Jordan Cierra and Her New Single “dymk?”

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Based in Los Angeles, Jordan Cierra NEEDS to be your new favourite artist. Released on January 31, 2025, “dymk?” is a pop-punk inspired ballad, incorporating that feeling of live instruments into the track. With all the nostalgia, and raw emotion, Jordan Cierra sits down with us to talk about her musical career.

Q: Hey, Jordan! How did you get to where you are today? How did you start?

A: I started writing songs when I was ten, but I’d been loving music and lyrics for a long time before that. I was inspired by the songs I was hearing from my mom’s playlists, TV shows, or the radio and ended up beginning to write my songs in the fourth/fifth grade. I took a long break from writing after I turned fourteen and didn’t seriously pick it back up until a couple of years later at full speed. In a more social media-driven world, I began posting my music through TikTok or my Youtube channel and just kept going until I eventually decided to work on my first single, “odyssey!”

Q: What does music mean to you? In making your music, who do you hope to inspire, and what message do you spread?

A: Music means everything to me. Anytime I try to imagine my life without it, in any capacity, it just feels empty. I think it’s one of the main things that helps me and so many other people feel connected to one another. You make friends at concerts or feel seen in a lyric that feels just for you, and suddenly, you’re a little less alone. I always hope to make people feel that way. If my music reaches one person and makes them feel heard or seen–that’s all I’ve ever wanted.

Q: Tell us about “dymk.” What themes and sounds did you intend to explore?

A: “dymk?” is a song that I wrote on my keyboard alone in my dorm room when I was 18, and from the second I wrote it, I knew that I wanted it to be more. I had always wanted to create a pop song that leaned a little rock or punk, and this song felt like the perfect experimentation of that. The anger and angst in this song was a place I rarely ever came from within my music. I usually write from a more vulnerable place of hurt or sadness, but calling someone out for doing you wrong can be just as vulnerable. In every single way, this song felt more personal to me than “Odyssey.” But I knew I wanted to create something honest, and empowering, and super fun.

Q: How does it differ or strike similar aspects to your debut single “odyssey”?

A: I knew for my second single I wanted to do something that felt different than the first. It was super important to me to show that I have other sides, other things that my voice and writing can do. “dymk?” has such a different vibe to “odyssey” even though I wrote the songs three days apart from one another. “dymk?” outwardly seems angrier and passive-aggressive, and just very much so, “I’m over this situation, you’re not worth my time,” but there’s a sadness there, too. There’s a piece of you lost when you waste time on people or situations that make you question yourself and how others perceive you. “odyssey” is about a similar thing, just from a different perspective in a different storyline. It’s coming from a place of hurt, but it’s just as vulnerable. To me, “dymk?” was harder to get right and even harder to share just because it was such an honest story I was telling of something that happened to me, while “odyssey” was a story that wasn’t necessarily mine but one I wanted to tell.

Q: Speaking of “odyssey?” How did it feel to get your debut single out into the world and for it to have 2300 streams?

A: It was so surreal. When I was first thinking about what I wanted for my first single, “odyssey” never crossed my mind. I didn’t think it was good enough or personal enough or that others would get it. I went back and forth with myself on what my first release would be, and I put so much pressure on it. I’d always loved this song personally, and one day I was just like-what if I do this one? It was sort of a test for me: to see what the response was, to see how I felt creating something and sharing it with people. The response has been so crazy. Knowing that people connect with the song or have the same favorite lyrics that I do, it’s just so special. When I saw the streams growing, I thought it was fake. I thought no one but my friends and I would ever hear it. I’m so grateful for where it’s been and where it’s still going.

Q: “Dymk” is very pop-punk inspired. Which genres do you want or have experimented with?

A: I always have wanted to be that artist that has their niche–to me, it’s my lyricism—but doesn’t get boxed in by genres. I’ve written some R&B songs and other pop-punk anthems. It’s a good sort of creative challenge for me. I think what I put out is just what I enjoy making the most. Right now, it’s pop music with inspiration in punk or dance or singer-songwriter, but who knows? One day, it could be an alternative R&B track like Frank Ocean, who I love, or something completely different I’ve never considered before. I like having options.

