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GroundSounds recently caught up with Jordan of The Ready Set to discuss touring, what to do in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and of course, the highly-anticipated new album The Bad & The Better, out next week! Check out the interview below, pre-order the album, and catch him all Summer long on Warped Tour.
Your new album The Bad & The Better comes out next week. Tell us about the writing process for this album and what you wanted to do with it musically.
The writing process for this was actually very liberating. I got to fully take the reins with it, which from my experience in the pop world, isn’t always the easiest with a major label. I had written around 70 songs over the past couple of years, but they didn’t feel like me, like they didn’t have a real identity to them, so this album was pretty much written completely fresh and out of a few parts of those older songs I liked.
How was the experience working with Ian Kirkpatrick?
Ian is probably my favorite person to work with. He’s like a real good editor – he helped make sure I really considered every option in terms of melody, lyric, etc.. and helped really make everything sound cohesive.
What inspired the opening song “Higher” and how did that track come together?
Higher was the first song I started writing for the album and the last I finished. I think I wrote 4 or 5 different choruses for it before I landed on the final one. It’s about anxiety, and how it’s very easy to let your mind run wild and dig you into this big miserable hole, and coming to the realization that it’s entirely possible to climb out of it. It’s about taking control of things in your life and not being a victim.
One of the most intriguing songs on the album is “Fangz.” It’s unique and has a great vibe. What is the story behind that track?
Thanks! “Fangz” was actually finished a little after the album was “done,” I produced it and recorded it at my place. It’s definitely the song that kind of lives on its own on the album, it doesn’t sound like the rest of them. I wanted to do something kind of unexpected musically with a message I think a lot of my fans can relate to.
Is there a song from the album that you are particularly excited about or proud of?
I’m really proud of “Are We Happy Now?” It was the first song in a long time that I really tried not to over-think. I wanted it to feel natural and not contrived in any way, and sometimes thinking too logically when writing a song can kill the art of it. It’s about realizing that external factors in your life are rarely the things that make you truly happy, and enjoying the small victories in life without attaching yourself to them.
You’ve toured with some huge names in music, including Carly Rae Jepsen and The Wanted. Is there someone you would love to tour with that you haven’t gotten the chance to yet? What location would you love to perform that you haven’t yet?
I really want to do a tour with someone huge like Kesha. That would be so sick. I love doing pop tours like that, but also am glad I can do Warped Tour and have it make sense. I’ve never felt like I fit in anywhere, so I guess my mindset is that I’m down to tour with anyone as long as I can get in front of a lot of people. Also, I want to play at Madison square garden pretty bad.
You seemed to burst onto the scene with your first album with an ability to write big catchy pop songs. Was this just an ability you’ve always had or was there a lot of trial and error before your first released material? For instance, the first song you ever wrote, how old were you and what did it sound like?
Always trial and error. The first song I wrote on my own was probably when I was 17. I had ideas but had a big lack of focus conceptually, structurally, and lyrically. Those things all came with practice. Even on the first album I released with Warner Brothers, there were a lot of songs that were kind of sporadic and structure-less, which I guess I thought was kind of my style for a little bit. Over the past years of writing songs, I learned how to hone in on the best parts of songs and trim the fat.. kind of just editing.
What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming Warped Tour?
Connecting with a lot of people. The potential to have your music heard by so many new fans is there in a huge way. You can make that tour anything you want it to be. I am doing lots of cool things this year on top of the regular shows- teaching a band happy class, acoustic sets, and meet and greet every day. I want to leave a lasting impression beyond just a song on the radio.
If I’m visiting Indiana for the first time, what is one thing I should definitely do?
If you’re going through Fort Wayne, my hometown, go get a drink at the coffee shop I used to work at.. It’s called Mocha Lounge. I played my first show as TRS there as well!
Any parting message for your fans reading this?
Thank you for sticking with me over the years. I hope you are all as excited about what’s to come for TRS as I am. Thanks!
The Ready Set – “Higher”
