An Interview with Jourdan Evans
If you're not super familiar with Jourdan Evans, then I most certainly have one of the best ways to introduce you to the artist. Before I do that, I should mention that Jourdan is paving his own path in terms of portraying Mass creativity and a multitude of ways from being a singer, to an actor, and Dancer as well.
He's also 15 years old, and has already been making waves, especially in the music world, mostly because he's been taking a series of vintage singles and sort of reinventing them and making them more current and honed in to his character as a person.
The latest is an Elvis Presley original called "If I Can Dream".
If you're not familiar with the original track, I suggest you go and check it out. Although you probably have heard it before here and there, even if you're not a big Elvis fan. It's a fairly popular song, although slightly less so in his greater catalog of work.
Jourdan's embodiment of the song is taken in a slightly different direction than the original, but he does stick to his guns in terms of having some of that classic feel and his vocals.
When listening to his version of the song, you start to get a feel for why his vocal approach sounds like it does. It's the same reason he's covered other classics before, such as "Georgia On My Mind", for example.
He's obviously influenced by a certain era of music in general. This works magic for what he's able to do with his voice and how he can almost tune into that time and era of music to deliver something that feels super authentic.
This single seems like a perfect fit for the artist to perform.
The original version of this single, performed by Elvis, was a dedication to Martin Luther King and served as a bit of a statement for the times.
Tensions were high, a lot was going on, and just as it stands now, celebrities and stars were able to make statements with their music when they wanted to.
What Jourdan has done was take the meaning behind the song and not abandon it, but change it a little bit. He turned the song into something universal and fit for current times.
"If I Can Dream" is more about not leaving your dreams behind than anything else. It is something that makes perfect sense for a young artist, and clearly the original song spoke to him in such a way that he realized he needed to make his own version. This is his way of speaking his mind.
Jourdan is a person who, even at this age, is able to interpret things and gain their meaning, but also attach it to an emotional aspect of himself.
He feels something from all of these forms of art that he participates in and creates with.
From acting to dance and singing, he feels it all, and I think that drives him further.
The entire track takes on such a wonderfully woven atmosphere and is elegantly performed with loads of heart, which is an aspect that you pick up on quite quickly.
Jourdan is most obviously passionate about all of the things that he does, so there is a lot of heart and soul in the performances he gives.
This song is no exception to that rule whatsoever.
We can say that the artist has a slew of influences that he holds close to his heart, some of which he has already delivered amazing covers of with his debut EP called The Collection, which includes songs originally performed by artists like Patsy Cline and Elton John, among others.
This already gives you a little bit of an example of how he is influenced by plenty of new stuff, of course, but it's the older material that speaks to him in certain ways. Or at least it seems like that is the case.
This makes his music so incredibly enjoyable.
One of the greatest parts about his releasing "If I Can Dream", is that the music video he created with Lilly K photography, who produced it, lets him combine a lot of his acting chops with his musical ones.
It's like you're getting two different sides of the artist's mass creativity in one shot, and it works brilliantly throughout the entire thing.
The tones of some of these shots and visuals match the tones of the musical approach perfectly.
The combination of new and old, vintage and fresh, are breathtaking at certain points.
Listening to this single alone makes you want to go see Jourdan perform this all live. It must be a great experience to watch the artist perform classics like this on stage.
So, I wanted to know if he does perform. I wanted to know how it was all put together in the first place, and more.
Because of this, I decided to conduct an interview with Jourdan so I could find out more.
Check out that interview below, and don't forget to watch the music video as well.
Hello Jourdan! I really enjoyed the song and video for "If I Can Dream"!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked it.
Is Elvis Presley a big inspiration for you in general?
Yeah, definitely. My dad has always loved Elvis, so I grew up hearing him lot.
As I got older, I started appreciating him much more , he really was a true entertainer, not just his voice, but his stage presence, movement and just the way he connected with the audience. He was amazing !!
I think that’s probably what I admire most about him.
Did you direct the music video or oversee the final product?
I oversaw pretty much every part of it, from the original idea and storyboard through to the filming and then the final edit, but it was definitely a team effort.
I was really lucky to have Lilly K Photography as the film producer. She completely understood the message I was trying to get across and somehow managed to take what was in my head and actually bring it to life on camera, which, to be fair, isn’t always the easiest thing when you’re trying to read my mind!