Q: What can you tell us about your upcoming EP? What is it about, and what does it sound like?

A: It’s my favorite thing to talk about ever. I got the idea for it about two years ago and never thought it would be possible. It’s so personal, every track, and at the center of it all is just me as a young person trying to figure things out. It’s about friends and family and love and how exciting all of these things can be, and how, when they end, it can leave you feeling like a shell of who you used to be. It’s about having grace for the things you’ve been through and just growing up. There’s a song for everyone on the EP, and this wasn’t done accidentally. I wanted to show as much of myself as a person and as an artist as I can, and I think these songs succeed in doing that.

Q: As it is your debut EP, how do you want it to be an introduction and stepping stone in your career? How do you want this EP to show the world what you can do?

A: I think I’m someone who loves creating larger projects, building little worlds. Each song I release has its little bubble in my mind, and this EP is just an amalgamation of the craziness that goes on up here. I think it’s a good introduction to who I am as an artist—it crosses genres, from singer-songwriter to more dance tracks to ballads to pop-punk. I want it to show what I can do now but also hint at what I could be in the future. There are many different routes I could take, while remaining true to my artistry.

Q: You have performed at WFNM and Breaking Sound! Speaking of shows, if you could choose any dream venue or event to perform at, where would it be?

A: I have a list of random goals I want to achieve as an artist, and so many of them are just the names of places I want to play. Highest on the list changes every single day, but as a California girl, I think number one for me currently is the Greek Theater. I’m obsessed with the vibe of the venue and most recently saw Lizzy Mcalpine there, and it just changed my life. In the same Cali theme, I’d have to say the Forum would be a crazy show as well. Or Coachella! I’ve already started mentally planning my outfits because I’m a little crazy!

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Q: How do you define authenticity in terms of your music and yourself?

A: Authenticity in terms of music and myself are the same thing, most of the time. It’s doing and making what feels best to me when it feels best to me. It’s allowing myself to change when I want to and challenge myself when I need to. It’s keeping the focus on lyrics and emotion but also having fun and not taking myself too seriously. It’s something I’m constantly reinventing, constantly figuring out. There are songs I wrote five years ago that don’t feel anything like me anymore, and then there are some that feel like a part of me. There are songs I wrote last month that don’t even feel like me anymore. I’m constantly changing, constantly evolving, and authenticity to me is allowing that to happen naturally.

Q: You’re from LA, and you’re a psychology student. How do those two things, as well as other aspects of your background, influence your music today?

A: Being from LA has inspired my music so much. Even though I’m biased, I think LA is one of the greatest music capitals of the world. I wholly believe that it’s because I’ve lived here my entire life that I even think I’m capable of being an artist. There’s something special about artists who come from small towns or places where music isn’t such a central thing—there’s so much work that goes into that and growing as an artist surrounded by a community that might look at you and think, “What are they doing?” But being in LA has taught me to dream. To believe that I could be like my favorite artists. Living here doesn’t mean I know I can make it or that I don’t have doubts—I stopped making music for years because I thought it would never happen for me. But it inspires me to keep going, to keep trying every single day, simply because there’s inspiration around every single corner.

Being a psych student has inspired me as well. I think getting deeper into what makes us all human has helped me relate better to others. We all feel alone. We all want to be loved. Writing songs from that place, not just for me but also for others, has changed the way I view music. It’s helped me tap into emotions I might’ve been scared to share before because I thought it was only me that felt that way. But I’ve learned that no, there’s no single emotion that I’ve felt that hasn’t been felt before. There’s something comforting about that.

Q: Which artists inspire you, or who would be a dream collaboration?

A: I’m inspired by so many artists—as a kid, I grew up on Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus or Beyonce. Now, I’m super in love with the same artists but also the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Frank Ocean, Troye Sivan, Conan Gray, SZA, Lizzy Mcalpine, Hozier, etc. The list goes on and on. I think a dream collaboration would probably be something a bit different than my typical genre. I think doing a song with Sza would be insane. Or Frank Ocean, if he ever comes back.