New Zealand-Australian Musician Jordan Rakei Previews His New Album, 'The Loop'

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It (WNYC) — Jordan Rakei Previews His New Album, 'The Loop'
Date: April 17, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Jordan Rakei, New Zealand-Australian musician

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Overview

This episode of All Of It shines a spotlight on celebrated soul-jazz-R&B musician Jordan Rakei as he previews his upcoming fifth studio album, The Loop (releasing May 10, 2024). The discussion explores fatherhood as artistic inspiration, the challenges and joys of balancing music-making with parenting, and Rakei's deliberate pursuit of vulnerability and raw acoustic musicianship in his latest work.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Album Concept: The Cycle of Parenthood

[03:07–04:27]

• Meaning of "The Loop":
  Rakei explains the album is a meditation on the cycle of life and parenthood, inspired directly by becoming a father:

  “The whole album was a story about my reflection on my parents and my reflection of becoming a new father. … It’s like the cycle of life. We’re sort of rolling through this life, and, you know, my child might have a child, that child might have a child, and we’re just sort of on this journey, and I’m surrendering to that moment.” (Jordan Rakei, 03:11)

• Genesis of the Album:
  The birth of his son prompted Rakei to take four months off, during which the initial themes and songwriting began. The creative process solidified around fatherhood and vulnerability.

  “After writing the fifth, sixth, seventh song, it became clear that the whole album was going to be about sort of me becoming a father and me learning about all elements of parenthood.” (Jordan Rakei, 04:15)

Creative Challenges: Vulnerability & Acoustic Realism

[04:27–06:16]

• Self-Imposed Rules:
  Rakei set two primary challenges:

  • To be as “vulnerable and honest as possible” in lyrics and storytelling.
  • To embrace acoustic, live instruments and real-time performances, moving away from the computerized, “regimented” sound of contemporary music.

  “I really wanted to embrace acoustic instruments again in a room … live energy again, because I feel like music these days … can become very computerized, and I want[ed] to sort of humanize music for me.” (Jordan Rakei, 04:44)

• New Techniques:

  • Avoided using click tracks, letting tempo shift naturally.

  • Swapped synthesizers for natural orchestras and horn sections to achieve a more “acoustic sound.”

    “I was just trying to basically create the most acoustic sound I could.” (Jordan Rakei, 05:43)

Song Preview: "Learning"

[06:16–08:15]

• The track “Learning” showcases a “heart-tugging orchestral section” and “haunting choral backup” (per KCRW). Lyrics and arrangement reflect the album’s core themes.

Fatherhood’s Impact on Music & Life

[08:47–11:32]

• Personal Change:
  Fatherhood has “calibrated” his motivations:

  “…Having a son sort of really calibrated my mindset, being like, I only have to really … be myself to … if you know what I mean, other than. Obviously other than my wife. But it’s like being more true and honest was a big thing.” (Jordan Rakei, 08:52)

• Work-Life Balance:
  Rakei juggles creative work with childcare, using boundaries and routines to ensure active presence with his family and efficient songwriting.

  “...when the day had ended. On the music side of things, there was. I wasn’t allowed to think about it or do any emails ... I really just wanted to try and live that hybrid lifestyle … like, creating those boundaries and routines really helped me.” (Jordan Rakei, 10:25)

Exploring Vulnerability in Songwriting

[11:32–13:09]

• Rakei recounts writing a deeply personal song tracing his life, love, and fatherhood, describing the struggle and catharsis of confronting open vulnerability.

  “...When I was singing them, I was getting, like, emotional and thinking I’d never really had that experience before ... when I wrote it, I felt so connected to the song … And then I had this sort of epiphany like, oh, damn, this has to be released and now shared …” (Jordan Rakei, 11:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Revisiting Musical Roots

[15:41–16:40]

• Rakei advises listeners to dig into music’s past:

  “If you’re struggling for new music, go and research your idol’s influences… there’s so much music backwards sometimes you’re looking for new music a lot, but there’s so much old music to discover...” (Jordan Rakei, 15:41)

Influence of Musical Idols

• Mentions growing up on D’Angelo and discovering influences like Prince, Sly & The Family Stone, and Parliament-Funkadelic as a way to trace musical lineage.

Live Performance & NYC Plans

[21:16–21:50]

• Rakei expresses excitement about his upcoming tour and plans to return to New York, accepting an invitation to perform at WNYC’s Studio 5.

