Jordan Stephens

Name, where are you from?
Jordan Stephens, London/Brighton.

Describe your style in three words?
Mainly good colours.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
I couldn't possibly name a best gig. Too drunk in my late teens/early twenties to remember them all clearly. Too many variables generally. A few come to mind. Stevie Wonder at Bestival. Prince at Hop Farm. The one I'm going to go for is The Prodigy at Benicassim when I was seventeen or eighteen. I got lost with a new friend. Ended up at their stage. Their album 'Invaders Must Die' had been on repeat for me. F*ckin' loved it. I came up and felt like I never came down.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Radiohead. They're the best in my opinion. On so many fronts. Watching them live was also mesmerising. Anderson .Paak. Because he is genuinely the complete package. He can rap, sing, play multiple instruments and f*cking perform. What an energy.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
The subculture that I think has influenced me most is probably the UK backpack hip-hop culture from the mid-noughties. In my first years of music, I used to tag along with Foreign Beggars, Dr Syntax and Stig of the Dump. I'd listen to Mud Fam, Taskforce and Jehst. Back then UK rap wasn't purely an expression of capitalist joy. If anything it was the opposite. The dexterity of concepts and themes used to inspire the f*ck out of me. People were rapping about f*cking everything. Rarely how much they had. More recently I've been drawn to the alternative pop scene. Where people just do whatever the f*ck they like. I'm not sure whether it's actually a subculture but I feel as though we're so deep into tropes nowadays, the less the artist looks like the music they make the better.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
If I could spend an hour with anyone from history it'd probably be Jesus just to see what all the fuss is about.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
The first venue that comes to mind is The Barrowlands in Glasgow. Known for its bouncy floor. Or Manchester Academy. People up north know how to bring energy to a show. Not as spoilt I suppose.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Kenzie TTH. She’s my go-to studio homie. She’s ridiculously talented and doesn’t get the shine I feel as though she deserves.

Jordan Stephens (formerly of Rizzle Kicks) is a musician first and foremost, but also a poet, writer, actor and presenter.

Jordan will release his debut solo album in February 2022. Check out the video for his latest single 'Wicked' below or you can listen, purchase or stream it via jordanstephens.lnk.to/wicked.