Contributing music to PremiumBeat is only one of the many things artist and composer Jordan Childs excels at. Here we interview the artist on his advice for future composers and his thoughts on the music industry today.
To say Jordan Childs is a force to be reckoned with is a vast understatement. In his biography alone, in addition to being a PremiumBeat artist, he’s an accomplished artist, producer, composer, arranger, music director, and multi-instrumentalist. Even for the slash-slash-slash entrepreneur generation, Jordan holds a lot of extremely skillful roles in the music industry.
The artist is from Kingston, New York, and has a resume to be proud of. In addition to extensive production and composition work, including his work on PremiumBeat, he’s toured with reputable artists around the world. He currently resides in Los Angeles after graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2012, and we wanted to pick his brain on the music industry today, his advice for future composers, and why he contributes to stock. Here are a few words with artist and composer extraordinaire Jordan Childs.
An Interview with PremiumBeat Artist Jordan Childs
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Let’s get right to it. If we didn’t know you, how would you describe yourself?
I’m a very analytical creative person. I love to deconstruct things and put them back together again with my own touch. I absolutely love understanding how things work. I feel like I could have been an engineer of some non-musical sort had I not had this bent towards music.
One word to describe yourself?
Intentional.
One word to describe your music?
Honest.
Those are incredibly powerful words to choose. Let’s chat about the music. Would you say music chose you, or you chose music?
Music definitely chose me. My parents tell me that I was kicking in time in the womb. I wish they had smartphones back then so I could see the footage of this! I got my first small drum kit at Christmas when I was only eighteen months old and I was already able to keep a solid beat (there is video footage of this!)
Both of my parents are musicians and I have loads of musicians up and down my family tree on both sides. But I almost went into pre-med because I was pretty good in school. My music teachers were dumbfounded by this choice because it was clear to them that I should be pursuing music as a profession. I was afraid that if I didn’t get a “real job” I would be a starving artist.
After my first semester of college I knew I had to give music school an honest try. I decided to audition for Berklee College of Music. I told everyone that the only way I would go through with it is if I got in AND got a scholarship to go. Long story short, that happened and the rest is history.
So they say! You’re an accomplished producer, composer, arranger, music director, instrumentalist, and creative. How has working in all of these roles influenced your music?
I believe all these roles balance out my perspective on music and creativity as a whole. I’m also of the belief that pretty much all of life is connected by principles. The cool thing about wearing different creative hats is that it gives me a chance to hypothesize and test principles of things in different contexts. For example, one principle that I think makes me effective in all of these different areas is the ability to pay attention to detail and nuance.
So I deduce this skill to be a universal constant of sorts serves me well in different creative contexts. I love figuring out all these little morsels of wisdom. Applying them in different creative roles is the ultimate litmus test to see if they actually work or not.
How do you balance all of these different roles? Prioritizing your workflow must be a beast!
I pretty much live by lists. At the top of every week I empty my brain of everything I have to/would like to do so that it doesn’t stay on my mind and stress me out. Seeing all this on paper makes it all a lot easier to prioritize. Then I time block my days based on what is most important and what is most urgent. I try to do so in that order, important first then urgent.
When it comes to actual creative projects I do a version of this as well. I love that my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) has a notes feature in it. I use it all the time to make lists of things I want to include in compositions or other ideas.
Sounds like quite the system. How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?
I’d say my music is very diverse and very musical. I’m a musician at heart so the stuff I produce always has some element of musicality to it. I also believe in paying attention to quality in the details. I think my music is a composite of a bunch of really small but extremely intentional decisions that add up to something greater than the sum of those decisions.
Is there a genre of music that you haven’t explored yet that’s been on your list to try?
I really want to explore modern country music. I’m working with a new artist now that has me studying this stuff. I love what I’m hearing and I can’t wait to experiment with some of the textures and expressions of the genre.
Sounds amazing, we can’t wait to hear that. How did your musical training at Berklee influence your sound?
