New Orleans based singer, street performer and social media sensation Jourdan Blue is rolling into South Mississippi to kick up Coast Observer’s 25th anniversary celebration this month.
With nearly 300 thousand followers between TikTok and Instagram, and video plays reaching well into the millions, the young singer has cut an independent path into the music world in a short time with his strong, dynamic vocal abilities and fun, personal fan interactions. Take a quick look through Jourdan’s videos and you’ll see him catching the attention of stunned onlookers, vibing with lively party crowds out in the city, and connecting with his community of followers from his home studio.
Jourdan has had music in him since childhood, when he sang with his family, at church, and any time the mood struck.
“I’d go to the grocery store with my dad and sing whatever was playing on the radio at full blast and embarrass the heck out of him,” he laughed.
People took note of his talent and passion for the art, and things began to get a little more serious when a friend submitted Jourdan to American Idol in 2021. He went for it and did well, advancing through the rounds and making it into the top 25 out of thousands of auditions. Though his part didn’t get aired, the experience changed his life.
“That’s kind of what installed the confidence in me, like ‘I can really pursue this and be successful if that’s what I wanna do,'” he said. “I kind of had an epiphany one night… I was like ‘I can actually do whatever I want to do in this entire world,’ and then I thought to myself, what is it? What is it that I enjoy more than anything else? What is it that I really feel?”
He quit his job and hit the streets of New Orleans with a mic and a speaker. He learned the lay of the city’s arts and nightlife culture, found the spots he could set up in, and navigated the ups and downs of being a solo performer out in a sometimes unpredictable environment. Through all of that, he found the experience rewarding and the city receptive. Music is a big part of New Orleans culture after all, and it didn’t take long for people to notice the big voice carrying through the streets. His musical taste and talent spans genres and packs a variety of pop, soul, rap, r&b, blues and more, and his performances offer a variety of those styles from across the decades. The soul and blues bit of that range is an area where Jourdan really shines.