Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Jordan Belding

Jordan Belding is a 21 year old, queer, Canadian, solo artist. Independently producing, writing and recording all of his own tracks, this transgender artist has a large vocal range. Many of his songs like ‘just one night’ or ‘She’s So Pretty (Even When She’s Crying)’ have a high and a low harmony, but both voices are Jordan. 

What is your earliest memory connected to music? 

When I was very young my mother would play the piano for me all the time and I loved it, I mostly remember Beethoven.

We always had instruments in the house growing up, my mom also played guitar. I never took music lessons growing up but I found myself sitting at my piano in the living room playing along to YouTube tutorials. At one point I could even play melodies by ear (not very well, only simple, one note at a time)

How did your passion for creating music begin? 

I have always loved writing lyrics and singing, my notes were full of songs about love and heartbreak at age 9, because it’s the only thing I heard people sing about. I tried starting a band with some close friends in 6th grade that didn’t pan out. 

I would always get the lyrics and vocal melodies I made stuck in my head, I wanted to be able to listen to them, like how you do when you have an actual song stuck in your head. 

The first song I published was in 2018, when I was 14. It just recorded on my phone, into the old Apple headphones microphone. I played my ukulele and sang, I think it was in the bathroom because I liked the acoustics. It was the era of artists like Mxmtoon and Cavetown, at that time I was very inspired by them.

What’s the story behind your current music project? 

I started writing the song ‘winter night’ last winter, in 2024. The instrumental is full of reverb drenched guitars, gothic-80’s inspired hand bells, droning synths and distorted vocals. 

The song portrays a dark, desolate, winter night. The lyrics are a metaphor for feeling trapped in an abusive relationship, personifying the winter as the abuser. “His plans to keep you bound, you were never gonna make it out.” and “The winter he’s never pleased.”

 ‘winter night’ is out now. Here is the link https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jordanbelding/winter-night-2

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before? 

Unique and authentic, raw queer perspective. I don’t confine myself to genres or worry about keeping my music radio friendly. My songs ‘psycho boys’ and ‘all alone’ portray real, serious mental health issues. These are lyrics that I wrote during or about very hard times in my life, and I have no desire to censor them.

I float around two different, broad genres of music, Alternative and Indie. I love creating spacious atmospheres, and using 80’s synths. Ethereal Wave, Dream Pop, Gothic Rock, Dark Wave, these are all genres I’d use to describe my music. Every song is completely different from the last. 

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music? 

In the past I’ve gotten caught up in negative feedback from other artists, labels and playlist curators. These people often hold a really high standard, looking for polished, radio-ready, commercial sounding music. I used to be frustrated that I could never meet the standards that a mainstream artist does. I saw someone say that they didn’t want their music to have that professional sound, and that it’s unrealistic to hold themselves to that expectation. The average person doesn’t have the ears that can search for all of the flaws in music. I feel the same is true for me, I produce in my home, and I have a lot to learn but at the same time I’m only getting better. I love having full creative control in my mix, and I wouldn’t be willing to trade off creative decisions for the higher quality someone else could bring to the table. 

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? 

Reverb is an absolutely essential component  that I use in all of my music, on every part of the track. It can transform instruments into completely different and new sounds. It can turn the simplest guitar riffs into emotionally evoking, huge atmospheres. 

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now? 

‘My Muse’ by Ambush Rabbit is a beautiful song I’ve got on my playlist this winter.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision? 

I find myself inspired by every new artist and song I hear, trying to analyze the techniques they used to get certain sounds.

My mental health and the relationships in my life have a huge impact on my music. I’ve been diagnosed with OCD, PTSD and BPD to name a few; When I am struggling I turn to writing lyrics as a way to cope, and process some emotions. It can be cathartic to think back on previous experiences in my life and finally get to say (or sing) what I wish I could’ve.  

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work? 

Not every song has a message but for the most part I’d hope to help them feel inspired or less alone. Whether it’s relating to my more emotional lyrics, seeing another queer/trans person pursing their passion, or inspiring someone to start making music.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far? 

To care less about what others think. My art is mine alone and I am so proud of everything I’ve made. I’m glad I’ve never let negative feedback or opinions kill my spark.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at? 

I would love to perform at my home Pride Parade in Winnipeg, or the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Both of these events are super important to me, whenever I attend I always imagine myself on stage performing. 

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? 

I love and take a bunch of inspiration from Hubert Kah, a synth pop artist from the 80’s. I love the token 80’s production on his songs, and dark atmospheres, sounds I couldn’t even begin to recreate without analog gear. It would be a dream to collaborate with him and his team.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? 

You can find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jjlbs

Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanbelding

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/4n4SoNrKo0eWY36HFdX1Ez?si=77tdZ8H7TvqHrNZwEjMbHA

Apple Music https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/jordan-belding/1568951701

YouTube https://youtube.com/@jordanbelding?si=dtSqEePc60whtQ8z

And more, just search my artist name ‘Jordan Belding’

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey? 

I have yet to perform live and have been too intimidated to, because most of my music is full of electronic elements I couldn’t just bring an instrument on stage. I’ve started gathering equipment for performing live and I’m hoping to start in 2026!

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What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? 

I put so much time and care into each part of every song, I hope the people who listen to my music can see the passion and love!

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