Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaleb Jordan.
Kaleb, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My interest in music started when I was 16 in Savannah Georgia and went to best buy and bought some CDs. After I bought these CDs, I went home and started listening to them and I felt inspired. It inspired me to pick up a guitar I had laying in the corner and learn how to play what they were playing. Immediately, I realized that I had a natural talent at doing this and continued to grow as a musician. After searching and unsuccessfully finding other serious musicians to put a band together, I was lost at what I needed to do. I started searching online for answers when I discovered a music artist by the name Trent Reznor of a band called Nine Inch Nails (NIN). The article said he played and recorded almost everything himself and that’s when I realized what I needed to do.
I took the money my grandparents were gonna give me for college and some money I had saved up and bought a bass guitar, drumset, synthesizer keyboard, mic, and some recording gear and started working on my music.
After teaching myself how to play these instruments, how to write songs, and learning how to rap and sing I finished my 5 track EP. I started handing out my EP to some mature and serious musicians in the area, but no one knew what to do with it. Nobody had ever made it in the music industry where I was from and no one knew anyone in the music industry. I decided after a few months that for me to have a shot at the music industry, I needed to move somewhere like Atlanta or Los Angeles but with no money or even an idea of where to go when I got to these places it almost seemed impossible.
A few weeks went by and I was contacted by the Savannah theater vocal coach. She asked to meet with me so I agreed. Once I arrived, she proceeded to tell me I was really talented and she loved my sound but there was nothing she could do for me which left me asking a ton of questions within a couple of seconds. She told me she knew someone in Macon who could help me. Not long after, I arrived in Macon to meet these people she put me in contact with they basically said the same thing. They knew somebody in Atlanta who then told me they knew someone else in Atlanta which went on and on for a while until it led me into Jan Smith Studios (JSS).
Jan Smith Studios was the first legit opportunity I got at being in the music industry. The JSS team helped develop me as an artist by teaching me how to sing better with the proper techniques, improving my guitar playing, learning more recording skills and taught me the ins and outs of the music business. After traveling back and forth weekly between Savannah and Atlanta for about two and a half years I made a lot of connections and decided to start going to local music events and other studios to build my skills and make more connections. During this time I ended up in rooms with numerous behind the scene producers, songwriters, music video directors, managers, photographers, dancers, and studio owners of the music industry. These connections also put me in rooms with mainstream acts such as Gucci Mane, Swae Lee, Lil Pump, Smoke Purpp, Yelawolf, Justin Bieber and many more. After all these opportunities and being around these people and seeing their work, I took in every bit of knowledge I could and continued growing as a music artist.
I wanted to be one of the best with all this new knowledge that I stepped back behind the scenes and started working on myself. As I was working on myself an opportunity at a J Holiday writing camp came up for me as a producer and songwriter and at first, I wasn’t interested because one of my biggest things was keeping everything for my self, but after some convincing and seeing that this was a great opportunity to develop my skills I agreed.
I ended up co-producing and co-writing a song with some friends that ended up having a great reaction from everyone involved and even J Holiday himself. I decided to become a full-time producer and songwriter for others as well as an artist myself. After word got around that I was producing full time, I was offered in house producing gigs at studios around Atlanta. I ended up meeting with Jan Smith the owner of JSS where I started out in Atlanta to discuss joining her studio as a producer and songwriter, and at the beginning of 2019, I officially teamed with Jan Smith Studios.
Has it been a smooth road?
Building my career has not been smooth at all. I have dealt with scammers and worked towards many opportunities that did not have the outcome promised. I have slept in my car, in studios, on concrete floors, and on couches. I was away from family and trying to build a career for myself here in Atlanta. Although there have been challenges along the way, I have made connections with great people and I learned how to avoid those situations again.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I am a music producer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music artist. I specialize in helping music artists find their unique sound and how to express their feelings into lyrics. I am known for being a producer who can play multiple live instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, piano, violin, trumpet, and turntables. I believe im different from other producers because of my ability to produce multiple genres. I am most proud of my growth as a musician and my work ethic I’ve developed over the years.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like Atlanta because of its appreciation of art. There are always concerts, art exhibits, festivals and many other forms of entertainment for independent artists. I was raised in a town where art was underappreciated and not viewed as a real career. Art was viewed as a hobby to most people but to me I wanted it to be more. I wanted to create something new like the people who inspired me the most. The city of Atlanta has given me opportunities to work towards creating something new as well as helping others do the same.
What I like the least about Atlanta is the way independent artist, events, and festivals market themselves because it can be difficult to find, make connections, support, and discover a new artist. When they do not have the proper marketing to reach out to new audiences it leads to missed opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kalebjordanofficial.com
- Email: kaleb93jordan@att.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalebjordanofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KalebJordanOfficial/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealKalebJordan
Image Credit:
Bryce France
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