REMIXING THE BEAT TO HER OWN DRUM: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHARLY JORDAN

WORDS BY: Ebony Williams

PRESENTED BY KOTTÉ STUDIO

PHOTOGRAPHER VIKTORIJA PASHUTA @viktorija_pashuta

PRODUCER & CFO JACKSON CHONG @jacksonchong_

STYLIST CARA GORDON @cara_gordon

MAKEUP ASHLEN ROMO @glamxashlen

HAIR TATIYANA ELIAS @tatiyanaelias

PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT JATHAN CAMPBELL @jathancphoto

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE AGENCY STUDIO @theagencymediagroup

CATERING VAVA OMAKASE

Known as one of the most influential personalities on social media, Charly Jordan has garnered over 12 million followers across Instagram and TikTok combined. Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jordan grew up in a Mormon community, a place she strived to escape and follow her dream of becoming a professional athlete. Little did she know, the discipline she embraced from both sports and her religion would pour into her love for music, creating a beautiful yet unexpected career. When her talents and magnetic personality called her back to Sin City, she became one of the few female DJs to own some of the industry’s most prominent stages, including Lollapalooza and eventually, securing a residency with Zouk Group Las Vegas. A DJ, creative director, entrepreneur, and content creator, Jordan is taking the world by storm and she’s on a mission to perfect living life in the moment.

What was it like growing up in Las Vegas and how did you become one of the few female DJs to earn a residency? Growing up in Las Vegas was definitely a unique experience and it gave me thick skin because it’s such a culturally diverse place. People from all over the world come to Vegas to celebrate, work, and see some of the industry’s best performers. That was such a crazy experience to grow up with, and at times, I don’t think I truly understood where I was from. I just thought, okay, this is my home, but as I got older, I realized just how cool of a place it was to be. I pretty much spent my entire life trying to get out of Las Vegas because the restrictions that came with being under the age of 21 were intense. It wasn’t the most amazing upbringing, but I grew up playing sports. I ran track and field competitively and played soccer. I signed a full–ride scholarship to run at Cal State Fullerton in California and that was my whole path. After a while though, I realized that I wanted to do more. I’m a very creative person, but as much as I loved sports, I had a different path in mind for what I wanted to do and I stepped away from everything I grew up with. It’s ironic that I tried so hard to get out of Las Vegas only to end up back there with my residency.

What is it like to have a residency where you’re originally from? It’s not what I expected. It’s crazy to have a residency in my home – town, especially considering my family and everyone I went to high school with still lives there. I get to perform and open for some of the biggest DJs, which is such a surreal experience for me, but it’s also a dream come true to have the support of my family and friends. It feels like such a comfortable place for me. I don’t really feel the excitement of Vegas that everyone else has just because I grew up there, but I think that gives me the home court advantage. I get to handle and carry myself in a very unique way because the gambling and drinking doesn’t really entice me. It’s all about the music for me, working with really cool people and doing really cool things.

At one point, you wanted to become an athlete. Talk to us about your transition into music. Yes! It’s crazy with sports, especially because I am a runner. It’s extremely beat and pace oriented, so music was always such a big part of sports for me and it all ended up playing out together. I kind of always have a song in mind and it goes hand-in hand with sports. I still run today. Being active is super important to me, especially when I’m on the road and touring so often. I feel like the discipline in sports really carried over in that because touring itself is such a hectic and intense process. I really loved music growing up, but realistically, becoming a musician is a pretty big goal to have. It just never felt like it could be a part of the cards for me, especially while growing up Mormon. It’s ironic being raised Mormon in Sin City.

What was your experience like in the Mormon community?
I loved the religion and the community I was raised in because it has such great morals and values, but they were very closed-minded. I still talk to the people I grew up with who may not be as far along on their journeys. It’s really cool that my family has come around to accepting my career and what I do now because it wasn’t always like that. My grandma is always in the back at all of my shows. She’s at the club until 1:00 a.m. sometimes. She’s really my biggest supporter. Everyone who comes is like, “Your grandma is lit” and I’m like, “I know.”

Last year was a really big year for you. Do you have any favorite moments?
The most memorable part of last year was playing at Lollapalooza. It was such a dream come true. I attended that festival multiple times as a fan and observer, but to be able to play there was so incredible. It was a crazy year because a couple of months before that show happened, one of my best friends passed away. It was a very bittersweet moment for me. Even though it was such an incredible year workwise, it was a bit challenging for me personally. It was cool because I got to fly some of his family out to the festival and they got to come out on stage. It was a great experience because he came to every one of my shows with me. I wish he could have been there for it, but a lot of the shows I played were for him and I felt like he was there for me. Lollapalooza was a very memorable experience and a very special time. My goal is to play a lot more festivals.

