You may know her as ‘it girl’ and New York City’s favourite socialite, however, there’s more to Toronto artist Jordan Alexander than meets the eye.
Alexander is a Canadian actress and singer who first gained prominence in a Facebook Watch series called “Sacred Lies: The Singing Bones.” She rose to fame in 2021 when she landed the lead role as Julien Calloway in the 2021 HBO Max reboot Gossip Girl.
Since then, she has attended the 2021 Met Gala, became a brand ambassador for Savage X Fenty and has dropped new singles, her most recent being “Leaving Toronto.”
Currently, the artist is experimenting with different styles of music, however she says as of now, she would define her music style as pop alternative.
“I feel like I love the shiny, polished bangers. But with my songwriting and my particular production style, I feel like I bring an alternative twist to it…I have an album coming out and it’s a lot of very different experimental sounds,” she said in an interview with Now Toronto.
Alexander said transitioning from acting to music was relatively easy because she has always leaned towards music.
“My heart has always and forever will be with music. I love acting as well. I think it’s really interesting. And it also helped me open a lot of doors and get some attention on my music as well,” she said.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM GOSSIP GIRL
From 2021 to 2023, the 30 year-old musician was the main character in Gossip Girl. Inspired by the 2007 original TV series, the show ran for two seasons and followed a new generation of Upper East Side private school teens who are targeted by a modern-day Gossip Girl, an anonymous gossiper who reveals the secrets of Manhattan’s elite. Alexander shared what she learned from being part of this highly popular project.
“I learned how to navigate the industry at that level, in terms of making sure to stay true to myself, but also, you know, prioritizing what’s going to be really good for me, like what compromise can I make where I still feel OK, but where I’m also getting my best opportunity,” she said.
She adds that the show also gave her the opportunity to experience what it felt like to be a college student who was living her dream in another city. But nevertheless, she still missed Toronto and the life she had.
“I never went to college. So, I feel like this was my college where I went out into the world and had a totally different experience away from home. And yeah, it was just amazing. And I love Toronto. I love this city. It’s like the nostalgia of being from a place, you know, I just have a lot of my memories here. So, I just love it here,” Alexander said.
INSPIRATION BEHIND ‘LEAVING TORONTO’
Though Alexander was born in Vancouver, she has lived in Toronto for most of her life and says her home is definitely in the 6ix, and that’s why she wrote her latest single surrounding it.
For many local and international artists, Toronto plays a huge influence in their music, so much so that they’ve created songs dedicated to the city itself. For instance, songs such as Party Next Door’s “Break from Toronto”, Snoh Aalegra’s “Toronto” and Drake’s “5 a.m. in Toronto” have become anthems for the city.
As a new musician who hopes to join the successful clan, Alexander reveals what makes her song “Leaving Toronto” different from the rest.
“I would say what makes my ‘Leaving Toronto’ different is my take on it. It’s a song about when you experience the most painful heartbreak, something that you just really didn’t see coming. But then, also something exciting happening at the same time,” she explained.
“So, I was leaving Toronto, which was sad because I was having a really tough personal time. But I was also leaving Toronto because I had one of the biggest successes of my career…So, the idea for the song came right before I left to New York,” she continued.
She goes on to say that “Leaving Toronto” is about leaving two things she loved deeply, the city and the person that broke her heart, and coping with that intense pain.
“The city became the backdrop of our love story and so I was leaving both of it and it was just so crazy. I still really deeply remember how that felt like. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that. Gravity stopped working. I was floating in space. I couldn’t understand what was going on,” she described.
Based on the lyrics and story lines of Alexander’s recent music videos, such as “Leaving Toronto,” “Cool,” “You,” and “Fade Away,” there is an evident theme of unreciprocated love, betrayal, and post-break up emotions. In response, the singer says she often gets inspiration from past relationships because it’s what speaks to her the most.
“I definitely feel like mostly what I write about is interpersonal relationships and the different ways that we interact with people and how that makes me feel because it’s really incredible. Because it’s an invisible thing, right? How somebody makes you feel, but it’s so strong,” she said.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE TORONTO ARTIST?
Much like in her music videos, Alexander says she encourages artists to not be afraid to show their true selves in everything they do.
“One thing for Gossip Girl was they had seen my music video just to get more reference about who I am. And like how I am. And so the more stuff that you have out there even if it’s not the most polished, perfect thing, it gives people the ability to imagine and know that you are someone to put yourself out there,” she said.
In terms of what’s next for the multifaceted artist, she plans to continue phasing between her forms of art, whether that is music, acting, or modeling.
Fans can look forward to her live performance at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) on Mar. 8, as well as her upcoming album set to drop in the near future.
