Having a hit-song writing uncle and a singer/songwriter older brother, Jordan Davis is living proof that some families have music in their DNA. With hits like “Singles You Up” and “Buy Dirt” and a new album out this summer, Jordan has country music running through his veins.This week, Country Thunder CEO Troy Vollhoffer sits down with Jordan Davis to discuss why being on the road can make someone a more efficient songwriter, and why the best way to write a new song is to talk to as many people as possible. Even though touring can be a grind, Jordan tells Troy why he treats every night like it’s the Super Bowl. With the ACMs just a week away, Troy has his eye on Ella Langley as she continues to make a name for herself in country music.
Chapter 1: Who is Jordan Davis and what are his musical roots?
Welcome back to On the Bus with Country Thunder. We have a great show planned for you. Today's guest is Jordan Davis, whose career continues to skyrocket. Since he moved from Shreveport, Louisiana to Nashville, he's made a name for himself. Jordan is known for platinum-selling number one hits, Single You Up, Take It From Me, and Slow Dancing in the Parking Lot.
You of course know and love his collaborative hit with Luke Bryan, By Dirt. Jordan is currently on a North American tour and will be releasing his third full-length album later this year. Please welcome Jordan Davis to the show. How are you doing, Jordan? I'm doing great, Troy. Thanks for having me on, man. Oh, you're welcome.
I know you're busy, and it's great that you carved out some time for us here. Let's start with where are you from?
Chapter 2: Where did Jordan Davis grow up and what was his childhood like?
Yeah, I was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, northwest corner of Louisiana. People in south Louisiana call it Shreveport, Texas, which I'm not a fan of, but no, it's still home. My dad's still there, so... Yes, report.
I read something that you'd come from a musical family, country musical family, that brother was an artist and you wrote songs together. And can you explain to us exactly that relationship?
Yeah, I think it even goes back further. My uncle was a songwriter, moved to Nashville in the late 80s. He's got a couple hits under his belt with Tracy Lawrence, Ken Mellon's song. I feel like songwriting has been in the family for a long time. My dad did it. My brother was the first to move. He moved in 2010. I followed him in 2012. You know, he's still my closest co-writer that I have today.
Kind of a family business. We couldn't outrun it for too long.
That's awesome. That's awesome. So let's go back to your childhood. So what were some of the favorite things that you did in Shreveport? What did you do?
yeah man it was uh you know i mean louisiana sportsman's paradise so i really grew up hunting and fishing uh we had a deer camp in minden not far from shreveport uh that you know we spent our weekends at my dad would come pick us up on friday and we would take off to minden and then in the summers my my grandpa lived on toledo bend so i would go stay with them and
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Chapter 3: What education did Jordan Davis receive before pursuing music?
You know, so kind of grew up either fishing in the summers or just around the woods in the winter.
After high school, you went to university.
You got a pretty impressive degree. Well, it sounds impressive. It sounds fancy. No, it was a—I went to LSU. Being born in Louisiana, it was—you know, you had to be a Tiger. There was no way around it. So when I went to school, we had a big—
natural gas boom in north louisiana east texas so i had a bunch of buddies getting out of school getting a job and that was kind of why i settled on environmental science resource conservation so luckily i didn't have to use it for too long i worked a little bit out of college i had a job with an environmental company for about five months and then packed it up moved to nashville
Chapter 4: When and how did Jordan Davis move to Nashville and start his career?
Well, a straight job, huh? How about that? What year did you move to Nashville?
I moved in 2012, June 2nd, 2012. Wow.
Chapter 5: What was Jordan Davis’s experience releasing his first hit single?
And your first hit was what? Record deal came about 2016, something like that?
Yeah, I ended up signing in 2016. My first single hit in the tail end of 2017, Singles You Up, was my first one.
That was a big hit. It's a big, it was a big one.
It was a big one.
I mean, that's amazing because once you get your first hit, it's kind of like, uh, the followup to it. It's like your second record. You got your lifetime to put your first record together, whether you write it or not, or co-write it or whatever. And then you, you have like less than a year to put the next record up. Yeah.
