Jorday On “Closer Part II”, Collaborating With Stormzy & More!

Born in Holland and raised in the UK, Jorday is looking to be one of the most promising acts to emerge from the UK. Singing from the age of 7, he took his love of music to church where his journey in music started to unravel. Immersing himself in various sounds including Michael Jackson to the modern-day Tory Lanez, Jorday began to form his own distinct fusion of R&B.

Back in 2018, the singer dropped two singles Dancer and Luv U Back, automatically establishing himself as an artist to pay close attention to. Returning to the scene in June 2019, he bounced back with his hit Closer which amassed over 800,000 plays on Spotify alone catching the eyes off many. Following the huge success of this single, Jorday recently called on the likes of Geko for Closer Part II.

Now back in full force ready to take his music to the next level, I caught up with Jorday to ask him a few questions..

What initially made you want to start a career in music. I believe growing up you were involved in the church choir…

My mum used to hear my brother and I sing and rap at home like every single day imitating the big superstars, we literally had too much energy; even after playing football outside all day we would still be so hyperactive. One day she basically forced me and my brother to join a church choir, she would drop us off and go about her business.

The church was relatively small, but we used to go there to see all the older girls (LOL!) but it started meaning more to me as I got a chance to play all the instruments that we didn’t have at home such as electric guitars, drums, etc. My brother quit about a week into it and would come back just in time for our mum to pick us up, but I continued to attend because I enjoyed being involved with making music. There were times that the other members even gave me a chance to play around and make my own sounds and the advanced members would assist me with perfecting my craft. 

Overall this allowed me to really find what I wanted to do with music.

You’ve mentioned previously that you grew up listening to the likes of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Tory Lanez. In what ways did these artists influence you? What elements of their music did you take and make into your own?

I grew up listening to them because I was raised in an era where they were everywhere! Michael Jackson was such a phenomenal performer. I remember watching MJ’s performance on TV and I used to be so confused as to why everyone would admire him so much; it wasn’t until I got older and my love for music grew that I truly started to appreciate his talent, he was breaking barriers, winning Grammys, being the first black artist on MTV and so much more.

Coming from a household where every type of music was played helped me be very diverse and open to all genres which is why in more recent years I’ve really enjoyed PARTYNEXTDOOR and Tory Lanez; they’ve added the old school element of R&B in their music. You can’t put them in a box and I feel the same about my music, I don’t feel like I can be put me in a box because I’m versatile and opened to all genres and I love experimenting with different sounds, so don’t be surprised if you hear me on a track similar to Thinking Out Loud and then another track that is the complete opposite.

What’s your all-time favourite album and why?

To be honest I can’t think of one single all-time favourite album of mine, there are numerous that I favour such as Drakes 2016 album Views. I’m sure that album contributed to the amazing vibes everyone was feeling in Summer 2016; There was so much great music out during that summer.

You recently released ‘Part II’ to your hit “Closer” with Geko. Tell us how this feature came about? Why Geko specifically? What made you decide to release a “Part II’?

The original Closer was such a banger and it was only right to get an artist on Geko’s calibre to feature on it. The feature came about as we thought Geko would be a great addition to the song because of his hits such as Yo Darling featuring NSG, but I only wanted him to be on the song if he genuinely liked the song, which he did.

Do you feel like it’s harder to break through in R&B in the UK in comparison to places like the US where it’s considered more mainstream?

Previously I think it was much more difficult, but we have artists in our generation in the UK who are assisting in breaking these barriers. I’m not letting any barriers stop me, I’ve dropped R&B songs on platforms known for rap and with no major push and done good numbers; this goes to show that the UK music scene is making a change and people are being recognised for their talents no matter what genre.

Creatively, what’s your process like?

Every day is different, some days i’ll hear a beat that I like and would want to work on and other days I’ll come up with a melody or lyrics that sounds good that I need to find a beat for. Most of my songs are based on my feelings and emotions in that moment. I also have a great team who I share this vision with, who assist in making these projects.

What do you feel sets you apart from other emerging UK R&B acts?

I think that I am extremely diverse; although I am classified as an R&B artist, I can do much more than just R&B. I am sitting on loads of unreleased music that would not be considered R&B, I have one coming out soon.

Is there anyone in the UK scene or overseas that you would love to collaborate with in the future?

As far as the global UK music scene I would love to work with people such as Ed Sheeran, Ella Mai, Burna Boy and Stormzy because they are also versatile just like myself.

Looking into the future, what’s the overall aim or goal with music for you?

I think this year I would like to focus on the UK knowing who Jorday is; I would like to be more consistent in all aspects to make this possible. In the long run I would like to be known for my work globally, and able to go on world tours.

Just like everyone else I would like to make my family and team proud, especially my mother and the people around me who go the extra mile to make my dreams come true, that’s the ultimate goal.

What can we expect to see you from this yours 2020? Do you have a project dropping?

Expect to see me everywhere, doing everything! I have been considering dropping an EP on my birthday; fingers crossed it all works out. Other than that, I have amazing singles dropping back to back this year and hopefully a few more collocations with more artist. Look out for my next single Do Dat, we’ve just shot an amazing video for it.

You can keep up to date with Jorday via his Instagram here.