Check out our interview with talented coastal country singer/songwriter Jordan Armstrong who recently released her new single “Convenience Store,” produced by Henry Brill (Old Sea Brigade, Lissie.)
As a recent grad of Berklee’s College of Music’s esteemed Songwriters Program, her songwriting is authentic and profound. “Convenience Store” speaks to the pain of past relationships, fizzling due to the inconvenience of distance. Jordan’s raw yet polished declaration evokes undeniable emotion with strength, power and grace wrapped up in a pop melody.
Follow Jordan @jordanarmstrongmusic
Hi Jordan, please tell us a little about you?
I am an East Coast girl from the South Shore of Massachusetts. I grew up in a small town with, in my opinion, the best beach in the world. I was raised with all my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins living within a 15 minute radius. To say we are close is an understatement. I spent my childhood annoying my family with my constant singing and performing. So they are extra grateful to anyone who will listen to me now. Songwriting has always been innate to me from the moment I could form a sentence. My parents house is stuffed with decades of my notebooks and random scraps of paper filled with scribbles of song ideas. I am a mix between my parents’ love of ’70s music and my millennial siblings of ‘90s/2000s pop. I am lyrically driven and strive to write music people can see in their minds.
Describe your sound in 3 words?
Laurel Canyon, Amy Winehouse, Pop-Country.
Who influenced you and why did you choose to make music?
I was the naturally loud and annoying youngest sibling. I think that is where I get my itch for performing. My itch to write music feels natural. My parents both have creative tendencies. My Dad is an investigative journalist and my Mom has always created art: jewelry, paintings, etc. I like to think my mind is the perfect combination of them both, analytically creative. Songwriting was never really a thought but more of natural instinct. It is how I process life. It is when I feel most at home within myself.
Do you play any instrument?
Yes I am an okay guitar player! It is funny to go back and think about my guitar lessons as a kid. Once I knew my basic chords, my poor teacher couldn’t get a hold of me. I just wanted to sing and play so that is often what we did. He would try to get me to play a scale every now and then but being as impatient as I am, most lessons he just had to listen to me sing. He ended up finding me a voice teacher.
Do you ever get nervous?
Totally! I am a crazy over-thinker. I often miss being a child when I had no social awareness and would just perform for anyone in the near vicinity. I do my best to revert back to that feeling and why I fell in love with music. It is all about connecting to other people. Once I can focus on that the nerves tend to fade.
Tell us about your new single “Convenience Store?”
Convenience Store is that song for anyone who has ever been in a long distance relationship. I think at some point in life we all come to realize that love isn’t enough to keep a relationship going. Both people need to be in it and work hard for each other. It can’t be one person at 100 percent and the other at 50 percent. This song discusses the reality that sometimes if you’re not in the same place at the same time, there will be someone else. It doesn’t matter that you’re better suited for each other or how much effort you are putting in. I do believe the right person will do anything to be with you. But life is also accepting that we all grow and mature at different rates.
What’s the story behind the song?
I wrote Convenience Store in August with my lovely friend and collaborator Brianna Nelson. Before I permanently moved to Nashville, I flew down here to play a show and do some cowriting at the end of last summer. She came to the apartment I was staying at and we caught up on life as you do in most sessions. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy in April of 2022 and something that comes along with seizures is losing your license for a period of time. So I had spent summer living in Boston where I had access to lots of public transportation. That summer I was also going through a break up of sorts that had a lot to do with distance and timing. Every morning as I walked to work I passed this same Convenience Store that had just enough beer, was close by and could get you what you needed in a pinch. It really stuck with me. This idea of convenience and how it translates to our romantic lives. So when me and Brianna started writing we got through a whole chorus before I brought up this idea of Convenience Store. We scrapped everything and the song just came together in two hours. I am so grateful to her and that we were able to bring this song to life.
Now tell us about the music video and where it was filmed? Did you participated in the creativity or the ideas behind it?
The music video was a blast. My cowriter Brianna Nelson actually helped me film it. She’s the best. We spent an afternoon driving to a convenience store in Nashville, walking around a few streets and on the top of the garage of my apartment. My thought process for the video was to show my side of a long distance relationship. In the first verse of the song I picture what his life looks like: the beer he buys, the street he walks, the girl he kisses. So showing the store I go to, the beer I buy and the streets I walk is giving that flipped perspective. Capturing that sentiment in the songs that we have separate, distanced lives. You can choose to make them work together or choose to work with what is in front of you.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Connection is definitely the most rewarding part of my work. I love that I am able to put shared experiences to music and give others an outlet to process their emotions.
What book should every entrepreneur read?
I am not sure I have found the book that every entrepreneur should read. But if you’re a songwriter you need to listen to the podcast “And The Write Is” by Ross Golan and Joe London. It is the closest you will get to a roadmap to this industry and incredibly informative. It changed my life and has done so much for guiding me through the career as a songwriter.
What advice would you give to your younger self and why?
Tune everyone out and just do you.
How would your best friend describe you?
Loud, sarcastic and secretly loves to dance.
If you are a book, what would be the title of the book and why?
East Coast Cowgirl, a story about a Massachusetts girl’s journey to Nashville and back.
What’s next for Jordan Armstrong in 2023?
So much! It is my year, I am 23 in 2023 and feeling good. The past few years have been bumpy and I’m sure this year will have its bumps too. But now I officially live in Nashville and am entering a pop-country era. Convenience Store is a jumping off point to a new genre world for me. I spent a lot of my time at Berklee College of Music on the pop-hamster-wheel so I’m excited to hop off and lean more into a sound that is inherently me.
What is your favorite healthy food?
Edamame!
And your favorite cheat food?
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels!
How would you explain your fashion style?
Coastal chic with lots of color.
What is your own definition of happiness?
Family and friends.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Kacey Musgraves.
What would be the dream holiday, and who would you go with?
South of France with my family.
Best advice ever given?
Be happy now, you can’t count on later.
Do you support any charity?
I was diagnosed with Epilepsy in April of 2022. I am now an Epilepsy Ambassador for the Epilepsy Foundation. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to spread awareness and further educate myself.
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years from now?
Endless writing, stadium stages and plenty of time for family and the beach.
What is you favorite song to belt out in the car/for karaoke?
Wannabe Spice Girls.
What do you think of Social Media?
It is tough but also gives independent artists the chance to grow on their own. I think like most things in life it has it positives and negatives.
Where we can follow you?
Instagram and TikTok: @jordanarmstrongmusic
Book: Her Country
Quote: Nobody is thinking about you as much as you’re thinking about yourself
Movie: She’s The Man
Tv Series: How I Met Your Mother
Favorite Food: Potatoes
Travel Destination: France
Sports Team: Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox and Syracuse
