Hi, everyone! I recently sat down to chat with Vancouver singer/songwriter, Jordan Heaney, AKA Yung Heazy. While Heaney never expected big results musically, he certainly won over critics and music fans alike with his debut single, “Cuz You’re My Girl" back in 2017. The song has since become a viral hit, and Heaney has steadily been releasing music and touring across the US and Canada since then. Additionally, Heaney has had the honor to go across the world and perform at Lokotara Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia with the likes of Mellow Fellow and Boy Pablo. Reading about Jordan's music background made me excited, and I'm glad he was able to sit down and chat with me!
bazzreviews: Which albums or artists inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
Jordan Heaney: The Beatles were huge for me growing up, my dad had all the tapes of their albums so I was always surrounded by their sound. It wasn’t until around grade 5 where I thought that I would want to do music seriously, and I started getting into bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers when I was first learning how to play a guitar.
br: Before you had a big music career, I understand you were a big soccer player and could have turned professional. What made you stick with music rather than play soccer?
J.H.: I really loved soccer, my game was super baller back then. I had scouts always coming to watch me play when I was in high school and stuff, and I had an opportunity to play for one team. I just didn’t really want to do that because to me, music was more of a creative pathway.
br: I also see you hanging around with comedians and YouTubers alike, would you say that YouTube may have been another possible career choice if music didn’t pan out?
J.H.: Yeah, definitely, at one point I did have an aspiration for becoming a YouTuber. I watch a lot of YouTube-- PewDiePie and s--t like that-- and I got to know Chad “Cherdleys” LeBaron and all his friends before he blew up. I follow a lot of the drama that these YouTubers endure, and it seems like a very stressful career!
br: You’ve also shown some comedic tendencies, too. Can you tell me about the time you jumped on stage at an Arctic Monkeys show, hugged the lead singer and got thrown out of the venue by security?
J.H.: Yeah, I was with a few of my friends at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver three seats away from the stage. The whole night, we had been talking about if one of us were to jump on the stage, but no one was very serious about it except me. When they were playing their last song, “505”, and I knew that I had to get ready for that s--t. I saw a bouncer turn away to deal with someone else, jumped over him and onto the stage to give Alex Turner a hug. Another bouncer got up on the stage and threw me off, he was super pissed. Despite getting kicked out, it was totally worth it.
br: What’s the significance behind your stage name, Yung Heazy?
J.H.: It came from listening to Kanye West. I thought because he said “Yeezy”, what if I was “Heazy?” I made it up as a joke one day, and it just stuck from there.
br: I’ve heard you’re known for putting on some crazy live shows- would you say that you prefer performing live rather than working in the studio?
J.H.: For a long time, I hated being in the studio and working on new songs. However, I’ve been focusing mostly on recording for the past year, so I’ve had a change of heart. It’s more 50-50 for me, I get different rushes from both things. Live shows are fun because there are so many people there and you can go crazy. For the more introverted person, recording in the studio is fun and you can get the same rush that you would from playing live.
br: What can you tell me about your old band Frogpile and dressing up like the Trailer Park Boys for a show in Whistler with Hockey Dad and The Velveteins?
J.H.: I remember that one! It was a Halloween show, but it was awkward because neither band dressed up nor the audience. We stood out, and it was a great show. Frogpile didn’t tour very much, but we would put on some f----n’ sick live shows when we did.
br: What about the time you and Cole Frizell were vomiting and having diarrhea before going on stage in Indonesia?
J.H.: That was another good time too. We got to Jakarta and they gave us the nicest foods like meat skewers with peanut sauce and all that other good s--t. We were doing fine until the day we were supposed to play at Lokotara Fest, and then it all came back and hit us. It was disgusting, and at that point we were just riding on straight adrenaline.
br: Can you describe your process for how you make a song?
J.H.: It’s hard to say. I make songs differently than how I used to. I’ll usually start with a melody or a guitar line and build from there. Lately, I’ve been trying to make songs with only a beat or something without anything live instruments. I’ll build it purely from the computer and just see where it leads me.
br: What’s more important to you- lyricism or production value and instrumentation?
J.H.: I like good lyrics. It’s tricky because it’s the hardest part for me. I try to be honest with every song I write and go deep to find good s--t to write about.
br: From the lyrics in a lot of your songs-- especially your signature “Cuz You’re My Girl”- there seems to be a lot about romance. What fuels your inspiration to release songs in this style?
J.H.: I think there’s something cool about expressing yourself very openly and at your most vulnerable. I think listening to guys like Father John Misty allowed me to get to that place. I had never heard anyone write about love in such a genuine way until I listened his albums.
br: I know that “Cuz You’re My Girl” was originally planned to be made by the previously mentioned Frogpile, but they rejected it. How does your choice of releasing it on your own add to the overall importance of the track?
J.H.: It was all done on a whim. I needed a present for my girlfriend for Valentine’s Day and decided to whip out the most lovey-dovey song out of my back pocket and hoped it would work. I didn’t really care if other people gave me s--t for it, I just wanted to make it resonate, and I’m so surprised it’s become the hit that it has.
br: What songs are you most proud of in your discography?
J.H.: I really like this new song I’m putting out on my new album called “Social Anxiety”. I love a lot of the lyrics on there, and the guitar line on there reminds me a lot of “Blackbird” on the Beatles meeting Radiohead.
br: You just mentioned something about a new album, can you tell me a little bit about what it has in store?
J.H.: Yeah, your boy is aiming for a release date next January! I will say it’s a lot sadder than my older stuff, and it’s still quick and upbeat at the same time.
br: What music goals do you have for the future?
J.H.: My biggest music goal for the future is writing orchestral music and directing a band of some sort to go with it. I’ve been working on this song for what feels like seven years now that’s twelve to sixteen minutes long, so I’m hoping to put that out and make something out of it. It’s like a few small songs mixed into one and they’re all flowing seamlessly into each other.
LIGHTNING ROUND:
Name one album you find as overrated and one you find as underrated. Underrated- None
Overrated- OK Computer by Radiohead
What was the first album you ever bought?
Bullet in the Bible by Green Day
Who was the first artist you ever saw live?
A Beatles’ tribute band
If you could put a band together with any four musicians- living or dead, who would it be?
John Frusciante, Thom Yorke, Julian Casablancas and John Lennon
I'd like to thank a few people for this interview, first and foremost, Tristan Orchard, Jordan's manager. Thanks for getting me in contact with him, I had a great time talking and learning about his career! A second big thank you to Cole Frizell for giving me a lot of background about Jordan for the interview, you're the real MVP here. Finally, I'd like to thank my readers. Thanks again for continuing to tune in to bazzreviews content, even though I've been on the busier side lately. Listen to Yung Heazy and keep sticking around for more awesome stuff coming soon!
To hear some of Jordan's music, log on to https://yungheazy.bandcamp.com/
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