JORDAN ADETUNJI IS BLENDING GENRES LIKE NEVER BEFORE [@JORDANADETUNJI]

Belfast based artist Jordan Adetunji is an artist breaking all the rules. After releasing a string of forward-thinking tracks including the hyperpop/jersey club infused ‘You & I’, ‘INVOLVED’, and ‘Go‘, the genre bending artist has rapidly been making a name for himself with sonic references ranging from rap and R&B through to post-punk, jersey club, and hyperpop. I caught up with Jordan in a small, serene, cornered room of London’s Sony building, for a conversation about his style, influences and his career so far.

Bethel: You use a unique blend of genres, ranging from rap, R&B to post-punk, jersey club, and hyperpop. What draws you to those styles of music?

Jordan Adetunji: When I first sort of discovered math rock samples, that kind of drew me into it because I’m big into anime and big into that Japanese culture. Math rock samples are something I’ve always heard in anime intros and stuff like that. So going deeper into that, I found that people have been using the hyperpop samples and I thought to start merging that with dance music, because I feel like Jersey Club gives that upbeat sort of feel, that high energy. So I thought mixing the two together with glitch pop elements was creating something that I felt like it’s high energy but also different in a way. It kind of reminds me of 2016. That’s the type of feel I’m trying to give. I’m trying to give 2016 all over again but with a new flavour to it, with the Jersey Club. So yeah, that’s been exciting. I’ve been loving this journey in my career.

Bethel: How would you describe the studio energy when you make songs like ‘Go‘ and ‘Things You Do’?

Jordan Adetunji: High, very high! When we made ‘Go’ and ‘Things You Do’, the guys were just like “this is next level.” It kind of just felt new, it felt fresh, we felt like scientists whenever we figured something out. Even the tracks coming soon have been evolving each time, and I’m just glad it’s starting to get to that point.

Bethel: How do you plan to push boundaries and continue experimenting with your music?

Jordan Adetunji: I think I’m gonna evolve the sound more and recently I’ve just been trying to add in different elements, different drum patterns like afrobeat patterns, mixing afrobeat patterns with like math rock samples, just putting the pieces together and seeing different ways that we could make things sound different. For example, using a drill pattern and using that with a drum that would be from an afro-beat and making that a drill pattern. We’re constantly trying to break down and see what ways we can make things sound different.

Bethel: What dream collaborations do you have in mind for your future projects?

Jordan Adetunji: My dream collaboration is Jaden Smith.

Bethel: How would you describe the relationship between your music and your personal growth as an artist?

Jordan Adetunji: I would say musical growth has been a lot, but I’ve also gone through lots of different experiences in my life so far. So I feel like I’m growing with that as well as learning new things. So I feel like every time I learn something I’m adapting that to my life.

Bethel: Could you share a particular moment or experience that made you realize the impact of your music on other people?

Jordan Adetunji: I made a post-punk song called ‘WOKEUP!’ and I got messages from people saying that it helped them with their ADHD or like it’s helped them with a lot of stuff, and that for me is why I do this. So I’m happy that someone is able to feel something that I felt.

Bethel: What was it that led to your signing with RCA Records, and how has that impacted your musical journey?

Jordan Adetunji: Initially I was posting on TikTok. I wasn’t going to, but my brother put me on to it and was like “Oh, you need to hop on TikTok.”

I was always writing stuff and recording, but there’s no point in just recording it and no one’s hearing it. So I would put ten seconds of stuff that I’ve written or that I had for like a year, and I was even posting and reposting stuff up on TikTok. A lot of people started seeing it and Bring Me The Horizon, Oli Sykes, he’s seen it and he kind of set my stuff on and that helped a lot. That kind of led to my signing. He sent it across and he was like “check this out.”

That really, really helped.

Bethel: As you enter this exciting new chapter, how would you sum up your aspirations as an artist?

Jordan Adetunji: I feel like it’s made me more ambitious to see where I could take it, even for the live aspect. The music I’m making now, I would love to break it down into live instruments and see how it sounds that way. I just want to make the live experience come to life as the vision that I have in my head. So yeah, definitely. That just made me more ambitious.

Bethel: Growing up, what kind of music did you listen to?

Jordan Adetunji: Ohh so I grew up with a lot of Nigerian music, afrobeats, a lot of stuff like that but my mum was always into R&B. She was playing a lot of R&B, so I was hearing things like BeBe Winans and CeCe. I was hearing Brian McKnight and stuff like that.

Bethel: Yeah, old school.

Jordan Adetunji: Yeah, that’s what my mom was into. So seeing stuff like that and playing a lot of video games as well, that’s where my alternative influence comes from. Like I was playing ‘Need for Speed: Underground 2’ and I used to play that on repeat, so the songs that I heard in that were only by Static-X. So those sorts of songs introduced me to the alternative world.

Bethel: So for my final question, what would you say has been the biggest influence on your vocal ability and your singing style?

Jordan Adetunji: Definitely R&B. Yeah. I feel like R&B had a big influence on my vocal style, but that’s why I feel like the influences are there from like alternative music, but then my vocal style was R&B because that’s what I listen to the most.

You can listen to Jordan’s latest releases below, and discover more from GUAP’s Music section here!