CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 085: JORDAN D'SENA ON HIS DEBUT EP, 'ALONE'

Words by Brooklyn Gibbs.

Hailing from Adelaide, Jordan D’Sena has been gigging around the local scene since 2011 and has no intention of slowing down. The singer-songwriting has just released his debut EP, Alone, and if you’re a fan of Dean Lewis, you’re going to want to check this one out! Futuremag Music caught up with Jordan following the release!

FMM: Huge congrats on releasing your debut EP on Friday! How’d you celebrate?

Jordan: It was really good. I did a show on Friday as well in Adelaide and we had a few other artists play. So, I did a little EP release party. That was heaps fun ‘cause we sold over a hundred tickets and it was a really good night.

FMM: Sounds like a fun celebration! So, how does it feel to have your EP out there?

Jordan: We’ve been working on it for about two years, since the pandemic hit in 2020 when I went away and started writing. I do some local gigs around town in Adelaide as well, and when the pandemic hit, that slowed down a bit. I also write original stuff, so when that hit, I went away and started writing. Now it’s 2022 and two years in the making and it’s so good to get that out there - all of that work and time that went into it.

FMM: The EP is titled, Alone. What are some of the inspirations behind this?

Jordan: Yeah, so I guess during that pandemic, there were a lot of times where you’re by yourself and locked up inside. That’s where the title of Alone came from. Just that year; different types of relationships and different things happening; that was the inspiration behind that. Also, an artist that I love, Dean Lewis, he released an album I think in 2019, the year before. I had that album on repeat and that really inspired some of the songs as well. I was playing heaps and heaps of his tunes and I really loved the sound he hard. I think those sort of influences went into the EP and the songs I was writing. So I guess it’s kinda got that pop-indie-acoustic singer-songwriter vibe to it. I’ve always liked that raw emotion.

FMM: It’s really interesting you bring up the Dean Lewis inspiration! I’m a huge fan of his work myself and I can definitely pick the Dean Lewis vibes from your Alone EP, so that actually makes a lot of sense!

Jordan: Oh, that’s good to hear! (laughs). You obviously don’t want to copy it, but it just influence it. When you listen to so many artists you like, it kinda plays across.

FMM: Your first two singles from the EP, Secrets and Silhouettes attracted some well-deserved attention on Spotify. How exciting that one of your songs was played across Woolworths stores too! Did you ever get a chance to catch your song in store?

Jordan: Yeah, so I didn’t actually get to hear it. It’s pretty cool, but I actually shop at Coles, and then it got on Woolies, and I was like ‘oh, that’s so cool!’ So I made sure that every time for that month or so that it was on there, that I went to Woolies and was listening out. But, there’s so many songs on their rotation that the time that I was there, I didn’t get to hear it. But, the good thing about the Woolies thing is that, because I’ve activated Shazam with the song, when I looked on my Shazam stats, I could see that there were plays in Perth, New South Wales and a lot of different areas. To me, that’s realising that someone was shopping in Woolies and they’ve heard my song and it’s something that they like. When they Shazam the song, it then sends them to Apple Music. It was pretty cool to see that traction across the country through Woolies. I guess if you’re out and you hear something you like, you just Shazam it, so that was pretty cool.

FMM: That’s really exciting! Well done! Going back to the EP, I really love the lead track, Alone. It’s very upbeat, but you can also hear the darker lyrics seeping through. I feel like this is the direction a lot of sadder songs are going in now. How do you find the right balance between your sad lyrics, and your upbeat melodies?

Jordan: Yeah, that’s a great question! When I started writing Alone, I was at home during the pandemic and I didn’t see my partner at the time for a couple of weeks, so I just started writing. I took it to the studio and just the way the track was building, it sounded better with the upbeat stuff. It was that interesting combo, but as you said, songs are now going that way. It sorta of sounds like a happy song, but the lyrics are sad, but that’s just sort of how it came out. It was cool, so we just kept running with it, and that’s the creative process.

FMM: You mentioned you’re from Adelaide and do gigs in that area. Now that live music is back, how’s the Adelaide gigging scene been treating you?

Jordan: It’s been awesome. There’s heaps of venues around Adelaide in the city, beaches and hills. Last night we did a show with about 100 people and there’s quite a few cool, hidden spots in Adelaide which is awesome, but it’s just good to see music back and see everyone out there not wearing masks. It’s a pretty good scene and I would love to play shows interstate too in the bigger cities.

FMM: So what’s next for you then?

Jordan: I think it would be getting back to the studio and writing my next songs. I think this EP is pretty sad and I would like to write something happier for the next EP. I would like to keep writing and taking songs in a new direction, so that’s something different to this EP.

Jordan D’Sena’s debut EP, Alone, is out now! Check it out via Apple Music or Spotify.