  “Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Any track you want me to play, any setup, we’ll do it for sure.” (Jordan Rakei, 21:43)

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Musical Excerpts Highlighted

[02:12] – “Mind's Eye” (brief sample from earlier work, ’Origins’, 2019)
[06:58] – “Learning” (from The Loop; orchestral/choral arrangement)
[14:35] – “Freedom” (upbeat, choir- and clap-driven track about inner child and liberation)
[17:09] – “Friend or Foe” (brass-laden, 60s/70s influences)
[22:11] – “Flowers” (segment played to close the interview)

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Other Key Segments and Timestamps

• [18:36] — Rakei discusses his first instrument: “It was piano … my neighbor was going to get rid of it and my dad just asked if we could have it … that was the start of it all.”
• [18:55–19:53] — Talks about playing multiple instruments and value in self-producing his albums.
• [19:53–21:12] — Lessons from moving internationally; the “London attitude” of collaboration and releasing work regularly without perfectionistic delay.

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In Jordan Rakei’s Own Words

“Having a son sort of really calibrated my mindset, being like, I only have to really … be myself.” (08:52)
“I really wanted to embrace acoustic instruments again … because I feel like music these days … can become very computerized, and I wanted to sort of humanize music for me.” (04:44)
“If you’re struggling for new music, go and research your idol’s influences.” (15:41)

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Summary:
This engaging interview traces how Jordan Rakei’s transition into fatherhood fuses with his creative evolution, resulting in a new album that foregrounds vulnerability, the warmth of acoustic collaboration, and reconnection with the cycles of life. Rakei’s thoughtful insights on artistic process, work-life balance, and musical discovery make this episode a compelling listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

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[McDonald's Customer]

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[McDonald's Employee]

All right unc. Welcome to McDonald's.

[Jordan Rakai]

Can I take your order miss?

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[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Kusha Navadar in for Alison Stewart who's on medical leave. We're going to end today's show with some new music. 31 year old London based soul jazz R B singer Jordan Rockay is has a new album coming out next month titled the Loop. Now some of you might remember his well received 2019 album Origins. It explored the impacts of technology on humanity and it featured songs like say Something Speak and Minds Eye. Let's take a quick listen to Mind's Eye. Here it is.

[McDonald's Employee]

These voices all in my head Never to whisper Never to s me to sleep over the dream.

[Jordan Rakai]

Right there.

[McDonald's Employee]

Cold out in the rain Drenched in a memory Soaked by the old sour.

[Kusha Navadar]

Since then Jordan's performed on NPR's Tiny Desk in 2020. In 2021 he released his fourth studio album. It was called what We Call Life. And in a few weeks, on Friday, May 10, his fifth studio album, the Loop is coming out. Jordan's a vocalist, a multi instrumentalist, a songwriter and a record producer and he's right here with us to talk about his new album. Hey Jordan, welcome To all of it.

[Jordan Rakai]

Hey, how's it going?

[Kusha Navadar]

Good. Glad to have you here. Tell us.

[Jordan Rakai]

Thanks for having me.

[Kusha Navadar]

Absolutely. Tell us about the title a little bit. Where'd the loop come from?

[Jordan Rakai]

So the loop was it sort of signifies the story for me of parenthood. The whole album was a story about my reflection of. On my parents and my reflection of becoming a new father. And also the sort of abstract concept of fathering the inner child. And it's like the cycle of life. We're sort of rolling through this life, and, you know, my child might have a child, that child might have a child, and we're just sort of on this journey, and I'm surrendering to that moment. So the loop is sort of like symbolizing the cycle of life in the way and surrendering to that parenthood.

[Kusha Navadar]

So part of your inspiration for the album was when your son was born. Was that kind of the. The. The impetus that started the album, or was that when the title itself took shape? Tell us about that.

[Jordan Rakai]

So that was definitely the impetus. Yeah. So when he was born, I took four months off, and I was sort of around. And then when I started writing the very first demo and starting the whole process, I always liked to begin the whole album process with, like, a concept. And I. And obviously, at a time like that, when he had such a huge impact on me, it just naturally poured into the songwriting and the sort of musical choices. So it was a natural sort of journey to take. And, yeah, after writing the fifth, sixth, seventh song, it became clear that the whole album was going to be about sort of me becoming a father and me learning about all elements of parenthood. Yeah.

[Kusha Navadar]

It's funny, because I heard in an interview you did with Danny Painter, who's a radio host in South Africa, you said that you like to go into a new album with a challenge in mind. Did you have a challenge in mind when you started the loop? Was it, you know, becoming a father and this is how it will sound in music? Tell us about that.

