RunOffBroke might be one of those artists to emerge from lockdown more complete, more ready to face whatever the music industry evolves into.
Filtered through young creativity and a period living in Berlin, Jordan Wilson dabbles in house and afrobeat sounds as well as his rapping, working regularly with producer NINETY7HERTZ to produce what’s turned out to be a heap of recent material.
Back in Ireland after those Berlin escapades, he talks us through what it’s all been about…
You seem to be firing out the singles at the moment. What’s brought on the creative period?
We just decided that it’s time to start working as hard as we can. If we really want this music to go where we want it to, then we need to keep the work rate high. NINETY7HERTZ and I are honestly lucky that we’re in this quarantine cause it gives us a lot of time to work on new material, new songs are being made every day and that’s not gonna stop for a long time!
For your latest single, about a conflicted relationship, is there a particular story behind the track?
I’ve definitely been in some situations with some crazy ladies, I’m not gonna say any names but they know who they are. It’s a strange thing because inherently for all of us in abusive situations we can find ourselves holding onto the rare good times you have in them and that’s basically what the songs about! But look we can go deeper about that over a few drinks.
What’s your typical process for putting a track together?
97 starts making a beat and then we need to get down a chorus, that’s what the whole song is based off. Whatever I end up writing the chorus about is what the song will be about! I feel like that’s the best way to do it cause if you start off writing verses then the main part that carries the song has to be based on too much information and things just get messy.
How have you found your American and German touring experiences?
Playing in other countries has been cool! Touring is the craziest thing I’ve gotten to experience in my life definitely, jumping around a bunch of different cities, meeting new fans, and experiencing different cultures is way too fun and when you are getting paid to do it, it doesn’t even feel like a job!
Does your time in Berlin filter through your sound much? What did you learn from being out there?
It definitely has changed my sound and for the better, I think! Berlin was crazy, we had some rough times out there but the effects it had on our music is something I’d never change. What I mostly learned from being out there was that you can’t just sit back and expect shit to happen for you, only words I have to say to myself after that is ‘go chase your dreams, you useless piece of ****’
How do Irish audiences differ from those abroad?
The Irish are way crazier than anywhere else, you could be playing a love song and there’s gonna be mosh pits. I’m not sure what it is about us Irish but we all definitely have ADHD of some sort and possibly a minor case of HPV but that just depends on how wild they get.
Can you tell me a bit about the background that’s brought you to this point?
I grew up writing rhymes all the time, I just never knew how to properly use them until recently. I did a lot of dumb stuff when I was younger that led to me moving out at a young age. Mostly looking to chase the music, but I let that vision get a little skewed partying for most of that time.
I was living in this squat like a year and a half ago and my girl at the time broke up with me, and I remember I was in the middle of like a 3-day party afterward and I just decided I couldn’t let myself get like this. So I called Tristan Lux and told him I wanna work! Now he’s my manager!
Did starting with music so young give the chance to evolve to this point before going too public?
I feel like working with other people especially 97 and Tristan, who have helped me evolve big time! It’s not just me doing this anymore we’re a team and together we work perfectly!
What are your plans for the future?
I want to do more tours and expand my fan base across the world. I can see it now, fans screaming my lyrics along with me while I perform to the thousands. The shows will be crazy and I can’t wait.
