We recently connected with Jordan Padilla (Meek) and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jordan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was moving to the US from Australia to study at Berklee College of Music, where I attended on. I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend on scholarships and grants that I auditioned for. Growing up in the Condell Park and Campbelltown areas of Sydney, I never thought pursing this kind of dream was a possibility. But taking the risk of going and pursing music as a keyboard player and producer allowed many fruits to grow. I have since been able to work with many very successful artists in the capacity of a keyboardist and producer, producing on songs with millions of streams, and even playing to crowds of up to 70,000 people.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jordan Padilla, also known as Jordan Meek. I grew up in Sydney Australia, and have played piano since the young age of 8. My parents put me into classical piano lessons as a kid, but slowly through playing in church and at school, I started to learn other genres like jazz, gospel, pop and r&b. By the time I finished high school I attended a music school in Sydney for 2 years, right after this in 2016 I attended Berklee College of Music on a scholarship.

In my last year of school I had the opportunity to tour the world as a keyboard player. This opportunity came through an audition my close friend at school recommended me for. I simultaneously was music producing songs and writing for artists. Being able to be a sideman keyboard player has opened many doors as I have also been able to music direct shows. A lot of my live performance work has tied into music production as well, as many artists who need live instruments also are looking for music production skills.

I have been able to perform as a keyboard player for many artists such as Danny Ocean, Anees, Madison Watkins, Marzz, Tristan Simone at Lollapalooza, Joe L Barnes, Ill Nicky, and many others. These performances have allowed me to play to crowds of 50,000+ people at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

As a music producer I have been blessed to accumulate over 9 and a half million online streams. I’ve been able to work with artists such as Lullaboy, Matt Black, Ill Nicky, Polographia and others. Working as a producer and keyboard player in the studio has seen me in the studio with The Kid Laroi, Madison Watkins, and Michael Cimino. So I’m excited to see what the future holds as I work on projects for the likes of these artists.

I have had music with Ill Nicky (Come Alive) that plays regularly on ESPN Monday Night Football as well as songs with Sheek (M.I.A) on Eldo radio in Luxembourg.

These have been very big accomplishments so far, but look forward to continuing to create music with these artists, and prepare bigger shows and tours with artists like Madison Watkins and more.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was afforded the opportunity to attend Berklee College of Music on a scholarship and grants. I had worked very hard to able to get there, but without the support around me it wouldn’t have been possible. Midway through my time there I returned to Australia to take some time to work and save for living expenses to return to the US and finish my schooling. While back home I received news of a health complication that kept me home and didn’t allow me to go anywhere, as I was seeing specialists regularly. This shook my world and I thought the dream was over. While working through these health issues, 8 months later I decided to start working a normal job again in an attempt to return to school, But this wasn’t enough, so from this point I applied for countless merit based grants to get the funding I needed. I must have been rejected by 10 of them. Each took a considerable amount of work preparing the audition videos and such. 3 weeks before it was time to return to school in January, after a whole year had passed by, I received one yes. This grant was big enough for me to return. I think if I had the the towel after all those rejections, I wouldn’t have applied for this last one.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me is being able to see the impact not only the work itself has on people, but the impact the journey has. Many younger people have approached me with this spark in their eye asking about my journey, and I think it might be because through me they’re able to see whats possible. In my current state, I never really feel as though I’ve achieved much, because I’m always striving, but to them I’m lightyears down a dream path they want to pursue. Seeing them inspired inspires me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjordanmeek/?next=%2F
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jordanmeek5