Last week, I had the pleasure of getting to chat with a Canadian Country Music artist who is most certainly on the way up, and one of the busiest up and coming artists in the biz! In addition to his incredible talent, when I spoke with Jordan McIntosh, I came to realize that he is an artist of pure class, and incredible focus. Truly an individual who is wise beyind their years. With over 145 tour dates since 2014 with top acts like Alan Jackson, Sam Hunt, Hunter Hayes, and most recently Brett Kissel, it’s very easy to see that Jordan has a reputation of a fun, high octane show.
Jordan is currently touring with Brett Kissel and has just finished out their Atlantic Canadian dates tonight in Miramichi, NB and will continue to tour across the country until late November. In all truth, this is a show to not have been missed. Both Kissel and McIntosh bring such an incredible show with them, one being completely different than the other. A show that will have you on your feet the whole time. Here’s what Jordan had to say about the tour, his songwriting, and much more! Enjoy! 🙂 PS. I apologize for the lateness in posting this article/review!
SM: Thanks for taking the the time to chat! Looks like you’re on your way through our neck of the woods! Correct me if I am wrong, but was the last time you visited Atlantic Canada when you played CBMF? JM: Yes, that was the last time I was there and it was an unforgettable weekend. It was so much fun.
SM: Any plans to return to the festival in the future?
JM: I really hope so. I hope to be back as many time as I can. It was one of those weekends I will never forget. It is a top notch festival. I cannot wait to be back!
SM: So, the tour is going good and you’re having lots of fun? It looks like you’ll be going for quite a few weeks yet!
JM: Yea, it goes pretty much right to the end of November. Almost two months . So far, so good though! Nothing majorly bad has happened, which is always a good sign but I am looking forward to the rest of the tour.
SM: No pranks have been pulled on you yet?
JM: Actually yes, that has happened. Last night Brett decided to dress up in a white bear costume and come up and hang out on the stage which was really funny. I had no idea what was happening until he was right in my face, and then I was like “Oh, what is going on?!”
SM: So you had the chance to do a lot of travelling and play with really great artists. Are there any that you would love to chance to play/collaborate with in the future?
JM: I have been really fortunate to be able to work with great artists. One artists I would really love the chance to collaborate with would be Taylor Swift. I love to write my own music, and she is obviously a phenominal writer and I would love to be able to see what it’s like to write a song with her, just to see how her mind works and how she comes up with some of the things that she comes up with, and how she creates her melodies. I think it would be an incredible experience to be able to do that.
SM: The thing with Taylor Swift, too is that she writes a lot from her own experiences. Is that the type of songwriter that you aim to be?
JM: Oh yes. I love how she writes from such personal things. I think at the end of the day the more personal it is, the more you’ll connect to the song. The audience can tell if you’re connected or disconnected to a song, and if you’re truly singing about something that is really important to you, or means a lot to you, then the fans can tell and they appreciate that and can connect with you more as well.
SM: So you do all your own song writing, then?
JM: Yes, as much as I can. I’m not the type of person that where if the song isn’t mine, then I wouldn’t give it a chance. If it’s a great song, it’s going to help me out no matter what. Even if I didn’t write it, I still might take a look at it, but I definitely love to have a hand and write my own music as much as I can.
SM: How have fans responded to the new music?
JM: They’ve been great! I just finished working in the studio on the new EP due out in the new year. I just released the new single, “All About the Girl”. It’s been about a year since I’ve released anything. I just wanted to take some time to write some more and write about things that I was going through now, as opposed to the songs I wrote when I was back in high school, which a lot really don’t mean anything to me anymore because they were what I was feeling in that moment at that time. So, when I went in to get this EP together, I really wanted to have new stuff that was all about what I am going through now. I really think the new single, “All About the Girl”, is a great kick off to kind of the new fresh sound and new feeling of songs that the fans can expect.
SM: This next question resonates with any country music singer-songwriter these days. Country music has really changed a lot in the last 5- 10 years. It went from straight traditional and has evolved now to a more pop/hip-hop inspired sound. Do you like the direction country is currently moving towards?
JM: I do like where country music is going. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. Even the country music that was on the radio 20 years ago was considered different at that time. Music is constantly evolving and I certainly don’t think it’s a bad thing. If you listen to a pop song on a Top 40 station, there is all different kinds of sounds coming throught the radio yet all under the one genre. I think it’s a great thing to have country music grow in that same element, some with the still traditional sound, and some with the more evolving sound. I really believe that this new sound is really opening country music up to a lot of people who wouldn’t necessarily before call themselves country music fans. So I think this new sound that people are trying out is really great. It’s bringin a broader audience to country music. I think it’s a good thing that things are changing, but I definitely don’t want to eliminate the old style altogether.
SM: It really gives songwriters a chance to experiment with different sounds now.
JM: I agree completely. You always have to keep people interested. You want to have people guessing on how you’re going to sound next. I think it’s a great time for artists to be doing that.
SM: In the media there are a lot of young artists coming out now that are turning to more of a wilder side. You really seem like an artist that seems really grounded in their work. How do you maintain that focus?
JM: I think a lot of it comes down to the people that you surround yourself with. Unfortunately a lot of young artists get caught up in the glamorous world of music with all of the fun parties and events you get to go to. At the end of the day I always try to remember that I am here to make music, and to entertain people. As much as it might be entertaining for people to see a headline or mugshot of you, I think people are going to be more entertained if you put out a great song, or a great album. I’ve always had a close relationship with my family. They are always there to make sure that I am continuing to do what I love, and keeping me from getting too close to the bad side of this industry which a lot of people can unfortunately cross over into. I think as long as you surround yourself with good people, you’ll never have to worry.
SM: You’re going to be on the road for almost two months. What will your plans be after the tour is all finished? Will you dive into more song writing, or will you be taking a nice little break?
JM: After this tour, by the time we get home snow will be all over the ground and I really hope the Holiday spirit will be in the air. It’s nice after a long haul of being away from home with travelling and hotels for such a long period of time to just have a little bit of down time to just chill. I’ll be looking forward to just getting home and sleeping in my own bed and re-cooperating and getting some energy back because touring can definitely take a lot out of you with late nights and long trips. After I get back, I think I will just take some time to enjoy the Holidays and then I will gear up to put the final touches on the EP coming in the new year.
*You can get Jordan’s single “All About the Girl” on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify! Stay tuned to ACR for updates on Jordan’s upcoming EP release in early 2016!
Peace, Love, and Rock!
~Sarah