Young music producer Jordie Ireland is turning heads

At just 21 years of age, Jordie Ireland’s first track landed him a record deal.

Jordie Ireland

At just 21 years of age, Jordie Ireland’s first track landed him a record deal.

It takes a rare talent indeed to sign a record deal based on a single track, but 21-year-old Jordie Ireland managed to pull it off with none other than his debut single.

The Maroubra-based producer launched the seriously slick track Take Cover last year, landing a deal with Universal and launching himself into the spotlight as one of the rising stars of Australia’s electronic dance music scene.

It’s an interesting time to be a music producer. The rise and rise of the likes of American star Pharrell Williams, Scottish hit-maker Calvin Harris and Australia’s own Flume has marked a new chapter for music as producers take on the global stage for themselves.

In fact, it was the addictive beats and strong melodies of the late Swedish artist Avicii, who became the world’s most famous DJ, who first inspired Ireland to get behind a mixing board.

He saw Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, perform at an under-18s festival and knew straight away that’s what he wanted to do - even though at the time he was just 14 years old and forbidden from entering the clubs that made his hero famous.

The news of Bergling’s death in April this year had a profound impact on the young artist.

“It was super-upsetting, I’ve actually got a tattoo of his logo on my wrist. It’s kind of a reminder of why I started and how it impacted my career,” Ireland tells the Daily Telegraph.

“But also, at the same time, I kind of feel the need to make sure that his legacy continues on through the dance industry - whether that’s through people like me who have been inspired by him, or people making music similar to what his sound was. That’s not easy though - I don’t think anyone can replicate him.”

In the past seven years, Ireland has gone from performing at friends’ events and house parties to commanding stages like Marquee, one of Sydney’s hottest nightclubs.

These days, he’s performing alongside the likes of Joel Fletcher, whose is most famous for his remix of the 2005 track Swing, which reached number one on the ARIA charts in 2014 and was certified platinum.

Ireland knows he’s talented, and he knows he’s luckier than most, but he’s not taking it for granted. Speaking to him over the phone, he’s incredibly likeable and it’s impossible to resist his enthusiasm.

“I was so lucky that I didn’t have to go through the amateur artist phase. Once I wrote [Take Cover] and signed it off, that was it. I had this one other song on Spotify a few years ago, and now when I listen to it, it’s horrible,” he laughs. “I still listen to it sometimes just to see how far I’ve come.”

Aside from Universal, other brands are jumping on board too, like American Express, which just chose him as one of the recipients of its Music Backers Grant program.

“Having the label behind me is huge, and having someone like Amex come along is confirmation that what I’m doing is working. Getting people’s attention, at the end of the day, is why we do it. It’s about making people connect with the music and making their lives a little bit better.”

Of course, a star doesn’t rise by itself, and Ireland acknowledges he’s been hustling hard. He realised early his success on the music industry wouldn’t depend on what he knew, but whom.

“Once you know one person, you find a hundred more you need to know. Obviously that’s true in every industry, but especially music. I scoured the web for any email address I could find,” he says.

“My story obviously connected with them a bit and they loved the song. How well Take Cover went kinda shows how strong a track needs to be to get their attention.”

His debut record was one of the first times he’d ever worked with a vocalist. He laid down the track but decided it needed something extra, so he added a powerful vocal track and a hit was born.

He clearly knew he was onto something, because he also featured a singer in his second track, One In A Million, which was released in May. This time, he and the singer started with a simple chord progression and co-wrote it from the beginning, creating a summery pop tune dedicated to friendship.

While the two singles share some similarities, Ireland is reluctant to lock himself into a genre.

“It’s interesting, you used to have producers working on tracks for other well-known artists, but now we’re seeing artists like David Guetta with their names all over the tracks. The vocalists are almost complementing what the producers have done,” he says.

“You turn on the radio and every second song is a dance song instead of a pop song. At the end of the day I’m creating pop music, but I’m trying not to be too alternative or too poppy. Somewhere in between. I just want to keep making new sounds.”

Originally published as Young music producer Jordie Ireland is turning heads