Conversations with India Jordan

Today we’d like to introduce you to India Jordan.

Hi India, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Greenbay, WI and raised in Milwaukee, WI for the first chunk of childhood by my grandma Joyce. After my mom Tami’s passing when I was one, my grandma was my primary guardian until I moved to LA with my dad at nine. I’ve been here ever since, sticking around after high school for undergrad at USC and staying in DTLA after that.

Singing in choirs and playing piano and guitar on and off as a kid has evolved into singing professionally and writing songs for myself and others. Over the years, I’ve sung supporting vocals for Pop, Soul, and R&B artists while honing my craft as an artist and songwriter. This past year, I’ve begun releasing original music independently with my alternative/soul band India and The Jones.

Outside of India and The Jones, I get into a bunch of other mostly audio-based projects that amplify the voices of Black women. I’ve audio-engineered the Black Girl In Om Podcast since late 2019, and I mixed the BGIO Beauty Sleep EP that came out in December 2020. I co-produced an EP of activating musical mantras by astrologer and writer Dossé-Via Trenou called the Dream With Dossé-Via EP in August 2020 and co-created and produced the KnowTheZodiac Podcast with Dossé-Via. It’s been thrilling to write songs with and for other artists in 2021. I’m looking forward to what’s to come and having fun savoring this moment.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Navigating music as a Black woman is an inherently bumpy road in some ways. Gatekeepers can have a limited mindset around what Black artists should sound and look like. While I once believed I needed an external co-sign to make and release the music I want to, I’m finding that the road feels smoother now that I’m focused on creating and investing in what feels true to me first and foremost.

On the personal side of things, growing up without the presence of my mom Tami was and continues to be difficult. I grew up fast emotionally and was challenged to develop methods of supporting and protecting myself. It’s sometimes been tough to feel my way through experiences that could have been lightyears less daunting with some motherly guidance. Each new life milestone invites new ways of missing her and wishing she were here to talk to, offer advice, and simply be with. My mom was a resilient ball of fire who created warmth and radiated light wherever she went. I’m grateful to carry some of her glow with me, but I wish I could have known her more consciously. It’s been a trip to live beyond the age she was when she passed on. Lately, It’s soothing and uplifting to give voice to the younger version of myself and offer her some of the love and encouragement she needed in the past and still needs today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My band India and The Jones makes music that pays homage to soul and alternative music through the ages and lyrically explores pathways to pleasure, peace, and autonomy. As of now, the only two members are myself on vocals, guitar and keys, and songwriter/producer Projay on drums, bass, keys, and guitar. We’re having a blast recording the first full India and The Jones EP that we’re aiming to release in late 2021.

I’m super proud of the two independent India and The Jones releases I’ve produced so far. The first is an alt-soul piano ballad called “Happy” released in late 2020. I wrote the song during a turning point where I knew I had to prioritize peace and stand unapologetic in some bold choices. My lifelong friend, prolific filmmaker Alexa Velasquez, directed the video, which captures the existential epiphany in the song of urgently needing to create space for happiness. My brilliant friend Tyler Hicks art directed the video, bringing an ethereal dreamscape to life in a sunlit loft filled with flowers.

The latest India and The Jones release is a spooky soul-rock celebration of self-discovery and self-definition called Caught In The Middle. I sing and play lead guitar on the record. Projay plays every other instrument, filling the track with a lush flavorful atmosphere. Legendary audio engineer Bill Malina infused his magic into the final mix of the song. The 3D animated music video for Caught In The Middle is absolute fire! The video was directed by dynamic filmmaker Jumai Yusuf and animated by both Jumai Yusuf and Alexa Velasquez. It reframes familiar blockbuster versions of the hero’s journey to center a Black adventurer named Aniyah on a cinematic voyage of self-discovery through land, sea, and outer space. It’s a ride that’ll have you feeling activated to reach for the stars and step into all of who you are.

I’m also incredibly proud to support and uplift the voices of other Black women, whether through podcasting, sound engineering, songwriting, or whatever new ways I might discover. My dear friend Dossé-Via inspires me all the time, and it’s been a pleasure to amplify her encouraging poetic voice through recorded musical mantras and through KnowTheZodiac. Editing The Black Girl In Om Podcast brings me loads of joy and fulfillment. It’s one of the few magical spaces that consistently centers the voices of Black women across the Diaspora on our journeys of self-love.

I believe what sets me apart are my passion and my perspective. When it comes to what I create, write, or invest energy into, I let my organic physical reactions guide the way instead of surrendering the wheel to externally imposed expectations. If it makes me laugh, brings me to tears, or puts a smile on my face, that’s what I want to build on.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
There’s so much to love about LA. The year-round sunshine is awesome. The variety of food options here is incredible. I’m infinitely grateful to have the beach close by. Yes, it’s beautiful, but it’s also an existential check-in type of a place where you can feel just how tiny you are against the endless ocean. I love going to the water when I’m in the thick of some intense emotions or thinking on big next steps.

The worst things about LA have got to be the overall cost of living here and obviously the wretched traffic. Also, while there are some truly lovely folks who live here, it does seem to be somewhat of a magnet for narcissism.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.indiaandthejones.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indiandthejones/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiaandthejones
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/indiandthejones
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9r5FZu_AHqGg4idSrndMZA
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-675556317
• Other: https://bit.ly/citmvid

Image Credits:
India Jordan, Jumai Yusuf, Alexa Velasquez, Tyler Hicks, Suzanne Hollingshead, Projay