I think my experience at Berklee helped to refine my sound. I learned so much about engineering and how to get my ideas to translate. Aside from helping me to grow my production value, I learned a lot of music theory and became exposed to so much new music. I’d say my musical training at Berklee hasn’t even really ended because I’m still learning from my greatest teachers at Berklee which were my peers. I have so many friends that are killing the game and are generous with their knowledge. Berklee truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
What an incredible experience. What kind of instruments do you gravitate towards? Do you have a personal favorite?
I have the deepest relationship with the drums because I’ve been interacting with them since before I could really talk. However, to answer your question as asked would almost be like asking a parent which child is their favorite. I love all the instruments for what they bring to the table and, most importantly, for how they enable me to express what is inside of me. They all influence different expressions which I love.
Fair enough! Do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on to date?
I wrote a jazz fusion piece almost ten years ago that was really meaningful to me because I wrote it the night my best friend’s dad passed away. I named the tune “Kenny’s Requiem” for him. The way the tune came to me was incredibly surreal, profound, and beautiful. It was one of the most honest expressions of art I’ve ever made. I believe that in many ways my experience composing that piece really shaped who I am as an artist today.
What an incredible story. To transition a little to where you are today, as a drummer and keyboardist, you’ve toured with some pretty incredible artists. Do you have a favorite experience or memory from the road?
I’d say my favorite experience so far was getting stuck in Norway due to a widespread airline pilot’s strike when I was playing drums with Booker T. Jones last year. That ended up being a really fun experience and a cool time to bond with some really awesome people.
Nothing like getting stuck to bring people together. Fast forward to today. How did you get started producing music for stock?
Berklee has an alumni group on Facebook and someone that I don’t even know to this day put up a post looking for composers. I knew this was an area of music production that I wanted to pursue so I submitted some tracks. It just so happened that this opportunity was for PremiumBeat.
Well, we’re sure glad you’re here. How does the music you create for stock fit in between the other work that you do?
The cool thing about writing for stock is that they are typically looking for really modern and current music. Writing with these sensibilities in mind gives me an opportunity to dig in and learn the production and composition techniques that are being used in the music of today. This skill set definitely informs my other work.
I also love that writing for stock trains me to be more prolific. The more I create, the better I become at navigating my own creative process which also helps me tremendously when I work on other stuff.
That definitely makes sense. As you noted, a lot of work on PremiumBeat is modern and current. What kind of music can people find of yours on PremiumBeat?
I have everything from modern Hip-Hop to Alternative Rock. I also have a nice selection of Electronic music. There’s some sprinkles of latin and afrobeat in there. Mood wise, there is everything from aggressive treatments to chill and mellow pieces. It really is a mixed bag.
The best kind of bag to have. What advice do you have for producers and composers looking to contribute to stock music platforms like PremiumBeat?
I would advise producers and composers to treat writing for stock like a classroom. I view it as a paid way to practice writing music that I may not have given myself permission to explore otherwise. Reference other music a ton. This is the biggest thing I always tell people. When you reference, do it as if you were a forensic scientist. Really get as much data as you can about what makes the music work. Then try to use the stuff you learn from your research and compare. Writing for stock can help you grow leaps and bounds if you are a student. Be humble and really try your best to learn from the feedback you get during the process of writing.
That’s some really honest and sound advice. Do you have a favorite track of yours on PremiumBeat?
Can I give two? One is my track called “Seria.” I love it because it is just a super fun latin vibe that has children chanting in it and a lot of other cool musical textures. It makes me want to take latin dancing lessons. I really feel like I’m in a festive latin marketplace or village when I listen to that one.
The second would be my track entitled “Social Distancing” which I composed with my cousin Josh Henderson. The landscape of that track really encompasses a lot of emotions that I’ve been dealing with during the COVID-19 quarantining season.
Adding those to the listen list! Before we let you go, any exciting upcoming projects?
Yes! I’m working on my first musical project as an artist along with my first book as an author. I’m learning to discipline myself to spend time investing in my own artistic voice and to value what I have to say. I’m excited about what I hope to share with the world.
Huge thanks to Jordan Childs for giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a PremiumBeat artist. Interested in applying to contribute music? Click here to learn more. And to discover more of Jordan’s work, click here to check his profile of music out.
Top Image by Sage Etters
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