music after I graduate this spring! But since I’ve still been living in Pennsylvania this year while I finish up school, my family and I have had to travel to Nashville for my music like one out of every three weeks! We’ve been at the same hotel in Nashville so much this year that all of the staff knows us.
And finally, what do you want to say to your fans as they read this?
I want to tell my fans that their support means more to me than they could ever imagine. I can’t tell them how grateful I am that my music has been resonating with them and I’m so excited to get to share a bunch of new music with them in the next few months!!
To keep up with Jordana, and listen to more of her music check her out online on her official website, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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