Feb. 4th at Harbourfront!

One to Watch: Rochelle Jordan
Find out why media the world over are hailing this UK-born, Toronto-based singer “the future of R&B.”
BY:DENISE BENSON

Who: Rochelle Jordan a.k.a. ROJO is far more than just the latest R&B sensation to emerge from Toronto amid a chorus of comparisons to Drake. The U.K.-born singer-songwriter has been heralded as a voice that’s key to the genre’s comeback as she forges strong links between contemporary R&B’s last great period—that is, the 1990s—and its future.

Singing steadily since her teens, Jordan has spent the past five years focused on her songwriting chops. She found her signature sound—buttery-smooth vocals paired with stuttering, spacey beats—after beginning to work with future-minded Los Angeles producer Kelvin “Klash” Montgomery in 2009. Montgomery found Jordan on YouTube, pestered her to check his MySpace and convinced her to collaborate. Their Alien Phase EP, released independently in July of 2010, was the resulting calling card.

A year later, the two turned heads with Jordan’s “remix” of Drake’s “Marvin’s Room,” in which the songstress took on the persona of a seasoned, spurned lover with a thing or two to say. Last August, Jordan impressed with the 15-track digital album dubbed ROJO. Performing as the sweet-voiced, but heavy-hitting ROJO, Jordan brought an electronic edge to a laid-back set of songs that also showcased her ability to rap on occasion. ROJO included an interpretation of Radiohead (“Sleep”), the spartan standout “How to Feel” and radio-friendly smoothies like “Feel the Same Way.” ROJO, the performer, has range.

“I’ve been creating like this for three years, and since then I’ve really been trying to figure out who I am and how I want to be perceived both vocally and musically,” explains Jordan. “The writing is getting better as I mature, and everything you’ve heard so far has been recorded and vocally produced by myself. I’ve gotten time to know my vocals, to push myself and do what I want. Naturally, I’ve grown more confident in what I do so everything started sounding better. I’ve definitely got more space to grow, though.”

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