Jordana Of Earth Tells You Only What You “Need To Know” In New Single
Toronto-based Electro-pop R&B music sensation Jordana of Earth transports listeners with melancholy romance and light smoky vocals to tell a vulnerable tale of distance and its effect on love with the ethereal single “Need To Know.”
Fueled by her own lived experiences, this is Jordana of Earth’s 3rd single from her expertly crafted debut EP 10k, a deeply personal voyage that sonically soothes the soul.
“Each track off the EP hits different moments and feelings within a relationship running its course,” she explains.
“Need To Know” is the latest hit following the success of the EP’s first two singles, the percussive “So Bad” and the hip-hop-inspired “Hibiscus Flower” featuring Toronto artist Roshin.
Produced and recorded in collaboration with several top-tier Toronto artists, 10k was conceived as a cohesive narrative.
“When I was going through which songs to include on the project, the selection just built itself naturally because everything already made sense together,” says Jordana. “They were all part of the same story.”
While Jordana of Earth flexes her sound production skills on a couple of tracks, the musical pieces seamlessly fell into place with the assistance of Toronto producers Tim North (JRDN, Eldzhey), Urstruli (Roy Woods), Joff Wood (Derek Wise), and Jaiden Davis Jones (Ralph).
“Need To Know” is a seduction of the senses with a slower tempo and harmonic textures to get under the skin.
“The song is a pleading ballad about wanting to stay close from a distance, with someone who is away for lengths of time.” Jordana of Earth gives a transcendent performance with richly layered vocals and a deliberate message.
“I love working with others on the music and production, but the vocal melodies and lyrics are usually finalized when I have some moments of the process to myself,” says Jordana about her songwriting process. “This allows me to really tap into what I’m trying to say and how my story flows with the music.”
When considering the visuals for “Need To Know,” Jordana of Earth linked up with Jamie Lynn Steele to produce the official music video. With an opening nod to Sofia Coppola’s classic picture, The Virgin Suicides, Jordana and Steele were united in their vision for the video.
“Jamie and I developed this image of a wayward girl living on the road, calling out for someone who never seems to come,” says Jordana. “We very organically channelled and curated a very distinct vibe, something that we were both tapping into. Nostalgic, feminine, imperfect, and a little self-destructive.”
Watch the video for “Need to Know” below, and learn more about Jordana of Earth via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey – I’m Jordana of Earth, and I’m an artist based out of my hometown Toronto. I’m a singer, composer, and lyricist working primarily in the genre of R&B, but anyone familiar with my work knows that my sound moves in a few directions with this.
My sound overall is moody and contemporary. Not restricted to one genre or medium, the persona of Jordana of Earth is equal parts fallen angel and femme fatale.
I pull references from the 80’s R&B, Pop, and Synthwave, to the Industrial and Electronica sounds of the ’90s. This leads me to a totally fresh vibe – a zone of alternative R&B that blends Trip-Hop and Electropop with a strong, sultry undertone throughout. There’s a nostalgia there while maintaining an equal edge for the avant-garde.
I often lean towards dark, heavy-hitting sounds on the production side to contrast with my light and smoky vocal tone. But some other tracks have a brighter or more delicate vibe. There’s a duality to my sound as much as there is to my whole aesthetic. Like where Heaven and the Underworld collide – that’s where Jordana of Earth is.
My lyrics are as deeply introspective and personal as they are universal. At times I speak very plainly, while in other moments, my words are dreamy and symbolic. This is another indication of the presence of duality within my work. A sort of otherworldliness. Sometimes I feel very awake and present in reality I’m writing from, while other times, I feel like I’m coming from a place entirely my own. Like from within my subconscious or like in a dream. Some songs have more psychedelic imagery, such as in Hibiscus Flower ft. Roshin, the first track off my recent EP 10k.
“We ain’t always in the mood for talking
Like a waterfall it’s optical desire
Water droplets on a
Tropical Hibiscus Flower”
In this song, I’m using the image of the Hibiscus Flower to evoke feelings of sensual beauty and desire – a strong and kind of trippy image to have as the main theme of a song that is otherwise a contemporary R&B/Hip-Hop track. Roshin’s verse on this track totally captured the mood I was going for with this song, and his musical style brings a really dope element to my ethereal vibe.
I love collaborating with others, and I work with a number of other musicians that contribute to the creation process of my music. I choose team members only if they understand where I’m trying to go with my work, so my collaborators always have something about their sound or their vision that I think will lend to my project. Jordana of Earth is a ship steered primarily by me, but many people are going on behind the scenes that work to bring my music and visuals to life.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
Being a musician in Toronto is all about community. I’ve found the main thing that keeps people together in this industry is support, so I’m always trying to be good about showing love and support to other artists in my city. I think people really feel it. And it’s the kind of thing that I always remember about someone – if they shared my latest release to their socials or sent me a message about that new video I just dropped – these things may seem small, but it really goes a long way. The best way I’ve found to keep things moving in Toronto and keep the collaborations flowing, and living a good life is to keep the relationships kind and supportive.
My recent EP, 10k, features several Toronto producers: Urstruli, Joff Wood, Tim North, Jaiden Davis Jones, and Trevor James Anderson. With help from the homie Jules Lynch on some of the recordings.
The cover art and visuals for the songs leading up to the EP were all a collaboration between myself, Jamie Lynn Steele, Jack Harrison, and Kuba Rygal.
The lead-up single to the EP, “Need to Know,” was shot and directed by Jamie Lynn Steele but co-produced by me. Our creative energies really fused over this project, and the vibe we created for this visual really completed the vision I had for this song. Super excited to work on more productions like this and involve more Toronto artists, stylists, and filmmakers in my process.
Is “Need To Know” written about a real person? Do they know it’s about them?
Yes, and yes – haha.
I was in a relationship at the time when I wrote this and was processing some emotions. It was the pandemic, and for much of the time, for most people, travel abroad was not an option. The person I was with had previously been traveling the world for music before things shut down, and he had to return home to Toronto, which is when we started our relationship. So there was always this awareness of when things opened back up, he wouldn’t be around much anymore. Which I felt at peace with, but once in a while, the nerves about what that would look like and what could happen would get the better of me.
So, “Need to Know” is really just that. An exploration of that push and pull between feeling safe, secure, and in love vs. feeling uncertain and fearful of heartbreak.
If you want to know who it is, you can watch the video – his first name is written on my underwear.
Who was the first artist to knock you out?
The first artist that I remember giving me the big feels was probably Aqua (lol), but I think that’s because of this very specific experience I had when I was eight years old, and I went to my first dance. Aqua was popular at the time, and there was some romance in the air, and then I became obsessed with Aqua and would have these heartbreak-y moments to myself when I would listen to certain songs. Anyway, I’m still like this with music, so not much has changed.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
Loose (2006) by Nelly Furtado.