[Jordan Rakai]

Yeah. So there was. I set myself a couple of rules, actually. And so one of the rules was try to be as most vulnerable and honest as possible in the. In the storytelling side of it, with the lyrics and, like, my message I was trying to get across. And then the other sort of rule I set myself was, like, I really wanted to embrace acoustic instruments again in a room in, like, big rooms full of musicians playing full takes, like, embracing live energy again, because I feel like music these days, and definitely even in the past with me, can become very computerized. And I want you to sort of like humanize music for me. So I just got in a room full of lots of musicians and we sort of played these songs as a big collective. And it was so much fun, sort of like even making those mistakes and sort of seeing the humanity in that recording process.

[Kusha Navadar]

I love that idea of like bringing human or not bring. Yeah, bringing. Preserving humanity in the recording process. Was there something new that you wanted to try either with your vocals or the instrument instrumentation to get at that sense?

[Jordan Rakai]

Yeah, there was. There was like it was on a sort of technical thing, sort of recording a lot of tracks to no clicks and not being sort of regimented in like the computer base driving the time, sort of ebbing and flowing with the tempo of the drummer and percussionist, for example. And another thing was sort of replacing synthesizers, which I've used a lot in previous music, with like natural orchestras, big horn sections. And I was just trying to like, basically create the most acoustic sound I could. So they were two new, new, new challenges I tried to face.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's listen to a song from the album. If you're just joining us, this is all of it. We're talking to vocalist and multi instrumentalist and songwriter, producer Jordan Rakai. His new album, the loop, releases Friday, May 10. So in a few weeks, we're doing a listening party and hearing some of that music. Let's listen to a song. The track is titled Learning and it features what KCRW called a heart tugging orchestral section. Haunting choral backup. Let's take a listen.

[McDonald's Employee]

When all the people of the world have a dream as they've always longed to live in meritocracy and the ladies of the free I know who they claim to be still one of those sad, sad mysteries we saw borders classified Fight all those foreigners In a war where families bled right through those summer sands so to keep one soul alive they must conquer and divide with no apologies to rectify the state of mind if my head gets old it feels easy to run away from the rest of the world with my secret when my knees get tied I'm still searching for space Right here between the lines for the learning Space is here for the Give it up.

[Kusha Navadar]

We're talking to Jordan Rai, the multi instrumentalist and vocalist. His new album the Loop releases on Friday, May 10th. That was the song Learning from the album. Jordan, you talked before about how the impetus of this album was from the birth of your son. And first of all, just congratulations. I don't know if I mentioned that before, but just congrats on that. Yeah, absolutely. I'm wondering, how has becoming a father informed your music?

[Jordan Rakai]

That's a good question. It's done it in a few ways. So it's made me really be more content and proud of sort of my own expression. Because when you're a musician, and I have lots of musician friends that go through this, you sort of spend a lot of your career trying to impress your peers or your management or your label or even your friends or whatever. But having a son sort of really calibrated my mindset, being like, I only have to really. Not that I even have to impress my son, but there is only one really person that I really care and. And trying to sort of be myself too, if you know what I mean, other than. Obviously other than my wife. But it's like being more true and honest was a big thing. So, like, the whole writing process was a huge experience for me to sort of, like, tap into that subconscious way of thinking. And another thing, even, like, on a logistical level, like, obviously having a son is tricky because I'm trying to be present as a father, but at the same time, I'm trying to be, like, really efficient as a songwriter and producer. So it's like I was learning how to sort of allocate times in between naps to, like, write my courses, and I was, like, juggling the childcare mixed with. Mixed with the sort of, like, songwriting, which is really fun. At the same time, it was, like, challenging, but it made me really efficient in the songwriting process, if you know what I mean. So, yeah, there's lots of challenges, but lots of growth for sure. As a songwriter.

[Kusha Navadar]

I'm sure that every parent right now that has had a job while they were also doing childcare or, you know, just doing childcare can. It's probably nodding their heads right now with you being like, yeah, you got to learn how to juggle. Sure. What did you. What did you learn from that process? How did you approach it? What. What did you find made you efficient as a songwriter and present as a parent?

