Tommy Jordan aka Phaze
Rap recording artist Tommy Jordan aka Phaze is hot on the Canadian indie music scene. I love the classic rap style of his songs My Way and Pray for Me, but my favorite is the unique track Save Me Again, because of its lovely back track and singing breaks.
I asked Phaze who sings with him on that single: “That’s a local artist. Her name is Simone Duke. She hasn’t been working in music very long. She doesn’t take lessons. I guess she was just born to sing. Recently, I’ve been trying to bring her into the music scene. We’ve recording quite a few songs together. The other singer is the softer side of rapper Absolute. Same guy, different style.”
Soon, Phaze plans to release an EP he recorded with Absolute. Here’s the scoop: “It’s only five tracks, but we spent months on writing the lyrics, finding producers and paying for it. We’ve been friends since I moved to Canada in ’07. From all those years of friendship, we’ve followed each other’s addictions and everyday problems. He’s helped me a lot with my depression and anxiety. The EP is really personal. It’s got a basic name of Phaze and Absolute, and it should be available late 2017, early 2015 on iTunes.”
Phaze has quite a long music career. Before starting a solo career as a rapper and producer, Phaze played with another band for seven years. I asked Phaze to tell us his back story: “Since I was born, I’ve loved music. I’ve been through different phases and genres and now I listen to everything. Growing up in England, I learned the electronic scene and rap scene. I was huge into techno for the longest time; I produced a lot of techno and electro. I used to make rap beats for artists in the UK.”
When Phaze moved to Canada, he started with a DJ company called Cadence: “We still are very good friends. We DJ’d many clubs throughout Alberta. It wasn’t until April 2014 that I decided to start rapping. I’ve always thought of rhymes in my head, and when I was going through a rough time, I started writing them down. My roommates told me to start rapping, so I gave it a shot. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve felt, so I carried it on. All my hard work and dedication ~ that’s how I got to where I am now.”
Phaze collaborates with many artists, so I asked him what he looks for: “I look for personal things. I look into their life. I have my own sense of style and flow now, so I look for certain things in songs and lyrics. If I can feel the emotion of the person and I can see it’s something personal, it’s always a hit in my book, so I just ask them.”
It’s not uncommon for Phaze to meet an artist while out gigging and decide he wants to work together: “There are two artists in town, who I met at an open mike night. We just got talking and they sent me their ReverbNation link. I checked it out, and I could hear the personal side to their music, so it really hit the spot for me.”
Phaze extensively uses social media to connect with fans. “When I didn’t have many fans, I’d message each one personally. Now that my Facebook page has gone over 10,000 Likes, it’s hard to keep up with that many people. I still message fans from time to time and they message me. I always take advice from them, no matter what.”
Now, that Phaze’s popularity has increased, he cannot keep up with that personal touch: “Honestly, the biggest way to connect is to pay other people to do it for me. I write a message that relates to most of my fans and other people send it for me.” Phaze has three social media assistants, one that works in Trinidad and Tobago and two that work in the United States.
To learn more about Phaze, go out and listen to his music. The best places to find him are Facebook, SoundCloud and ReverbNation. If you send him a personal message, he always replies to it himself.
So, now that Phaze is really starting to take off, I asked him what he advises other indie artists: “I would say dedication and be yourself, but in this day and age, there’s so many people doing different things, it’s almost impossible to get your name out there. It can cost a lot of money to get your name out there. If you put as much time into promoting as you put into the actual music, then you’ll get somewhere. I think everyone deserves a chance. Try and target a certain audience and see if you can succeed in that area.”
Phase uses a promotion firm called Dreams2Reality, which is based in the United States. It’s a team of six people, and he pays them by the hour to promote his music.
Phaze is working on a new album: “It’s called Dark Days. It has some depression features to it, but there are also some catchy songs. There will be a lot of guest artists, from England, Quebec and Alberta. I actually recorded six songs today, which are extremely personal.”
He’s also working on several unfinished projects: “I’ve been stuck between two and three albums. I’m not sure when to release them or if I’m even happy with them any longer. The album that’s complete and ready to release is called My Other Side, with 16 tracks. It’s my favorite, so I may not release it for a while.”
Well, I wish Phaze all the best with the upcoming release of Phaze and Absolute. He’s also releasing a free mixtape in November, with the first track available on Halloween.
The Amused Now Featured Artist Series
Tommy Jordan aka Phaze
@Tjordan18Tommy
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
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