I caught up with Jordan about the intimate journey to making his new album. But then he ends with aptly named ‘ The Flood’ – a strong, self-assured Jordan who’s embraced the yin and the yang to face the light: the clouds disappear, birds fly, the sun shines, and maybe, just maybe, there’s a soft rainbow in the distance. Ominous clouds start forming in ‘ Unguarded’ and ‘Brace’, which unpack the darker self-doubts from his time spent in therapy. There’s a beginning brightness in tracks like ‘Family’ and ‘Send My Love’ – where Jordan expresses the bittersweet joy in finding ‘peace alone’ during his solo move to London. Just like a good film, the album’s tracklist spins a profound narrative that unfolds much like a storm. It’s a robust declaration of Jordan as an artist and person: content, colourful and complex. There is so much nuance to be discovered both sonically and lyrically – from soaring vocals, a slick dance beat and jazzy synths to darker, more atmospheric sounds paired with a story that sparks deep introspection. Jordan Rakei – a leading light in the jazz-infused, neo-soul and hip-hop circle that he calls home – is no stranger to the yin and the yang.įor Jordan, the tension within himself has risen to the surface through therapy and found its full expression in his latest and most vulnerable album, ‘What We Call Life’. It’s the tension within all of us that makes up life without it, we’d all be boring blobs. Jordan Rakei opens up about self-growth, expanding his sound and the vulnerable journey that led to his latest album, ‘What We Call Life’.Īs humans, we are the sum of many conflicting parts: light and dark, anxious and steady, inspired and deflated, kind and callous.

Dark sonic scene creator