Jorden Cornish

Where does the name Michael come from, and who is on the cover?

My middle name. My full name is Jorden Michael Cornish, and I thought it was cool. That is me on the cover, as a little kid at my first birthday party. Fourteen years in the making.

The album is bookended by two interludes named after people. What was that decision?

Joan is a really good friend and a long collaborator. She sent me a song one day for me to hop on, and I listened and thought it was so good I did not even want to touch it. I told her she could just have her own song on the album. Michael’s Interlude is there to introduce you, about 30 or 45 seconds, and it sets the vibe. The way it transitions into Air Force keeps that melodic, euphoric sound. Track listing means a lot on albums, so I tried to track list it as perfectly as I could in my freshman year mind. The voice on Alone is Anaya, another long-term collaborator I grew up with.

The album moves from energetic trap into something more laid back and somber. Why structure it that way?

Back then I really wanted to show my versatility, because it is the first album. You listen to this and it is showing you what Jorden Cornish is. I was listening to a lot of Kanye, untiljapan, and Frank Ocean, and I took heavy influence from untiljapan for the soothing sound. There is something about songs that are soothing to the ear that makes a listener want to dive in more. The album is basically a direct representation of what my music taste was back then.

How did the Che feature come about, and how do you feel about it being the standout stream-wise?

That was through his old manager. It was a song he did not want, so I said send it over to me, I got you. I hopped on it and put it on the album. We have not really talked much since his old account got banned. As for the streams, Clipped does numbers because of who is on it. It is an overall good song, but to me it is not the best on the album and it is not the one that means the most. I like Air Force and Function. Those are my top two. Other songs on Michael deserve the same success, but that is just how music is.

JC26 and Golden feel like a clear break from the rest of your catalog. What changed?

A lot of the music I make represents who I am and what I am listening to at the time. I am really heavily into EDM. I grew up around that space because my dad used to work security for a lot of artists, so I was always around music. Right now I listen to a lot of Jane Remover and people in that hyperpop space, and I wanted to implement those elements into the newer songs. Out of the two, Golden is my favorite. That one means the most to me.

Walk me through your creative process.

It is a very complicated process, because the demos for JC26 or Golden or even my unreleased songs sound nothing alike. A lot of the time I record over just the simple layout of the beat, and when it is all said and done the whole beat is different, maybe a harder drop somewhere. I am very locked in with my producers, Tear to Ground and Crispy. Whatever sounds right, we implement it. We just kind of go with the flow.

The way I met them is a funny story. I go to a lot of concerts in the Philly area, and I posted a TikTok saying if you are going to the Che concert in Philly let me know so I can make a group chat. Tear to Ground, his name is AJ, commented, and I added him and his friends. They were trolling, and I was a good sport about it. Then I got to the venue and they were all wearing shirts with my name on them, and they started what they call the corn pit, chanting Jorden Cornish in the crowd. More people joined in, and before Che came out half the venue was chanting my name. It was like a Salem witch trials effect. We have been locked in ever since.

What is the hardest part about being an artist?

Definitely the overthinking, because music is unpredictable. That and the long studio sessions. I am a perfectionist, so I will stay for three days. The studios we use have places you can sleep. We try to record as many songs as possible but we do not rush. If we get three songs done, that is fine. I would rather three great songs than ten okay songs. With the overthinking, you do not know what is going to happen or where you are going to be. But I trust the process. I have a great team behind me. I have been working on it, manifesting, staying out of my head.

Your releases this year lean heavily electronic. Do you see rap and EDM blending more?

I think it all started when 2hollis opened for Ken Carson. That brought the underground and rage scenes together. I went to that tour, and honestly I only went for 2hollis. Even being there you could tell the switch was going to happen, him bringing that EDM aspect to the underground scene and then mixing the two sounds. Now it is really heading that way, especially after that Summer Smash day two lineup.

Apart from One More Time, what can fans expect next?

I have been teasing a song with Sarissa. After One More Time it is two more singles and then an EP, and the Sarissa song is definitely going to be one of them. Then a September EP, and shows in the latter half of the year. I will mostly stay East Coast because I am still in school, though I am graduating early, so after December I can go anywhere. School comes first for me.