[Jordan Rakai]

That's a good question. And it's something I'm still trying to, like, push myself to do today. But I think the main things that were really helpful as a musician was sort of setting boundaries of when I would start a day and when I would end the day and when the day had ended. On the music side of things, there was. I wasn't allowed to sort of think about it or do any emails or consider going to the studio in my garden. It was very much like a. From this time onwards, I'm here, I'm present. I'm going to be cleaning up all the mucky food on the high chair and I'm going to be changing his nappy and all that sort of thing. I really just wanted to try and live that hybrid lifestyle because, like I said at the start of this conversation, I had spent that first four months completely. No working and was there all the time during the days, and I loved it. And so getting back into writing, I sort of missed spending that time with him. So in a way, like, creating those boundaries and routines really helped me get that sense of more like, life experience with my son and my family and, like, my wife versus, like, feeling like, too engulfed in the creative process, which is very easy, especially when you're making an album. So I found a good balance for sure.

[Kusha Navadar]

You know, you talked at the beginning about how one of your goals with this album was to be as vulnerable as possible. And I'm sure that music allows you to explore themes within your personal life. It's. It's a form of expression. Were there subjects or are there subjects that felt too intimate for you to share, or did it actually enable you to access all of those intimate experiences? Feelings?

[Jordan Rakai]

Yeah, that's. That's a really good question. And there was actually. There was a song I was writing, and it was. It started off sort of about my childhood and then the growth of me as a person, meeting my wife, changing countries, and then things happen in our marriage. And the song sort of ends the full circle moment with, like, having a son and the amazing sort of journey to look forward to. And I remember writing that song feeling really, really vulnerable. Like, I was even struggling to write the lyrics on the page. And when I was singing them, I was getting, like, emotional and thinking I'd never really had that experience before. Writing so openly and feeling so naked, if you know what I mean. But when I wrote it, I felt so connected to the song. Not like I had really felt like that before. And then I had this sort of. Of epiphany like, oh, damn, this has to be released and now shared. Shared with the public. And I have to, like, pour my heart out to all these people. But in a way, I'm sort of more proud of that. I'm sort of more excited for people to hear that side of me, like the really inner workings of my crazy mind. So, yeah, I'm really just proud of diving deep into that whole vulnerability world. And, yeah, my growth in that element has been, yeah, massive since having a child.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah. If you're just joining Us, we're talking to Jordan Rocky, who's. Sorry, Rocky, my bad. Who's a multi instrumentalist and vocalist. The Loop is his new album. It releases Friday, May 10th. Jordan, you released a song for your new album titled Freedom. I'd love to listen to a bit of it, but tell us about the song first. What did you want listeners to feel when they were listening to it?

[Jordan Rakai]

So when I was making this song, I was thinking about the sense of freedom. For me, especially thinking about this whole parenthood concept was being. Having that sort of childlike energy. I remembered all the times I sort of felt most free in my life was sort of running around my garden with my brothers or playing with my friends. And in a way, I wanted to, like, tell that story of the optimistic sense of freedom through the lyrics, but also I wanted to try and, like, capture it sonically with, like, more of an upbeat feel and, like, a euphoric energy with, like, the choir and the clapping and the party nature. Just sort of, like, a good vibe was the idea around it. And trying to, like, embrace that childlike nature in all of us, because I feel like we all have it, but we get sometimes pressured down by the world and you lose sight of it. So it's sort of talking about, like, embracing that inner freedom and that inner sense of child.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's listen to it. Here is freedom.

[McDonald's Employee]

Freedom in the quiet Freedom when the pain stops Freedom strikes the good Freedom likes it tough Freedom's not enough Freedom calls you bluff if you understand that freedom sent the quieter freedom when the pain stops Freedom strikes the good Freedom likes it tough Freedom's not enough Freedom calls your blood if you understand that it's making no sense Like I'm gonna share See the big fat bear in the mirror Got me amused Cause I don't feel dreaded you thinking I care I cannot speak it.

[Kusha Navadar]

Any clearer that was freedom from the multi instrumentalist and vocalist Jordan Rockay. And you know, Jordan, last month you tweeted something I really appreciated. You said, if you're struggling for new music, go and research your idol's influences. And when I read that, I was just wondering, who is that for you? Do any names come to mind?

