Digital Cover: Jordan Adetunji is a Star in the Making

Jordan Adetunji’s musical journey is defined by an unwavering DIY ethos, self-taught skills, and a willingness to blend diverse influences into something entirely his own. Born in south London and moving to Belfast aged 10, Jordan’s love for music began at an early age. The 25-year-old artist’s unique blend of genres, influences and cultures is cultivating a sound that is paving its way to becoming entirely his own.

Jordan’s career skyrocketed earlier this year when his single ‘Kehlani’ exploded on TikTok, but his love for music started long before the breakout track’s release. After moving to Belfast, Jordan’s music knowledge and interest grew: “Moving to Belfast shaped me a lot,” he reflects on the other end of our Zoom call, “Because I started to get into alternative music and guitar music, it opened my mind up.”

“I started out playing the trumpet in school. That was my first real introduction to music,” he recalls. “I didn’t think much about it at the time, but that foundation really stuck with me.” This early experience laid the groundwork for a future that would blend traditional instruments, like the trumpet, with cutting-edge production techniques.

Jordan’s curiosity only grew as he continued throughout school when he began experimenting with production. “I used to make music on my Mum’s laptop using Audacity, it wasn’t always great,” he laughs. Over time, his passion for making music turned into an obsession, eventually buying a laptop of his own and setting it up with a cheap mic and interface. Armed with these modest tools, he started recording and posting his tracks on platforms like Facebook and SoundCloud, controlling every step: from writing to production and even music videos solo.

By the time he finished university, Jordan had taught himself how to mix and master his own music—skills that became crucial to his development as an independent artist. “I never wanted to wait on people, I always wanted to do it now, so I decided I might as well just learn myself. I used to learn with YouTube tutorials and stuff,” he explains. This self-sufficiency in both production and creative vision gave him the freedom to experiment, release music on his own schedule, and build an audience on his terms.

Early on, Jordan was drawn to a diverse range of musical influences, which helped shape his unique sound. “In school, I listened to a lot of R&B,” he says, reflecting on his early inspirations. “But I also started listening to more alternative artists, bands like Escape the Fate and Joy Division. I had a lot of different genres in my ear.” This blend of R&B and post-punk shaped a sound that is both haunting and soulful, with a genre-defying quality that continues to evolve. While his roots in R&B and alternative music are clear, it is his genre-bending style that has set Jordan apart. “I always describe my music as alternative R&B and hip-hop. It’s got the soul of R&B vocals, the hip-hop beats, but also the experimental side of glitch and post-punk influences,” he says.

One of the key turning points in Jordan’s career came with the release of his track ‘Kehlani’, written as a tribute to the American singer of the same name. The track went viral on TikTok, and soon after, Jordan found himself flung into the spotlight. “I always wanted to write a song about someone that’s powerful and strong in their own way and she fits that the picture,” he explains. “I was in two minds about it because I didn’t know how it was going to go down. I just took the risk and it worked out, I felt like she was the right person.”

That moment of risk paid off when Kehlani reached out to collaborate on a remix of the song. “She hit me up on TikTok. She’s a really authentic person, she’s a real person, she’s an artist that understands what it’s like to be an artist,” Jordan recalls. The collaboration not only helped cement his place in the music scene but gave him the opportunity to connect with artists who share his beliefs.

Before his collaboration with Kehlani, Jordan’s music caught the attention of Bring Me The Horizon lead singer, Ollie Sykes. Jordan had been posting a mix of genres, including post-punk songs, when Ollie discovered his work. “Over lockdown, I posted a snippet of my post-punk songs and he loved it, he was like, ‘Yo, this is crazy, who are you?,’” Jordan says, reflecting on how the discovery ultimately led to management and a more professional approach to his career.

Jordan attributes a lot of his success to social media and its power to connect artists with their audience without the traditional gatekeepers of the music industry. “Social media opens it up for the people to decide” he says. “It removes the gatekeeper.” He has embraced TikTok as a way to share his music and creative process, finding that the fun of creating content has been key to his success. “I fell in love with social media when I stopped worrying about the numbers and just started having fun with it,” he says.

With the success of ‘Kehlani’, Jordan signed to 300 Entertainment, a major label that has helped elevate his career to new heights. “It’s helped me a lot, having a bigger team to make my visions come to life,” he says. “I feel like as long as I’m running it and I’m making the shots, everyone’s a team and this is how my visons come to life.” His independent mindset is evident in the way he runs his career, treating his team as collaborators in bringing his creative ideas to fruition.

As his profile continues to rise, Jordan is focused on pushing his boundaries and expanding his sound. His upcoming mixtape, set for release in January, will offer more of his genre-blending sound, “The songs write the mixtape for me,” he says. “I’m still figuring out a name, once the songs are finished then I’ll have a name.”

Beyond his music, Jordan has a passion for gaming and football (Chelsea in particular), hobbies that have influenced his image and creative direction. “Gaming, especially Tekken, has definitely influenced my aesthetic and some of my music videos,” he reveals. “In the ‘Kehlani’ remix video, I’m wearing Jin Kazama pants, which is a character from Tekken. I like the little glimpses and reference points.”

Looking to the future, Jordan is eager to continue growing his sound and expanding his reach. His advice to aspiring artists? “Put content out and don’t hold on to it. Keep going, find new ways to promote your music. You’ve got to be resilient.”