There’s an exhilarating elegance that courses through Rochelle Jordan’s Through the Wall. Though it’s custom-built for late nights in sweaty clubs, it also evokes the slick glamour of a sports car racing down a newly paved highway beneath a vault of stars.
Crafted alongside her longtime collaborator KLSH and featuring production credits from an impressive list of international artists, the singer’s third album draws on elements of house, 90s R&B and UK garage, without ever losing its sense of cohesion.
“I would describe it as a dance-pop-R&B sonic rollercoaster, one that feels very luxurious, upbeat and heavy on the vibes,” Jordan tells The Grind. “I wanted to experience the feelings I had when I was a kid listening to music — to tap into the core memories I have left those sounds I grew up loving.”
Here’s my conversation with Jordan, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Congrats on your nomination!
Thank you. It feels wonderful. I appreciate being acknowledged by the country that I grew up in, so thank you to the individuals on the Polaris jury.
Tell me about the musical influences you were tapping into for this project. Critics have often compared it to Janet Jackson.
Every time I make an album, I’m tapping into different memories of my childhood, and drawing from what music or artists touched me the most along the way. I’m glad you hear Janet because she is certainly a mother of mine that I obsessed over. But I was mostly tapping into the depths of myself, doing my best to create something fresh and exciting for not just my fans but for me, too.
Among the producers who contributed to the record are Canada’s own Kaytranada and Detroit shapeshifter Jimmy Edgar. How did these collaborations come together?
I work tirelessly with [producer and creative director] KLSH to make sure we maintain the integrity of the sound we’ve created together over the years. It was only natural that we’d involve Kaytranada and Jimmy, who are absolutely incredible artists and understand the importance of the legacy I’m doing my best to leave behind. This goes for every producer and writer we worked with on this record, they are all great. We simply tapped them in to add their brilliance to the record. As always, KLSH sets the tone for us all with his unreal sonic vision and production, and I just paint all over these tracks with my voice and my truths.
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That explains why the album feels so coherent, despite the sonic differences from track to track.
[That stems from] two very important things: KLSH’s ability to sequence my albums to perfection and my style of voice being the thread that pulls everything into orbit.
Was there anything unexpected that you learned during the making of this project?
I learned that I’m still growing so much. Just when I think I don’t have anything left to give, or when I wonder where to go from here … I just keep going. Pushing beyond what I had first imagined. I learned that transformation is forever, every chapter of it matters and should be honoured.
Why do you think Through the Wall is connecting with listeners?
Maybe they can hear my devotion to having a good time making music and discovering? Maybe through the dance of it all they can still trace the depths of an artist that has been through a lot? I don’t know the answers … I’m just glad they get me.
Do you have a favourite track from this album, and why?
This is always a hard question! They are all my favorites, but today I’ll pick “Sweet Sensation.” It’s [about having] the time of your life into the night, until the sun rises.
If you were on the Polaris Prize jury, what album would you champion?
Through the Wall.
Richie Assaly is one of the 200+ music experts who make up the Polaris Prize Jury.
