Bailey Jordan-Neil

It’s Who I Am: Bailey Jordan-Neil
September 16, 2019 Joel Levy Music, Rock-Indie
For emerging Toronto singer/songwriter, Bailey Jordan-Neil, music was never really a choice. It’s who he was.

Growing up in Pasadena, Newfoundland, Bailey was an “island boy” who had big-city music aspirations and potential. Since moving to Toronto a few short years ago, Bailey has remained tied to his east coast roots, but has begun incorporating the inspiration from the city into his music.

“I find myself writing about the big city from an island boy’s point of view,” said Bailey.

Bailey Jordan-Neil

Bailey admits the biggest challenge to honing his craft back in Newfoundland was just having to wait for opportunities to emerge. Now in Toronto, he has taken advantage of open mic nights, showcases and occasionally busking around the city.

“Toronto is great because every night you get feedback,” said Bailey. “People from different backgrounds, different cultures. I’ve discovered more about myself because of the experience I’ve had in the city. That’s musically, personally, everything. Through that I found what I would call my sound.”

With a stronger understanding of who he wanted to be as an artist, Bailey got to work on his first full EP with his new producer, Dan Adams – who is also originally from Newfoundland. The duo instantly hit it off.

“He’s fantastic,” said Bailey. “I went in and recorded my songs acoustically. We produced them together. It was awesome.”

After dropping his second single “Again Today” on July 19, Bailey released his first full EP, “The Lucky EP” on August 30. The EP includes six songs, including fan-favourite “It’s Who I Am”

“I think the most important thing about the EP is that it’s all very personal,” said Bailey. “There’s not really a song on here that’s written to be just a song. They’re all me.”

“It’s Who I Am” specifically details his passion to pursue music as a career and encourages others to pursue their passion in life, whatever that may be.

“Whatever you’re doing in your life, just do it,” said Bailey. “Because if it’s who you are, you don’t really have a choice.”

Bailey, along with guest Saturdae Jonez, recently performed at Gin Mill Guelph as a part of his official EP launch. The event hosted by AMO Music and Music Lives in partnership with Royal City Studios was titled “Loops & Libations” and drew a big crowd.

“It was a great time,” said Bailey. “Very homie space and a very attentive crowd. I love sharing my music there.”

Bailey is booked for several more performances in the GTA and around the country this fall.

You can keep up with him and his performance schedule on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

“The Lucky EP” is available on iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify. - The Toronto Guardian

The Gin Mill Speakeasy is the perfect venue to see performers like Saturdae Jonez and Bailey Jordan-Neil. You walk into the building and see one thing, and walk around behind the bar and see something else entirely. The same thing can be said about Saturdae Jonez (aka D’eve Archer) and Bailey Jordan-Neil.

Both performers in this evening, billed as Loops and Libations, make looping part of their act. Unlike many other “loopers”, the cleverness of the loops is not the focus of what they play. The songs were elevated by the sounds they made, and the sounds were all in service of the songs.

Bailey Jordan-Neil, who just released his Lucky EP, builds his layers of loops so musically that it’s easy to forget that’s what he’s doing. The sounds he’s able to coax out of his parlour sized guitar are varied and precise. It helps that he plays his guitar with a killer right hand that’s incredibly percussive, even when he’s not using it to play percussion.

His set alternated original songs and a varied list of covers that included songs by Bob Dylan, Shawn Mendes, and Ed Sheeran. His songs have a strong pop sensibility, and his performance and vocal range make them shine.

After Jordan-Neil left the stage, Saturdae Jonez played a killer set. She started off with a couple of original songs, fusing soulful funk in a psychedelic swirl. The sound was beyond what one comes to expect from a solo performer, especially one handling her own sound.

There’s a meticulous nature that goes into creating loop based music, but again it was done so musically that the mechanics of building those loops seemed invisible to the audience. She did more than play with the loops; it felt like she was jamming with them. A performance that is, by its nature calculated, breathed with such soul that you felt like there was a band backing her up.

The highlight of the night though, was when she invited her friend, renowned jazz pianist Andrew Craig to join her on the venue’s upright piano. They launched into Midnight Train to Georgia, and just when you thought they’d left it all on the stage, went into Michael Jackson’s The Way You Make Me Feel, and the crowd was transfixed.

An evening of Loops and Libations was a great way to spend a Friday night. When you next see Bailey Jordan-Neil or Saturdae Jonez listed here on Music Lives, you’re going to want to make sure that you get there! - Musiclives.ca

Bailey Jordan-Neil is set to release his second single, “Again Today”, on Friday, July 19. The young singer-songwriter has already commanded the attention of the Toronto music scene drawing comparisons to Ed Sheeran and John Mayer.

