Q&A: Jorden Albright is on Her “pretty girl sh!t” in New EP
IN THE MIDST OF WOMEN TAKING OVER THE MUSIC SCENE THIS SUMMER — Jorden Albright has come to deliver her contribution to your playlist. The Knoxville-based singer-songwriter and producer has been receiving praise around her latest EP, Pretty Party, and it’s clear to see as to why.
Through what Albright describes as “bisexual bedroom pop,” we’re welcomed into her mind as she takes listeners on a journey of self reassurance and discovering one’s self worth. By blending pop and R&B, pulling influences from artists such as Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, and even Hannah Montana, the skillful artist creates unique and romantic soundscapes.
Having had the chance to sit down with Albright, her ethereal aura radiates through casual conversation as well as within her music. We took a deeper dive into those influences that shaped her, as well as her new, self-produced EP, Pretty Party. Read the full interview below.
LUNA: Just to get a little background, when did you get your start in music? How did you know that that was something that you wanted to pursue?
ALBRIGHT: I think I was first at least interested in doing music probably when I was watching Hannah Montana. So 2006, maybe? I think I was nine. Early childhood I was flirting with the idea of it, but I didn't actually know it was gonna turn into anything until I got older, but I would say that's like the very beginning of the origin story.
LUNA: God bless Hannah Montana! When did you feel like you wanted to start taking it seriously, like start uploading music to streaming platforms, things like that?
ALBRIGHT: I think growing up, I was writing songs on my keyboard and stuff and kept it in a little journal. And that, you know, through the teenage years is really helpful with teenage angst and everything like that was great. I was posting music on my YouTube channel, and then when I was [around] 18 I started producing tracks on Mixcraft. Prior to that, I was tinkering around on my piano and stuff at home. I think I started releasing my produced tracks on Spotify and stuff officially [around] 2019, so it's been very private up until 2019, when I was posting about it being like, “Hey, I actually make music, guys. I know you probably didn't know, but I've been doing this forever.”
LUNA: When you started becoming more public about it and started advertising yourself more as an artist, what was that transition like? Was it difficult, or were you just excited to jump straight into it?
ALBRIGHT: I feel like it was both. I've always been someone who will do whatever I want at the risk of it being cringe. I never wanted to be super vocal about it, not just in case people didn't like it, but also I feel like it's vulnerable sometimes to share that you're making music for the first time, because obviously it puts you under a scrutiny that you didn't have to really worry about before. So I think that I was scared of it in that way. I was happy with the stuff I was making, but it had just been for my ears up until that point. So it was a big jump, but I think it was worth it because I had a lot of support coming from people listening to it, which was nice. It was nice to just get it out there and just not put too much pressure on myself about what it turned out like.
LUNA: Jumping into your new EP, Pretty Party, what was the vision behind that? How did you put these songs together to make this?
ALBRIGHT: So this is my third EP, and I think my first one came out in 2019. I just saw the five-year anniversary of that recently, which is crazy, but it's weird because [as] I said, I've been making music forever, so five years ago was a big milestone, you know, but it's not like it was the beginning of my music career by any means. I put out that EP, then I put out ANATOMY in 2022, which was probably my most public-facing music project that I've done because it was at the release of that EP that I started playing shows for the first time. I had performed before, but I wasn’t actively booking gigs until ANATOMY came out … so that was crazy.
I've got new people listening to my music now that weren’t there at the time. I felt like it was a good time to share something new. I'm not the type of artist to post a new track every month, but I have to incubate my music until I'm ready to get it out. I've been sitting on a lot of these tracks for the past couple of years, so I'm very excited to finally share these tracks with everybody.
LUNA: Did you also produce this new EP on your own?
ALBRIGHT: I do everything myself, and I always say that's a blessing and a curse because I enjoy that I have full creative control over everything. It's hard when there's a lot of cooks in the kitchen. It can be beneficial, but in the same vein, it can make things complicated sometimes. So I do enjoy that aspect, but sometimes I miss having other people's ears on stuff. I do enjoy doing everything in house, so I think that outweighs my feeling of missing out on other people.
LUNA: Do you think that that's something that you would jump into eventually? Collaborating, whether it be on the production side, or even features on songs?
ALBRIGHT: I definitely have dabbled in collabing with people over the last couple of years. I think because I'm such a solitary artist, it can be a good type of challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone and work with other people's tracks. It gives me a chance to write differently because when you're writing over a track that you produced, I feel like sometimes you're in your own bubble, you know? It's like everything was made by you, and I like that, but I also like how the cadence of my writing sometimes changes if I'm writing over a track that came from somebody else's brain. I really enjoy collabing here and there, but I can be pretty laissez faire about my music sometimes, so it's hard to nail down my own music. I do love collabing, though, it can be magical!
LUNA: To any artists who are reading this, collabs are open and welcomed! I'm sure they're all your favorite, but if you had to pick a favorite song from the EP, which one would it be, and what’s the story behind it?
ALBRIGHT: I think at this very moment it might be “pretty girl sh!t.” I really like that one because it's the closer for the EP. I felt like it needed to be there because the EP is called Pretty Party. I think I started that song before I came up with the title for the EP, but they obviously are very related. This track is probably the name plate track for this EP. I really like it because it's … very cheeky. I'm not super braggadocious in my music a lot, but I was like, “I'm going to put it all in this track, I’m going to talk my shit.”
This is probably my most self-praise–type anthem that I've created up to this point, but it's definitely me saying that I do a lot of this stuff by myself. I think sometimes I feel guilty about singing my own praises, and I feel like this track is kind of me proudly saying that I think that I'm talented and I think that I've got great things going for me. It's very hard when you have imposter syndrome to lean into that, so that's what this track is kind of allowing me to do.
LUNA: How has the music scene welcomed you in Knoxville, Tennessee?
ALBRIGHT: I have such a bittersweet relationship with East Tennessee in general. I think for my musical style, it doesn't necessarily match the music that's around me here, and I'm always talking about that. I'm always advocating for getting not only more pop and hip-hop artists, but more Black artists out here in Knoxville, and it's been a good project for me to take on. I’m just seeing what it feels like to break into those spaces and open up space for other artists like me.
LUNA: From your personal experience, how has it been so far to break into those spaces and bring something new to the table?
ALBRIGHT: That’s also bittersweet because it's super rewarding to be invited into these spaces and have that opportunity, but obviously it does sometimes feel heavy. Sometimes, I go into certain lineups or spaces feeling almost like a token and that's not always a great way to feel. But at the same time, I know that somebody has to break into these spaces, and I'm so grateful that it's me doing it. While it is difficult in some ways, I would say it's probably more rewarding than anything. When people ask who can they get on a bill, I'm vouching for people who make music like me, who might otherwise not get reached out to. With great power comes great responsibility (laughs).
LUNA: How would you describe your music for those who are hearing about you for the first time?
ALBRIGHT: I always say I make bisexual bedroom pop. It's very magenta, very blue, purple … and I think that's what I love to describe my music as, because it feels very authentic to me.
