Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Reynolds.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a singer-songwriter and a musical theater/opera performer. The path that led me to Boston to get my Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from New England Conservatory started with my family. My mom’s side of the family in particular is full of musicians. I have several aunts and uncles who have gone on to have successful pop careers and another that started a recording studio.
My mom is a wonderful singer and dancer. I remember listening over and over to her musical theater CDs. Some of my favorites were “Les Misérables,” “Newsies,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” and Disney movie soundtracks. I sang in lots of different children’s choirs, but I took a break in middle school when my voice started changing!
Around 8th grade, I picked up the guitar and taught myself how to play, thanks to YouTube and Ultimate Guitar. I often performed covers with my sister Rachel, who is an extremely gifted “natural” singer. I stopped singing, because I just assumed that I would be the guitarist of the family and Rachel would be the singer. Pop singing has always come so easily to her. I wish I could say the same was true for me, but I have had to work very hard on my voice!
In my sophomore year of high school, my friend convinced me to join choir. My experience there ultimately led to my decision to be a professional musician today! I loved the feeling of community through working on a piece of music and the satisfaction of sharing beautiful music on stage with my friends. I was a pretty quiet kid, and my experience in choir gave me the confidence and sense of belonging that I needed. I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping others achieve that for themselves through music.
I started taking voice lessons, and I was accepted at Brigham Young University (BYU) for Vocal Performance. While there, I performed in lots of opera productions and choir concerts, participated in musical theater competitions, and released a 5 track EP of my singer-songwriter material called “Honesty.” While studying at BYU, I met my amazing wife Danielle! She has been an incredible support and inspiration for my music. We moved to Boston a year ago, and now I am finishing up my Master’s in Vocal Pedagogy at New England Conservatory. I am focusing my studies on “cross training” the voice with a variety of vocal styles, and the effect that has on the voice.
My goal this year is to gain as much performance experience as I can while I finish up my last year of school, especially in musical theater and performances of my original music. Post-graduation, my life will be full of constant auditioning, songwriting, and performance!
Has it been a smooth road?
I have been very lucky to be surrounded by extremely supportive friends and family throughout my career. A career in music is full of rejection, so I guess it is just part of the deal. I have been turned down more times than I can remember by colleges, venues, and performance companies, and competitions. A big struggle for me is to not get down about rejection, because that really is just the way it is in this field! I have had lots of great opportunities that I am really grateful for, and it just doesn’t make sense to hang on to the negative.
One specific challenge that comes to mind is moving to Boston. I have had to start from scratch building a fan base and getting my name out there. I am still very much in the beginning stages, especially for my songwriting. I am playing lots of open mics, meeting local artists and trying to form collaborations while constantly reaching out to venues about booking shows!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Jordan Reynolds story. Tell us more about the business.
I am probably best known for versatility. At the time I am writing this, I am a full time student and I am involved in an opera production, four different choirs, a musical theater production, and I am preparing for several singer-songwriter performances. And I love it! I find my experiences with all these different types of music really help me grow as an artist.
In my songwriting, I work hard to make my songs lyrically engaging and to create melodies that ask for expressive vocals. I try to write songs that help people ask hard questions about themselves and about life, because all too often we ignore them and just drift through life. I have developed a drive to live life to the fullest largely through my experience with music, and I hope my music can inspire others to do the same.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am both excited and terrified to see what the next 5-10 years bring for my career as a musician. After I graduate in May, I will be auditioning for Broadway shows and booking gigs for my songwriting career. Within 5 years, I hope to be performing on Broadway and writing successful songs for myself and possibly other artists.
The music industry as a whole I think will continue to change rapidly. We are overloaded with content now because it is so easy to share, that I think we will have to really have to redefine what music is worth to us. We are used to getting things free or nearly free with music streaming becoming increasingly more popular on platforms like Spotify and YouTube. I honestly have no idea what the music industry will look like in 5-10 years, but I think record labels will continue to play a smaller role and music from independent artists will start to gain more popularity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jordanreynoldsmusic.com
- Phone: 714-566-5949
- Email: jordanreynoldsmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jordanreynoldsmusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jordanreynoldsmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/jordanr_music
Image Credit:
Headshots – Nile Hawver
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