Meet Jordan McLeod

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan McLeod, aka Years of Youth.

Hi Jordan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a young kid growing up in the DMV area, music didn’t really have a big place in my life yet. I would listen to what my parents were listening to and also whatever came across the radio as I flipped through stations. It wasn’t until I got my first iPod in 8th grade that I started to really dig into it. Music became a very social thing for me and my friends. On the bus to and from school, we would share our latest finds, hoping to out-do each other with the coolest songs. Later on in high school when we started to get our driver’s licenses, we would burn CDs for each other to pass around and listen to in the car. Still, we continued to search out the coolest songs, trying to find the next big hit. Once I turned 18, my only other 18 years old friend and I started going out to clubs in Washington, D.C. to see our favorite electronic music DJs perform. These experiences changed our lives as we learned to love the club environment. We would watch with fascination as the DJ took control over the crowd, pulling energy from everyone in the room and giving it back through their song selection and mixing skills. It didn’t take too many trips for my friend and I to decided that wanted to start DJing.

Even at that point in time, we knew that to have any success, we were going to have to start making our own music. This led to the formation of EDM duo, Kids Want Techno. We became bedroom DJs and producers and started our musical journey. Over the course of four years or so, our music was streamed millions of times over across the entire globe. We became unofficial residents in the DC scene and would go on to share the stage with acts such as The Chainsmokers, Matoma, and Lost Kings. Our biggest show came when we were invited to play at Electric Daisy Carnival in New York City. Eventually, the time came for me to move on from Kids Want Techno. My taste was changing, and I no longer felt connected to the music that was being made. So, to continue my development as a musician, I decided to take time off from releasing music and move to LA to attend ICON Collective College of Music. I was self-taught up to this point and felt like I needed to learn in a more structured way. Once I started school, I realized how little I actually knew about everything. My mind was opened to new concepts and ideas about creating music, I was introduced to the intricate details of the music industry, and eventually I started to feel more confident about myself as an artist and about the musical direction I wanted to follow.

I continued to practice and grow until I felt like I was ready to start creating my new music project, Years of Youth. Years of Youth is the start of a new chapter for me as a musician and as an artist. It’s my first step towards creating the music that I have always wanted to. This project will completely step away from the EDM world that consumed all my previous productions. I don’t want to become a DJ anymore. I want to perform with a band. I like playing instruments now instead of programming MIDI notes into a piano roll or mixing two songs together on CDJs. I’m just getting started and still exploring but I can’t wait to see where it goes. To start, I’m releasing a mixtape called “Collaborations Vol. 1” at the beginning of February. Since moving to LA, I have met a lot of amazing artists and musicians and began collaborating more than I ever had before. I wanted to bring in all these talented people to help me create the first body of work. Each song will be released one at a time, every four weeks until the fall of this year. It’s going to be a packed year and I can’t wait to get it started!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not quite. The music industry is a daunting place that takes a long time to figure out how to navigate around. Just trying to get started is incredibly difficult, especially when you have no previous background in music and no mentor to guide you. I was putting in so many hours learning how to produce on my own, but my progress was very slow. My social life and even some relationships were sacrificed because music was my only focus. There were multiple times in the first few years where I had breakdowns in which I cried and just sat in my room and questioned what I was doing. Was I just wasting my time? Is this really worth? I wasn’t having fun and that was a problem. I knew I had an ear for what sounded good, but my lack of skill was getting in the way and that hurt my self-esteem.

Thankfully that didn’t stop me, and I haven’t had an episode like that since. Once you finally get your foot in the door though, it doesn’t get any easier. I have become really good at taking “no” for an answer from gatekeepers and others in the industry who didn’t see anything in me or my work. That’s how it goes through, you just roll with the punches. I got my hopes up too many times just to be shot down and I learned to stop doing that. I would always expect the worst but hope for the best. I continued to build up my confidence, believing in myself, and just knowing that my time was going to come. I keep my head down with my blinders on, just working away until the day comes when my work is recognized. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting close!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a music professional, I do a little bit of everything; production, writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and even archive work. Of all that, I believe my specialty is being a record finisher. The last 10% is always the hardest part to accomplish and I really enjoy helping other artists get their song across the finish line. I think having knowledge in the different aspects of creating a song is what sets me apart. My ability to jump into a song at any point in its life and add value is something not everyone can do. However, I am most proud of my new music project: Years of Youth. I have spent over a year a half working towards this new chapter in my career and I could not be more excited for it to begin. While I love working behind the scenes with other artists, I miss releasing my own music and charting my own path. So excited to get started!

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
It’s hard to just name one. It takes a lot of confidence, perseverance, and thick skin to make things happen. Above all though, you just need to believe in yourself. How can anyone believe in you when you can’t even believe in yourself? Oh, and patience. Lots and lots of patience. I can thank my mom for giving me that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: yearsofyouth.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/yearsofyouth
• Facebook: facebook.com/yearsofyouth
• Twitter: twitter.com/yearsofyouth_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1cnfSbCmUHOtJxrmG9UZ9g?view_as=subscriber
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/yearsofyouth
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rT875dzJk5j24yzjj0DeB?si=_aMq9bUoSwSRmDml-wN8mQ

Image Credits:
Eric Huergo