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Chapter 6: How does touring influence Jordan Davis’s songwriting process?
How was that experience for you? It was tough because I mean, that's nail on the head right there. You have a lot of time to write. I had almost six years to write songs for that first album and about a year and a half for the second. I feel like it made me a better writer. You get busy on the road, so when you come home, you've got to have your rights figured out. You got to go in with an idea.
You got to have a better idea of what you want to do for the record in general, for the whole album. I think what made it easier for me is I knew the tent poles I wanted to hit. When I got that song, I left it. I didn't try to go back and beat it. I just trusted that that was it. We checked that box and we were going on to the next track list.
I think it made me write more effective and it really honed in on the writers that I enjoy writing with and guys that I could come in and spit out an idea to and we could kind of get to it sooner than taking a week to finish the song like we've done before.
Right, right. Where do you find your inspiration for writing?
I love to talk to people, man, and I feel like people talk in song lyrics, you know, and I think that the fun in songwriting is being in the moment. When somebody says something, I'm verbal with it. I'm like, oh man, that'd be a killer idea for a song. I literally write it down in my phone right then. That really is a lot of where my song ideas come from.
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Chapter 7: Where does Jordan Davis find inspiration for his songs?
I feel like it also helps me become a better human being, just talking to people and getting to know them. We spend a lot of time on the road and it's you know walk into a coffee shop and order a cup of coffee and ask the barista how she's doing you know and um who knows three minutes later you might have a song idea out of it
That's fantastic. You know, I always stress this to our listeners. Country music's an amazing format for the songwriter. I think more so than any other format. Who are some of the guys who you just click with who are go-to writers that you like to write with that you have that chemistry with?
My producer, Paul DiGiovanni, is one that I've been writing with going back to 2013 when we had our first co-write together. My brother is another one that I usually have at least to write with a month. Josh and Matt Jenkins are two guys that I've been writing with going back to 2013. Travis Wood, Steve Mochler, guys that I feel like I can just
not come in and be vulnerable with, be honest, be real. It doesn't even have to be that kind of song. Obviously, I've written some pretty heavy songs with some of those writers, but it's still fun to come in with just a fun idea and be like, guys, I need this for the album. Um, they're versatile and they can kind of do it.
So, uh, those are ones right now that I've been really writing a lot with here recently.
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Chapter 8: Who are Jordan Davis’s favorite collaborators and songwriting partners?
That's awesome. So let's talk about on the road. Uh, I know you spend a lot of time on the road, the extensive tour that you're on right now, which takes you to the end of the year. How is it out there? You're carrying your own production.
You got a big show. You know, there's nothing better than touring and playing shows. Things at home have changed a lot. So, you know, I got three kids. I got another baby coming in June. You know, so you always obviously miss them. But I don't know what else I would be doing. And what's crazy is I moved to Nashville to just be a songwriter.
I never really had dreams of being a touring artist or, you know.
I had no idea that. Yeah. Yeah.
i didn't think that was in the cards for me so uh you know being able to to say that that's what i do now i don't understand i don't know what i would be doing i don't know how touring isn't going to be a part of my life for a really long time it's not all sunshine and roses like it probably looks uh you know you miss a lot of things especially when it comes to the kiddos but man i i wouldn't have it any other way touring is a pretty awesome thing
and congratulations on your headlining status that's uh so when did that actually take place when was that transformation from being a support act to becoming a headliner last year was our first time really going out and taking a swing at it i mean i was sweating it you know you never think that you know because we've been able to tour with some amazing artists you know going back to
2014, first time I went out with Chase Rice and Kip Moore and started to build a fan base. And now, you know, artists like Dierks and Luke, Old Dominion, artists that have taken me out and continued to help me build my fans.
I really kind of felt the switch with Dierks, my tour with Dierks, where it's just a feeling, a sense that a lot of those people are not just there for Dierks, you know, are there for you as well.
You're actually selling the ticket. Yeah.
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