Diandra Interviews Jordan Mackampa: Loving Yourself To Love Your Work
I LOVE Jordan Mackampa. From his vocal to his lyrics, he feels like a warm blanket you put on your cold soul. His record, Foreigner, was one of the best records in 2020, so far. It is an album that testifies to man realizing he is loving and, in being Love, he should love himself more. It is a powerful realization for a singer/ person who sing to themes such as time, disillusionment, and the trials you undergo until you realize you have to have your own back. Such topics we dive into in our interview below.
Diandra: As artists, anxiety can often feel fueled by our obsession with the future. How has music helped you observe the power of time and wield it to gain inner peace?
Jordan Mackampa: Its definitely made me more aware of how limited time is, and the expectancy that people have of you when it comes to releasing music, but the inner peace comes from knowing that when the timing is right, everything will fall into place.
Diandra: Singing to moments of disillusionment and the exasperation of being in this world, especially when young, what are things in the world that give you hope?
Jordan Mackampa: The fact that life has positives and negatives, and seeing how I’ve overcome the negatives and made them positives gives me hope for sure.
Diandra: What are the qualities you find in people that makes you love them?
Jordan Mackampa: Their honesty, humour, bravery, emotional intelligence, and the way they deal with problem solving. I’m a very flight or fight kinda guy, so having people around me who are fighters, helps me figure my own shit out and resolve issues rather than run from them.
Diandra: How does your debut album embody what you love and feel comfortable about yourself? Is there a song, in particular, that you feel emotes your confidence?
Jordan Mackampa: My debut album ‘Foreigner’ is the most “me” sounding project I’ve ever released. It’s multifaceted, vibrant at times, quiet and intimate, in places, but all leads back to who I am as a musician. The song that emotes the most confidence would probably be Warning Signs. You can’t help but feel like a badass walking away from an explosion at the end of movie after listening to it.
Diandra: This is such a scary time to be an artist, i.e. a global pandemic. What do you hope the industry, from the most powerful to the least powerful, learn about the power music and the power of people?
Jordan Mackampa: I hope they learn how to take better care of their artists’ mental health. With our livelihood and income being dependent on touring, record sales, merch sales ,and fan engagement, not being able to leave the house take a big hit to our health mentally, especially those musicians, like me, who have already overcome hardships and love physical connections and being around people. Now, we have to stay inside and not see friends/ family until God only knows when!
Jordan Mackampa – What Am I (Official Video)
Diandra: In an industry that can be very much materialistic, what are the spiritual choices or routines you do to keep focused on your art? What virtue have you gained in going against the “industry’s grains”?
Jordan Mackampa: Candles, good tea, journaling, and general self care like eating good foods. I’ve definitely gained thicker skin; it’s funny how quickly people in this industry turn on you, when they realise you aren’t that easily swayed by bright lights and flashy objects.
Diandra: Describe a moment when you knew you made somebody happy, and in giving that you joy, you received it.
Jordan Mackampa: When I gave my mum my copy of my debut album on CD, she cried and so did I. We both knew how long I’d waited and worked to get to that point, so to have a tangible body of work that was mine, in her hands, was a big moment for both of us.
Diandra: With your songs being introspective, what have they shown you, in terms, of how you love others in a relationship?
Jordan Mackampa: They’ve shown me that I need to give myself more credit as a lover, friend, brother, son, uncle. As well as how much I used to let people walk over me in the past, and how I’m not the same man I was two years ago. I really had to dig deep whilst writing these songs. It was super cathartic for me to get all of these emotions out.
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