On The Row: Jordan Fletcher Infuses ‘Classic’ Soft-Rock Sounds Into Sophomore EP

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Jordan Fletcher. Photo: Jacqueline Justice

Jordan Fletcher is one of the talented creators mixing multi-genre flavors into country music. Drawing from influences such as Jack Johnson and Jason Isbell, his acoustic soft rock-country blend is soothing yet upbeat.

Earlier this year, Fletcher released his Cuts & Covers collection featuring popular songs that he co-wrote along with a cover of a favorite by Post Malone while preparing his sophomore EP, Classic. Accompanied by the Triple Tigers team as well as collaborator and producer Austin Nivarel, Fletcher recently swung by the MusicRow office to tell his story and share some tracks from the forthcoming project.

He grew up listening a variety of music, but became truly aware of its healing power after purchasing Johnson’s famous In Between Dreams album while his late father was battling cancer. Fletcher describes wearing the record out during the drives back and forth from his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida to the treatment center in Tampa.

Pictured (L–R): MusicRow‘s Madison Hahnen, Liza Anderson, LB Cantrell, Jordan Fletcher, MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Madison Hahnen and John Nix Arledge

“That project is so peaceful, and it was so medicinal for me because I was in such a weird place,” he notes. “That knowledge of what music can do is something I can reach for when I’m writing something, which is good because it pushes me.”

Fletcher initially moved to Nashville as a drummer and quickly hit the road. He then started selling merchandise and opening for Muscadine Bloodline, going from 15-minute sets to 30–45-minute sets. A year later, Fletcher signed his first publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music.

His agreement had ended, and he had just welcomed his first son, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fletcher found himself pressing pause on his career and planned to move back to Florida with his family.

While walking his dog with a newborn baby strapped to his chest, the songsmith got a call from J.R. Schumann, who was at SiriusXM’s The Highway at the time, regarding one of Fletcher’s acoustic tracks. With the artist’s blessing, Schumann sent it to Triple Tigers’ George Couri and within a few months, Fletcher had a new management and record deal, and had resigned with Sea Gayle. Since then, he has sought to push the country envelope and define his individual sound with collections like Classic.

Fletcher started developing the EP in Nivarel’s attic. Over a five-year period, he penned tunes that he felt couldn’t be found anywhere else.

“I’ve gotten to see all different eras of Jordan and watch him try different things,” Nivarel expressed. “I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this record. He’s the most positive and uplifting person to work with and you can hear that in the songs, so I just try to bring that energy to life.”

Jordan Fletcher & MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson

When reflecting on the curation of Classic, Fletcher says that as the concepts matured throughout the six songs, so did he. “It’s me in a nutshell in terms of my growth and experience as an artist.”

He kicked off the preview with “No Place Like Home,” which was inspired by the transition period between leaving the place you were raised in and moving to a new place that eventually becomes your home. The song led Fletcher to the realization that he had already made that transition from Florida to Tennessee.

“I always say that my songs are smarter than I am because, when they’re all said and done, they say something that I wasn’t originally intending to say,” he shared. “As you get older, you realize that home isn’t just a ‘where,’ it’s also a ‘when,’ and this song just recognizes that.”

Fletcher moved on the heartbreakingly-clever “About Jill,” which he wrote with Nora Collins. Unveiled last month, the tune tells the story a single mother by depicting the contrast between her lifestyle and the lifestyle of her son’s seemingly-estranged father. He then shared the title track, with a verve reminiscent of the early 2000s, as well as another previously-released number, “Fall In The Summer,” which marked his highest streaming debut to date. The full EP is set for release this Friday (Sept. 27).

Liza Anderson
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