It was a massive learning process for me because I’d never done anything like this before. Lilly was incredibly patient, explained so much to me and we worked through everything together as we filmed.
I learnt a huge amount from the whole experience, and I’m just really proud of how it all came together.
How long have you been doing all this?
Honestly, I feel like I’ve always been doing some kind of entertaining or performing.
When I was really little, I was constantly putting on shows at home, doing the lights, staging, singing, acting, pretty much everything. My poor parents had to sit through those Sunday shows for years!
As I got older, I got my first opportunity around 12 in professional musical theatre with Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and then just decided to keep exploring all things creative and started songwriting, recording and creating things myself.
I’m still only 15, so I’m definitely still figuring out what kind of artist I am, what my strengths are and where I fit. But that’s probably also one of the most exciting parts.
As a young artist getting out there, you are doing amazingly! Is there any advice you would give to other artists trying to get heard?
I hope you don’t mind me changing the question a little, but I don’t really think it should be about trying to “get heard.” It should be about doing what you love.
For me, I think it’s more about experimenting, trying different sounds, techniques and ideas, working out what you love and not being afraid to try something because you’re worried about what other people might think.
Do it because you love it and because you want to get better. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
It’s a long road and there’s so much to learn. There are going to be challenges and hopefully lots of really great moments along the way too, but I don’t think you want to rush any of it, especially if you’re in it for the long haul.
And definitely surround yourself with good people. Hard work, kindness and respect are probably three things I’d never underestimate.
Are you onto the next single now?
Oh yes, absolutely! I think like every artist, you’re probably always working on more than one thing.
Right now my biggest focus is my first EP of original music. I’m loving the songwriting, being in the studio and experimenting with different sounds and ideas.
I honestly just can’t wait to get my music out there and have people connect with it.
Are you doing any touring in support of the release, or is this mostly a recording project?
No, definitely not just a recording project!
I’m really lucky because right now I’m supporting Human Nature in Brisbane and Ben Folds in Sydney, which is super exciting because I actually get to bring some of my original music to a live audience in an outdoor amphitheater and connect with people that way.
I honestly couldn’t be more grateful or excited to have those opportunities.
I’ve also got a couple of things coming up in Los Angeles where I’ll get the chance to perform some of the new music in a smaller, more intimate setting, which I’m really excited about too.
Live performance is definitely my favorite part of what I do. If I get the chance to perform, entertain and tell a story, I’m always going to jump at it.
Are you playing guitar on this track?
No, I didn’t play guitar on If I Can Dream. We had some great players come in for the track, which was really cool.
I have been learning guitar for the last few years though, and on my original EP I’ll definitely be playing guitar on some of my own songs, which I’m really excited about.
It’s another part of the music that I’m enjoying developing and bringing more into what I do.
Do you have a musical family? How did making music and videos begin for you?
I wouldn’t really say I come from a musical family, but there are definitely creative elements in it. My grandparents were in the Australian Ballet, and my grandfather also loved playing guitar and piano.
For me though, the love of singing and performing started really young. I think my parents realized pretty early that this was just something I was always going to want to do.
As I got older, I realized I loved every part of the creative process, not just performing, but staging, lighting, recording, songwriting and how everything comes together.
So creating music videos felt like a pretty natural next step. I’d already made an EP of reimagined covers, and I remember thinking, “Okay, what can I try next?”
This time I wanted to start with a story I wanted to tell and then find the right song to go with it. If I Can Dream felt perfect because even though it came from such a different time, those ideas of hope and believing in something still felt really real and relevant to me and my generation.
And I guess it felt like a bit of a double win. I got to tell the story I wanted to tell, and maybe also introduce some people my age to Elvis who might not have really listened to his music before. I think that’s pretty cool.
Before we go, is there anything you'd like to express to fans and listeners?
Honestly, probably just a massive thank you.
Thank you for listening to my music, watching the videos, sending messages, giving advice and just supporting what I’m trying to do.
For me, the whole point of creating something is hopefully being able to connect it with other people, so I never take that support for granted.
I’m still really early in this journey and there’s so much more I want to create, so I just hope people keep enjoying it and stay along for the ride with me.
Thanks so much for having me. Really appreciate the support!
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