Let Jordan Stephens be your Internet Guide

A polymath for the ages, Jordan Stephens can do it all, and he does it with integrity.

November 6, 2019

Having just released his debut EP P.I.G. (Pain Is Good),Jordan has found his sound and is ready to share it with the world. “P.I.G.is 5 expressions of the same battle”, the artist explained “What I love most about making music is learning more about myself. I’ve had an unusual life and met a lot of people but it feels as though I’m only just meeting myself and it’s not easy. But so far, everything on the other side of discomfort seems promising.”

Speaking openly about mental health in his music and outside, Jordan has been very active in creating awareness around the stigma including his #IAMWHOLE campaign which reached over 120 million people online and was recognised by the Houses of Parliament. We caught up with the vibrant multi-hyphenate star to talk memes, music and poetry…

What would you like to see more of online? What about less of?

I’d like to see more kissing online. Good old tongues out kissing. What an art. I think I’m a little bored of seeing sports cars in videos.

What or who is the best account you follow? The worst?

Best account for me for a while was @nayyirah.waheed. She posts very short poetry that I’ve found, at times, to be immediately transformative. There are a few accounts that I follow where I’ve either worked with them or truly love them as a person. However the reality is that I don’t know them well enough to enjoy throwbacks to their second cousin’s wedding.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve read about yourself online?

That I’m illuminati.

What’s your favourite meme?

Probably the one where the girl texts a guy saying that her grandad’s just died and his response is “mad ting wuu2?”

What’s your earliest memory of the Internet?

Taking 3 days to download an Elbow track for my mum off Limewire.

Is the Internet a good or bad thing for music?

I think to, an extent, the internet has essentially put the power with the people in regards to music. You can make an empire in your front room. You can also become friends with influencers and go to parties and rule the world.

How many followers represent success?

In my mind success is measurable only by how a person feels in themselves. I know people with millions of followers who aren’t comfortable with who they are. I know people who aren’t on Instagram at all who are reasonably happy. There are also artists or poets who have changed my entire life in real life. In person. Having seen them live. I don’t need to know loads about them.