Columbus’ annual Pride Festival and Resource Fair “Stonewall Columbus Pride” is making its return Friday, June 19th and Saturday, June 20th this year, with an exciting headliner. Queer Pop artist JORDY will be taking the Freedom Main Stage on June 20th, ahead of the release of his new album In Retrospect, which is releasing on July 10th. Because AROUSE is the greatest college radio station in the world, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to interview JORDY ahead of this highly anticipated performance.
This interview is important for a variety of reasons; not only to highlight Stonewall Pride (the largest pride festival in the midwest!) and the wonderful work they have done for the Columbus community in the past 40+ years, but to highlight JORDY himself, an immensely talented artist, and his highly anticipated new album, as well as his recently released single, SICK!
I have decided to include the entirety of this interview for this article due to the wonderful and extensive answers I received from JORDY.
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Q1: Who were some of your musical inspirations in your early career, and how have you seen those inspirations change or grow as your career has grown?
A: “Earlier in my career, I was heavily inspired by artists like Lauv, Julia Michaels, Jeremy Zucker, and FLETCHER. Their songwriting, vulnerability, and ability to capture complex emotions in a relatable way had a huge impact on me as an artist. While they continue to be major inspirations, I’ve recently found myself reconnecting with the music that shaped me as a teenager. Artists like Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff played such an important role in my musical development, and I’ve been drawing from those influences more and more. As my career has grown, I think I’ve become more interested in embracing the sounds and artists that first made me fall in love with music. That sense of nostalgia has definitely found its way into my recent work.”
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Q2: Your new song “SICK!” tackles powerful themes of toxicity and restless love, and manages to be so universally understood while also being personal to you. When creating art like this, do you find it difficult and/or rewarding to speak on your own experiences like this?
A: “Definitely more rewarding. I’ve always been an open book and have never shied away from talking about the harder parts of life. For me, one of the most beautiful things about songwriting is that it allows you to turn those experiences and emotions into something tangible. You end up with a piece of music that captures exactly how you were feeling in that moment, and there’s something really magical about that.
What makes it even more rewarding is when people connect with it and see their own experiences reflected in the song. It reminds me that even our most personal stories can be universal. Honestly, I feel incredibly lucky that I get to process my life through music and share it with others.”
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Q3: What can fans expect from your new album, ‘In Retrospect’, and what does this “Bold New Era” mean for you as an artist?
A: “I think fans can expect a lot of vulnerability, which has always been a core part of my music, but this time there’s also a much stronger sense of nostalgia woven throughout the record. Every album I’ve made has included little hints of pop-rock influences, but with In Retrospect, I really wanted to fully embrace the music that raised me and shaped me as an artist.
This feels like a bold new era because it’s the most unapologetically myself I’ve ever been. Sonically, I stopped holding back and leaned into the sounds that first made me fall in love with music. Lyrically, I’m reflecting on the experiences, relationships, and lessons that have shaped me over the years. It feels both like a return to my roots and a step forward, and I’m excited for fans to hear that evolution.”
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Q4. What does this year’s pride theme, “Until we’re all free,” mean for your art and for the queer community?
A: “We need to protect each other, especially the trans community. Pride is a fight for ALL people in the community, not just a select few.”
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Q5: Pride celebrations, while wonderful, often find themselves confined to June, with companies or corporations often forgetting about the queer community as soon as the month is over. How do you find time to celebrate queer spaces and your own queerness year-round? Why is it important that pride can be felt year-round?
A: Pride is every day! Every song I write and release is inherently queer no matter what time of year I write or release it. There’s so much happening in our country that deserves our attention year round — we cannot confine our activism to just 30 days. Stay involved in your communities. Support local queer-owned establishments. Be loud.
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Q6. Finally, as a fun little closer question, what would your dream Pride festival artist lineup be? (Including yourself!)
A: What a fun question! I am currently obsessed with MUNA’s new album, so I would have to say MUNA. Other artists I’d love to have would be Slayyyter, Caroline Kingsbury, Zee Machine, Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, Carol Ades, and Chappell Roan. There’s too many to count, but those are some of my faves!
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All in all, JORDY’s dedication to staying true to oneself — being “unapologetically myself” as he puts it, resonates with me and really strikes a chord when it comes to the foundations and importance of Pride. Attention needs to be paid to Queer and marginalized communities every day of the year, not just in a month, and supporting those communities, creating art in those communities, and simply being yourself is more important than ever. I cannot think of a better artist to be headlining this year of Columbus Pride than someone who is so beautifully himself.
Please make sure to stream SICK! (out now!) As well as JORDY’s new album In Retrospect on July 10th. Go to Pride this year and have the time of your life! Be you, support local communities, and, in JORDY’s words, Be Loud!
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