INTERVIEW: Jordan Mackampa — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Sequoia Ziff

Jordan Mackampa

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HIS latest single is an awesome and powerful…

burst of Soul that gets into the mind and lifts the spirit. Jordan Mackampa talks to me about One in the Same and the story behind it. The talented musician discusses his Congolese roots and when music came into his life; whether more material will come along the line – he recommends new musicians we should follow.

Mackampa talks about growing up in the Midlands and what sort of gigs are coming up; what it was like working with Benjamin Francis Leftwich; how he spends his time away from music; three albums that mean a lot to him – he offers some good advice for songwriters coming through.

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Hi, Jordan. How are you? How has your week been?

Hello. I’m well, thanks. Feeling a little bit under weather, but I’ll bounce back soon.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I would describe myself as a singer-songwriter who blends just the right amount of modern Folk and classic Soul and Blues.

One in the Same is your new track. Can you talk about its origins and backstory?

The song originally started with me messing around with some open tunings on my guitar, until I landed in a key that felt comfortable in. Skip past the hours of meaningless fondling and I had some sections down which could be interpreted as press, choruses; breakdowns etc., but I knew I definitely had the first verse cemented, which I then sent over in a voice note via email to Matt and Ben before our session the following day.

The song is basically about modern day communication and how we take for granted how easily we can text, FaceTime or even call a friend/loved one, which I believe has affected the way we talk to one another - there is a lot to be misunderstood through a phone call and there’s even more than can be misinterpreted through a lack of human interaction. We are all connected electronically, yet distant from each other somewhat physically and emotionally.

What was it like working alongside Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Matt Ingram writing this song?

I’ve known and worked with Matt quite extensively over the past three or so years: he played the drums on my first E.P., Physics; co-wrote Teardrops in a Hurricane on my second E.P., Tales from the Broken, which he also produced and we’ve just maintained a great working relationship and friendship since. Getting to write with B.F.L. was a dream. I’ve been a fan of his work since the early days and first met him at Barn on the Farm last year. We did that typical music industry of saying ‘let’s work together, let’s write something etc. etc.’ - but this time actually followed through with it and produced something I’m incredibly proud of.

Then, all we needed was Cam Blackwood to add his magic touches to it and we were good to go…

Is there more material coming later in the year?

Absolutely. The music I’ll be releasing now reflects the direction I want to take within my career: not just writing music for the sake of it, but giving the music some substance...about daily things we all good through, whether they are good or bad.

Give me a sense of the artists you grew up listening to. When did music come into your life?

Music has been in my life from a very young age: my mum has always said I was singing before I could talk! She told me a story once of how we were at my uncle’s house back in D.R. Congo. He used to hand-make guitars from the trees in his back garden and sold them to customers in his stall. One evening, we were sat in his living room. I must have been very young at the time, nine, maybe ten months, but I crawled over to one of his guitars and plucked a string with such a force and just turned around to my mum with a look of amazement on my face like I’d discovered the secret to life. My uncle said to her: “He’s found his calling” - and I think it was at that point my mum knew I was going to end up doing something with music sooner or later.

Because of my Congolese roots, I grew up listening to traditional music from my country a lot. It was constantly played in the house, especially on Sundays when we had to clean. As I got older, particularly during my teen years, I developed my own taste of what I liked, which is how I stumbled across Folk music and these extraordinary writers like Bob Dylan, Neil Young; Joni Mitchell - writers of whom didn’t need much more than a guitar and an audience to tell a story that could capture hearts and minds within a few words.

How important was your mother and her love of Soul to your roots and development?

My mother’s taste in music definitely influenced my sense of rhythm and melody. If it wasn’t for her and her love of divas and groove - from artists such as Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan; Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson; Bill Withers, James Brown; Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and so forth - I wouldn’t understand how pitch, tone and key all play such a part in music - in addition to how they play on the listener’s emotions during a song.

You were raised in the Midlands but have Congolese roots. Do you feel you mix these disparate and diverse worlds into your sound?

I guess you could say so. It is not something I pay that much attention to if I’m honest: I just try to write what I know, taking influences from sounds that I like that I feel could work for that particular song…

Can we see you tour this year? What gigs do you have coming along?

I’ve just announced my biggest headline tour to date across the U.K. and E.U. in October as well as a few summer festivals.

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

I hope to have recorded my first album.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

One that sticks to mind was my first solo show in Brussels, Belgium. It was one of those shows where I expected no one to come and we ended up filling the room - with lots more people eager to come and waiting on the stairs! I ended up playing for an extra hour than I was supposed to because I was having so much fun - and staying behind just chatting with people saying ‘thank you’.

It made me realise how far music can reach someone and the effect it has on them too.

Which three albums mean the most to you, would you say?

This Is always the hardest question to answer! I can never decide because I don’t have three favourite albums: I have about three-hundred!

An album that definitely means a lot to me, however, would be Every Kingdom by Ben Howard. It really influenced the finger style of picking/plucking that I do now, for sure. Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay because it was the first grown-up show that I had saved up for to see and it has one of my favourite songs on the planet on that album, Us Against the World.

I think my final choice is A Different Kind of Fix by Bombay Bicycle Club. Every song, every word; back to front, I know it all. Listen to it and tell me I’m lying…

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Trust your gut. Always. It’s never going to steer you wrong, ever. No matter what your label says, managers say; friends say, fans say…trust your gut. You’re the only person in control of your career and your music.

Trust your gut. Always.