You revealed your bisexuality for the very first time in the music video for “No Longer Mine”. What was your thought process behind the video and was coming out your idea?
Yes, it was my idea. I directed the storyline for the entire video and one of my good friends, Evan Hara, helped produce and bring it to life. It wasn’t something I was intentionally trying to do, but the song and video are based off a real story in my life and I was trying to accurately depict that story. I’m attracted to men and women, so I didn’t want to just put men in there. In the video, I’m trying to move on from a previous relationship and show what it feels like to move on and meet new people. That’s men and women for me and it felt very natural to show that. I understand that for others it’s not a super normal thing to see, but I wanted to normalize it and not let it be a second thought for people.

It’s interesting that you said it was a personal experience because the video really translated that way. It was as if we were getting a behind–the–scenes look into what happened to you before a show. The way you artistically conveyed that message was brilliant.
Exactly! It was a personal story and that’s what music is for me. I want to be able to tell stories. Those songs mean a lot to me. I spent a year working on it and it is based off what happened to me in real life. Relationships are complicated and it’s really cool to show that through creative concepts.

What sparked the idea for your jewelry line, Beauty in Pain?
I started in the social media space super early. I was around 17 years old and worked with a lot of brands and companies that I believed in. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial type of spirit and did things in a non-traditional way. I partnered up with a lot of companies and it was hard because influencer marketing wasn’t very valued or understood. I remember when people thought social media was a joke. I spent years working with these companies, helping them build their brands, and advocating for them. Then, once they had built up their brands enough, they would abandon influencers. They never received equity or stake in the companies, which I thought was insane. You’d literally help build a company and to have them just dip like that? I didn’t align with that and wanted to create my own company instead. I’m a very loyal person and it’s all about the message and the journey for me, not just about working with people and leaving them when they’re not useful anymore. So, creating Beauty in Pain is an extension of me. Beauty in Pain is jewelry that I wear and focuses on mental health. I really wanted to put out original products and create a community around my brand. It’s the community and open conversations around mental health that mean a lot to me.

As a leader in the social space, how do you quiet the noise and protect your mental health?
Social media is a much scarier place now than when I started, and it continues to grow. I feel like I used to have pretty good advice for protecting ourself and I still do. But at the end of the day, you just have to get off of it and take a step back. You have to make sure you’re taking the time to have experiences for yourself because it’s super easy to film everything, post everything, and share everything. I think the best thing you can do is to not put every aspect of your personal life online. It’s becoming normalized to post relationships and crying videos when you’re in the middle of a breakdown or film yourself while having a manic episode. Posting those things isn’t always a bad thing, but the comments can be damaging. No one really knows you, and as much as you love connecting with the fans online, at the end of the day, it’s the people around you and the community you have physically that’s important. I think just keeping that distinction in mind is super important.

Describe yourself in five words.
Adventurous, loyal, hardworking, silly, and creative.

Who is your childhood hero?
My mom.

What is your favorite color?
Blue.

What is one thing you could live without?
Mosquitos.

If you could get rid of any aspect of the world for a day, what would it be?
Violence towards women and children.

Who would be your dream collab?
Alison Wonderland. She’s a great DJ!

What is your biggest fear?
Not being able to have freedom.

How do you motivate yourself ?
I practice gratitude. When I get too caught up in things, I focus on being thankful for the basics, like my health.

What artist is in your playlist that might surprise others?
Tash Sultana.

If you could trade bodies with a celebrity for a day, who would you choose?
One of the Kardashians. I want to know what’s going on in there, Kim! I’ll swap with Kim!

What is your favorite television show?
The Witcher.

What is the strangest question you’ve been asked?
Someone asked to buy my socks and underwear.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve traveled to and why?
Rwanda. It was so out of my comfort zone and so untouched. As far as nature and wildlife go, it was probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

Who are your biggest inspirations?
Really strong women like Miranda Kerr, a Victoria’s Secret model. I love the way she carries herself. Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, both very strong and beautiful entrepreneurial women. I look up to them.

What is one of your best memories on set?
That’s a tough one because there’s so many, but opening for Steve Aoki at F1 in Montreal. He asked me to go to lunch prior to the show. A lot of the big DJs don’t take the time to get to know who’s opening for them because they’ve been doing it for so long, but it meant a lot to me to sit down with him. He let me pick his brain about my team, music, and stuff in general. It was a real memorable moment for me.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2023?
This year, I hope to further refine everything that I’m doing and to release an album. I want to put out more music. Being a DJ has been such an incredible journey for me and switching from being a DJ to an artist is my goal this year.

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