His first single release, “Lucky”, put him on the map, but now after a year of growth, the Pasadena, Newfoundland native has a firm grasp of who he is and who he wants to be as an artist.

Bailey Jordan-Neil

“I know what I want to sound like now,” said Bailey. “Before I was just making music, now I know what I want musically.”

Bailey crafts original songs with strong rhythmic drive, supporting a vocal style that swoops and soars. Although currently residing in Toronto, his music is still very much influenced by his roots in Newfoundland.

While his music is most-accurately described as Pop/Folk, Bailey takes pride in the diverse mix of sounds he produces.

“I’d say it’s a good mix,” said Bailey “I grew up on an island, which was very isolated. So I listened to a lot of older music. Recently, I have I gotten into pop. They both have been influential in the development of who I am today”

In May, Bailey took part in the Faculty of Sound Showcase Launch in Toronto – a platform for emerging Canadian musicians to perform in front of a live audience of hundreds of music fans, industry VIPs and a panel of judges. Bailey’s performance blew the crowd away and even had influencers, Matthew Romeo and Chris Ramos posting all about him on their social media channels.

“The Faculty of Sound was a great opportunity for me because it allowed me to showcase my original music.” said Bailey. “Other showcases focus solely on talent. Someone might be able to get on stage and be a great singer when singing someone else’s music, but what’s great about the Faculty of Sound is that a songwriter can play their own music. It actually showcases artists who are creating.”



Showcase organizer and President of AMO Music, Eduardo Belmonte, praised Bailey and his ability to dazzle the crowd.

“Bailey is an incredible talent with a beautiful story to tell,” said Belmonte. “The warmth he delivers will melt your heart. We’re very excited to see him share it with the world.”

Moving forward, Bailey hopes to continue to record more of his original music. His new single is the first off of an EP, which he plans to drop later this summer.

“There’s a lot more coming,” said Bailey “Most of the songs sound very different from each other. This is just a taste of what’s to come.”

“Again Today” will be available on Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, Napster, iHeartRadio, and international streaming services, Claro Música, JioSaavn, Anghami and KKBOX.

You can follow Bailey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. - torontoguardian.com

Bailey Jordan-Neil now resides in Toronto, ON, but this young singer-songwriter grew up in Pasadena, Newfoundland. His goal is to write and perform to share his music with the world.

Since he was fourteen years old, he has wanted to pursue music. He taught himself to play guitar after seeing a video of Ed Sheeran and wrote his first song for a high school assignment. Eventually, he moved on to become a full time songwriter. He has a strong work ethic accompanied by an intense focus on honing all aspects of his craft.

Combining his voice and guitar with looping to create dense layers of sound, he crafts original songs that are honest and highly personal. These are pop songs, with strong rhythmic drive, supporting a vocal style that swoops and soars.
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Bailey just turned twenty, but in the short few years of his career, he has already performed twice at The Gathering, an annual event organized by comic Shaun Majumder in Burlington, in MusicNL’s awards showcases, on the main stage at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival and for audiences in local pubs and bars, has been among the winners of the 2017 MusicNL Rising Star awards and a finalist in Sing NL. In Toronto you can hear him at many of the open mics and he has played in several of the clubs/bars in the city. He continues to perform, at every local opportunity, and his songwriting skills continue to grow.

Bailey has just released his first single LUCKY with producer Rob Wells and hopes to reach a wider, national audience. Another single an EP are set for release this summer.

Bailey Jordan-Neil
​
​Name: Bailey Jordan-Neil

Genre: Pop

Founded: Started performing in 2013

# of Albums: 2 EPs

Latest Release: Lucky

Latest Single: Lucky

Latest Video:

Favourite Restaurant:

Top Gun, Kensington Market

Favourite band as a teenager:

Marianas Trench

Favourite band now:

Ed Sheeran

Guilty Pleasure Song:

anything by Sam Smith

Sneaky Dees nachos, pasta from Terroni or a superfood salad from Fresh?

Sneaky Dees!

Queen or College St?

Both

Trinity Bellwoods or High Park, Riverdale or Kew Gardens?

High Park

EP or LP?

EP

Early bird or night owl?

Night Owl

Road or studio?

Both

Swiss Chalet or Roti?

Swiss Chalet

Where can we follow you?

Facebook, Instagram, youtube

Any shows or albums coming up?

EP coming soon; The Shot auditions May 18 - torontoguardian.com

Bailey Jordan-Neil
The Lucky EP
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto singer-songwriter Bailey Jordan-Neil has already drawn comparisons to Ed Sheeran and John Mayer and is looking to continue to share his music.” - TINNITIST