Hi Lordin, thanks so much for talking to ReVamp, do you remember the first album you bought?

Yes! The first album that I personally bought was Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj. It was the first one I saw when I walked into HMV. It was either Nicki or Lady Gaga’s The Fame and I remember choosing Nicki and that album changed my life!

How did you get into songwriting and what was the first song you wrote about?

When I was young I would always write, but I thought it was something that everybody did. So I would write silly songs with my brother in the playground on what was going on at school or funny things that happened at my grandparents house. 

The first song I wrote properly was when I was thirteen and it was a song called Shine. It was a song about coming out and it was very personal, so I really didn’t see it as a thing. I didn’t release anything until I was twenty-one. 

You’re an LGBTQ+ mixed performer, how do you like to get involved and how do you think you have changed the community?

Well, I’m in a show at the moment called &Juliet, and I think being a queer performer in that has been amazing. I cover a role called May, who is a queer character discovering their own identity, and I learnt a lot about myself and growing my own confidence whilst exploring that journey. When going back into my own musical projects, I wanted to push the boundaries and didn’t want to water anything down.  Ultimately, I just want to inspire people to be themselves.

So how is &Juliet coming along?

It’s been good! We’ve been doing it for about three years now. We started off in 2019, it’s been a really long ride. We did a workshop for about a month before we even rehearsed, moved to Manchester and constantly tried new things, we then moved to London at the end of 2019, and literally, as we were getting into the flow of things, the pandemic happened. So that was like a year and a half out but then we came back and started again. It has definitely been a big part of my life - especially being part of an original West End cast. So it’s coming along really well!

How did you audition and prepare for the role? 

When I auditioned I was in Motown at the time and had to learn so many songs. I auditioned about 7 times and the last round was in front of Max Martin who wrote all the big Britney songs, so I’ve never been so nervous but I got it!

You’re bringing out a new EP, can we get a sneak peek of what genre of songs will be on the EP?

I was meant to put an EP out in 2021, and it was more of a Pop sound. I put out a single called ‘Don’t You Want My…’ which is my latest single and after doing that it felt like it was a big statement for me as an artist and I didn’t feel like releasing an EP until it felt right. 

The EP I’m working on now is a mix of sounds, it’s in the world of Pop, R&B, and Rap. It’s similar to artists like Doja Cat/Nicki Minaj, but I’m just trying to get used to the sound before I release it.

You say you’re interested in all industries at the moment, how are you putting things together in terms of these goals?

I’ve got an agent who I’ve been with since graduating, and on that side I just want to audition for things that are passion projects, and will help me grow as a performer. I feel so blessed to have done two West End contracts now, but I want to have time to branch out into other areas of the industry, and get back in the studio and write!

What’s next for you?

I finish &Juliet in March! So I just want to release an EP this year, focus on doing videos, shoots, release music etc. This is the first time I’ve had space and time to let this happen. I’ve missed out on big performing opportunities and gigs, but hopefully this year I can book and perform on my own terms!