Jordan Adetunji x SCTR

As a musician who accentuates reality, experiences and critical topics with empathetic tone, Jordan Adetunji embodies the new generation of musicians who are unafraid to venture into the whirlwind of creative possibilities. Discussions about his artistic output often mirror his deeper meanings, which are relatable and touching, qualities that are often conveyed through his music and visual offerings.

“Loving yourself is so important and I feel like a lot of people don’t love themselves and look for happiness in other people – all I want to do is express myself in the rawest form that I can.”

For Jordan Adetunji, this is just the start of where an amazing dawn beckons. Where borders are blurred, and the future of UK music is burgeoning.

Last year, ‘Independent Venue Week’ named you as the 2021 ambassador for Northern Ireland. What an impressive attribute. I’m sure it was a ‘pinch-me’ moment for you?

Yeah, it was fantastic. It was a great experience and I got to go around all these different venues. Despite it being COVID, it was a great experience. I got to learn a lot about the venues in Belfast and where I’m from.

In light of that experience, how would you like to continue pushing boundaries with your artistic output?

I wish to push boundaries by showing the evolution of my sound and how through my art, – I can tell a story. That’s something I’m really keen on doing.

Your Instagram bio states: “Everything is timing”…

Uh, huh. That is my main saying. It’s so important to me. Everything is about execution and timing. It’s the way you do something. Sometimes, it’s not at the right time, you know? Making certain moves at the right time is the way things are executed and delivered the right way. Sometimes it’s not your time and other times it is. It might not be today; but it may be tomorrow.

I also believe things happen for a reason and in good time. Are there ever moments when you doubt divine timing – given that we humans tend to overestimate our control over everything?

Sometimes. We always doubt ourselves as human beings, it’s something we all go through. Now though, I have learnt that I’d rather try something than to wish I didn’t try. I have that mindset and I carry it through everything I do. I know that if I fail at something, I just go again. It’s not the end of the world…you know?

Besides timing, what else can you credit for your success? Did anyone or anything form your formative influences?

Artist wise – just artistic people. Like Jaden Smith, Oli Sykes, people that are very creative but in different realms and not just music. Within clothing, fashion, art… those people are very influential to me. Even old bands, like Joy Division – I love them, because they pioneered great sounds in a time where it was hard to get music across, despite the hardships that they went through.

Creativity is such a broad umbrella term; I like how you mentioned that. How would you describe your style sensibility?

My style is a statement, but it is also a reflection of me, who I am and what I listen to. It’s a mixture of punk and hip-hop. It’s something that I listen to and what I pride myself on. I love the whole alternative aesthetic. The breaking rules type-thing. I don’t always go the way you’re supposed to go and that’s interesting. I also love hip-hop; I grew up on it and it’s something that means so much to me.

Your artistic progress has been widely admired. Many people have commented on your YouTube videos, expressing their hope for your future prospects. However, what impressed me most was how many people mentioned how relatable your music is to them and how much they needed to hear it. As a musician, this is the ultimate gift, isn’t it?

Yeah, for sure. I feel like just telling the raw truth – no matter how it sounds, or how dark it is – we’re all human beings and we all go through experiences, [and in] doing that, we all feel the same thing. When you write something down, you don’t know who could be feeling the same feeling at that exact same time. Pain, love, happiness… it’s always important to me to be the rawest I can be, so people can relate to that.

Speaking of that and the importance of musicianship, I want to bring up the fact that whilst the topic of mental health has been thrust to the forefront of the discussion in music over the past few years, racism and the harsh realities of discrimination aren’t as widely discussed. Your song ‘Angel’ tells an incredible story and parallels this. Can you elaborate on your message and perhaps why you felt like your medium was the best place to do so?

The reason I did that in a video form is because a song can only say so much through words, but when something is visual, you can say so much. Visuals talk deeper than words can. Once you can see something, you can feel it without it being said to you. That’s why in the video you can see that [racism] is being taught. A lot of behaviours are being taught. As you can see, the mother (in the video) teaches her daughter not to hang out with someone because of the colour of their skin.

It’s crazy you just said that because often, with deeper, substance-filled music, sometimes music videos don’t always match the depth the audio reaches, and vice versa. When creating visuals for something that has already become so loud in its meaning, how do you find the right balance?

I feel the correct balance is to do with energy. Music is energy. It’s a feeling. It’s whatever you feel, sometimes the words can match, and you are able to interpret things in a different way. I guess with that song, I just interpretated it in a different way. Some people could look at it as a love song. Yet, the visuals can also tell a story in a different way. It’s like when you watch a movie – the actors could be talking about something completely different to the background music. The feeling of the background music is what narrates the story.

As we both navigate being twenty-somethings, I have been reading up on how crucial this time is, especially for exploring our identities, focusing on ourselves, and experiencing possibilities. Have you learned anything about yourself lately?

I’ve learnt a lot. The things that I have learnt about myself that has allowed improvement is learning how to look at things from different perspectives, more so than looking at something from just one. I don’t just take information for what it is at face value, I always take something and look at it from other sides and make the opinion for myself rather than take something as ‘fact’. I like to hear and see what everyone else is saying before I formulate my own opinion. It’s a very important thing to do. Being observant about my surroundings and people.

How do you determine perfection in terms of releasing tracks? You seem to have quite a perfectionist streak when it comes to releasing new music. Does it have to do with the way it sounds, the way you feel, or the possibility of being received in such a way?

I feel like for me, my music always explains a time in my life or a feeling that I face. For me, releasing music is an energy, but it’s also about what the people want to hear. If I preview a song and everyone relates to it, I know I need to drop it. Or, if there is something I feel like I need to get out there [sound wise], or what I am saying is an important message, I know it’s right to release.

“You have to love yourself before trying to love anyone else”, you state in your heartfelt track “Insecure” (Love Yourself). The ways in which you show love to yourself vary greatly. What are some of the ways in which you show yourself appreciation?

For me, it’s about being able to look at what I’ve done and being proud of myself so far, that’s important to me. Being able to be open for improvements but to be happy about what I’ve done and realising that everything is progress. Loving yourself is so important and I feel like a lot of people don’t love themselves and look for happiness in other people. When we do that to ourselves, we are just dumping it onto someone else hoping they can give us our happiness. In reality: you need to give yourself true happiness in order to give it to someone else.

Speaking of “Insecure”, you’re gearing up to release the remix of the acclaimed track featuring Deyaz. There is something so beautiful about collaboration in music, especially when you can feel the connection between artists. What factors made Deyaz the suitable choice when it came to the song’s direction?

Me and Deyaz have been talking for a while and he loved that song so much. He told me how much he loved it, and he fits the song perfectly. We had a conversation about things that we have gone through, and it was something he wanted to do. I asked him to jump on the remix and he was down – straight away, when he sent the verse, it fitted perfectly. That’s what formed the collaboration. It’s super important when it’s natural and we are able to put something out there that both of our audiences can enjoy.

Last but not least, as we approach the latter half of 2022. What are your goals for the upcoming year? Are you optimistic about what 2023 has in store for you?

Taking over straight away. I’m trying to bring a new sound to the UK. You don’t have to do one sound; you can do as many as possible. All I want to do next year is to just express myself in the rawest form that I can.

Belfast-based artist Jordan Adetunji has teamed up with hotly tipped rapper and producer Deyaz to release their huge remix of ‘Insecure (Love Yourself)’. Listen HERE.