We were lucky to catch up with Jordan Kirkdorffer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It’s always been something in the back of my mind. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been performing. Whether it was singing in church, putting on skits during family vacations when we’re stuck in a hotel room or getting lost in a fantasy world during elementary school recess. I’ve always known the creative world would be part of my every day life. I moved to Nashville to go to school and pursue a music career at 18, and quickly got overwhelmed with it all. I realized I had a lot more to learn and just being a “good singer” wasn’t enough to make it in the industry. Somehow life sidetracked me and I ended up becoming an accountant, which was a complete 180 from where I thought I’d be. I lost my way with the arts for years until 2017 when I received a random phone call from a producer on The Voice. The next thing I knew I was flying to LA to sing in front of Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. This complete stroke of luck reignited my passion and dreams and I’ve been pursuing my love of music and acting ever since. I recently moved to LA to build more of my acting chops and recently landed my first commercial gig. I’ve learned over the years that it doesn’t happen over night, but the key to success is to consistently show up and quietly work on building your craft for when the next opportunity arrives.

Jordan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Per my parents, I started singing before I started talking. We have a home video of me at 2 years old singing at a talent show at my grandparents church. It’s safe to say my love of music was born with me. The most significant impact and growth in music and singing came from my time in church and school. I was constantly on stage and always taking voice lessons or in some kind of music class to get better at my craft. I wasn’t doing it professionally, but simply because of the love I had for it. This in turn, led me to move to Nashville to pursue music, where I continued to take lessons and surround myself with amazingly talented friends and mentors.

As I’ve ventured more into acting, I feel like my vulnerability and connection with my emotions (with the help of many years of therapy) is my super power. I learned from singing in church to understand the message and meaning behind the lyrics and emote that to the audience so they could feel right along with me. I understood that it wasn’t just them watching and listening, but I needed them to feel part of the music and my performance. I desire to bring that same passion and motivation to my acting.

I’m most proud of the moments in my career where I was able to experience it and share it with the people I love most. After my time on The Voice I had the opportunity to sing with Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Two of my mom’s favorite artists. Not only was it an incredibly wild experience for me, but being able to bring my parents along to the event and see them interact with their idols was a real full circle moment for me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the lesson to make my art relatable to the masses. When I would be in a songwriting session I’d constantly hear “well that’s not radio friendly” or “that’s too specific” so I’d tailor the details of the story or lyric to be broader or fit whatever the “it thing” was at the time. I was chasing the trend instead of leaning on what makes me me to create the narrative. The most successful artists know themselves, know what they offer and don’t settle for anything less than what’s true to them. The best song I’ve ever written is the one I wrote in the midst of a breakup. I included the specifics of when we first said “I love you”, how it ended, etc. That is the song I’m most proud of and what people bring up to me the most when they reference my music. The audience has the ability to disregard specifics and understand the feeling that is being portrayed and then they bring it into their own story. If you chase broad and non-specific creativity it’ll more likely than not come across flat and uninspiring.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel like the most rewarding aspect of being an artist Is hearing how your work has impacted someone else. Whether it made them feel less lonely, seen, understood, laugh or comforted them when they were sad. That is the best gift and what makes me love art as well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @__kirkdorffer
• Other: TikTok: @__kirkdorffer

Image Credits

Lindsey Marie Photography