Jordy was simply 5 years outdated when the pop-rock band 9 Days unveiled its signature hit, “Completely (Story of a Lady),” securing a everlasting spot on the playlists of a era of listeners.
To be truthful, Jordy might not have been the goal demographic for “Completely (Story of a Lady)” when it catapulted to the higher reaches of Billboard’s Sizzling 100 ― which ranks the preferred songs within the U.S. ― in April 2000. However 23 years later, he’s reimagined the observe as “Story of a Boy,” placing a delightfully queer spin on the track’s lyrics.
“I listened to 9 Days’ track on a regular basis rising up, and all I wished to listen to have been lyrics that made sense to me as a homosexual child,” the Los Angeles-based pop singer, now 28, advised HuffPost. “Listening to a boy singing about his love for one more boy in such a ahead manner has all the time been a objective of mine. That’s my expertise and I need to normalize that. So I wished to make use of the familiarity of the unique track to get my message throughout.”
“Story of a Boy” is the centerpiece of Jordy’s sophomore album, “Boy,” which drops Friday. 9 Days’ lead singer John Hampson gave the observe his stamp of approval by making a cameo look within the music video. It additionally received reward from Kelly Clarkson, who invited Jordy to carry out dwell on her daytime discuss present in mid-February.
The track is only one of many highlights on “Boy,” on which Jordy conveys the ache ― and occasional pleasures ― of being a younger homosexual man at an emotional crossroads. He co-wrote the album’s 12 tracks after attending remedy periods for a yr and a half, and the result's an introspective hear that doesn’t skimp on sonic pleasure.
“A giant a part of my undertaking is writing songs about experiences as they occur,” he defined. “I believe what brings me and my followers collectively is that it seems like we’re rising collectively, and we’re shifting at a tempo that’s in actual time. All of this music got here out of that self-reflection.”
Together with his 2021 debut album, “Thoughts Video games,” Jordy expressed his need to be swept up within the throes of romance whereas grappling with self-confidence and insecurities about physique picture.
With “Boy,” he makes it clear he’s had his coronary heart damaged a couple of instances, most notably on the dreamy ballads “Love You and Let You Go” and “Unburnable.” He equally speaks to loneliness and remorse on “Good Not Nice” and “Hypothetical Celebration,” each standout tracks.
Nonetheless, his willingness to juxtapose lyrics about his disinterest in superficial hookups with an infectious dance-pop beat on the George Michael-esque “Dry Spell” proves he hasn’t misplaced his cheeky humorousness.
“I used to be fortunate sufficient to have a very supportive household and actually supportive buddies once I got here out,” Jordy defined. ”With that comes plenty of privilege, actually. I buried plenty of my traumas as a result of my mind was like: ‘Jordy, you’re so fortunate and so lucky, you don’t should complain about your expertise as a queer particular person.’ However processing these traumas, in addition to permitting myself to heal from these experiences, has been so good for me and so wholesome.”
Watch the music video for “Story of a Boy” under.
Listeners look like responding to Jordy’s new music with enthusiasm. Earlier this yr, he was nominated alongside Omar Apollo and Steve Lacy for GLAAD’s 2023 Excellent Breakthrough Music Artist award. In the meantime, each “Story of a Boy” and the 9 Days authentic have been embraced by members of the transgender group on TikTok, who've used the songs in movies displaying themselves earlier than and after their transition.
Receiving such recognition from others within the LGBTQ group is one thing Jordy mentioned he'll “maintain in my coronary heart for a very long time,” particularly as he wraps up a string of U.S. performances with singer-songwriter Spencer Sutherland this month and heads abroad for his first-ever exhibits in England.
“I simply need individuals to really feel stunning after they end listening to the document,” he mentioned, “It’s a reminder to all the time be true to who you're and let life take you on a loopy journey. I believe it’s necessary for everybody to be reminded that there’s by no means some extent that you just hit and the whole lot’s found out and you've got your entire shit collectively. That time simply by no means comes.”
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