[Jordan Rakai]

Wow. Yeah, that's. That's a good one. Yeah, definitely. So I grew up listening to d', Angelo, for example, and. But I had rinsed d', Angelo, like, too much in my life to the point where, like, I knew every lyric of every song, every chord. And I thought, you know what? I'm going to go back and read interviews where he talks about his idols. And basically I went and listened to Prince and Sly and the Family Stone and George and Parliament Funkadelic. And it's so abstract. Sort of hearing weirdly myself through those artists who I'd never really dived that deeply into. Obviously, I listened to quite a lot of Prince in my life, but it was like. And then I did that with every single artist that I would call some of my pillar influences. And then I discovered so much. You realize there's so much music backwards sometimes you're looking for new music a lot, but there's so much old music to discover, especially for, like, new generations as they keep coming. So that was me sort of passing the torch to anyone now being like, go and listen to some old stuff. Because it's just amazing what was written back in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah, absolutely. In another song, Friend or Foe, you build up brass instruments, and it's wonderful to listen to that juxtaposed to freedom, where you're talking about a choral choir because, you know, you're talking about 60s 70s music. You can definitely hear that brass influence come through. Let's take a listen to that song right now.

[McDonald's Employee]

If a friend or a foe Only someone that you know Disappears from the soil of this fear Then only then will you know that a version of yourself Will fade away and never regain. So if they're close hold on to the ones you trust. Cause this world can cut the roots of your love Give the goods to yourself. Cause you know you've been through hell. What's left of fishing's called for show Whatever it is, whatever you say Will it hurt to reach out here to make amend? Running out of time, out of time for what God sense I show my love to the very end.

[Kusha Navadar]

That was Friend or Foe from the new album, the Loop from multi instrumentalist and vocalist Jordan Rakai. It gets released Friday, May 10th. Jordan, I'm just curious, what was the first instrument you learned to play?

[Jordan Rakai]

It was pianos, because my neighbor was going to get rid of it and my dad just asked if we could have it back when I was about five years old. So they gave us a piano and that was the start of it all.

[Kusha Navadar]

Oh, that's funny. That's how I ended up learning piano, too. It's just I ran into a random piano but no one else wanted. That's wonderful. How many instruments do you play now?

[Jordan Rakai]

I play piano. I would say as a main instrument. I can play maybe bass, guitar, drums, a couple of other instruments just to get by on a production and songwriting level. But I would never really session and play those instruments live. But I can dabble in a few things for sure.

[Kusha Navadar]

How helpful is it for you to play all of those instruments when you're self producing an album, which is quite a feat?

[Jordan Rakai]

Oh, it's. It's actually really important because when I used to self produce everything and play all the parts. Especially when you're an upcoming artist, when you have low budget, having the ability to sort of fulfill the idea that was in your head on every instrument is really helpful because then you can sort of paint your whole world of your sound. Because sometimes, obviously people are limited by what instrument they can play or who they're connected with as collaborators. So even when now I work with other musicians, I'm able to sort of articulate specific things for each instrument that I'd like or that might work better for the song. So I would say, yeah, it's a huge asset for me, for sure.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah. And, you know, your career has kind of gone international over the course of your life as well. I mean, you were born in New Zealand, you grew up in Australia and moved to the United Kingdom to put yourself out there as a musician in 2015. What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned while working in the music industry this last decade?

[Jordan Rakai]

Wow. Wow. Good question. I would say, for sure. I think what I've really learned from myself and also people that I really look up to is, is the London attitude of sort of really grinding away, constantly writing, constantly collaborating, constantly working with other musicians and sort of building your own sort of portfolio. I think I've worked with a lot of people here that are so driven to just release an album every year, you know, and like, just work and release and never be too attached to that sort of like perfectionistic culture. And especially as the world has become even more fast paced in terms of, like, consuming things. Not to encourage artists to just, like, jump on that trend and just release anything. But I think it sort of gives us a nice challenge to be able to like, keep up with the speed of the modern world. And that's what London, I feel like, has really given me is like the drive and motivation to just work hard and work fast and constantly collaborate and, yeah, get as much music out as possible.

[Kusha Navadar]

And you're starting a tour in Europe right now, is that right?

[Jordan Rakai]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kusha Navadar]

And do you have any plans to come to New York by any chance?

[Jordan Rakai]

Definitely. We're hoping to come for sure at some stage this year. It's all getting wrapped up, but I'm really excited to finally be coming back to the States for the first time in about five years now. So, yeah, super excited.

[Kusha Navadar]

So, you know, question on air, not to put pressure on you, but when you do come to New York, would you be willing to come to WNYC Studio 5, maybe do a live performance? We can hang out a little bit together, talk about your music.

[Jordan Rakai]

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Any track you want me to play, any setup, we'll do it for sure. Yeah. Be grateful to.

[Kusha Navadar]

Well, game, set and match. I'm excited to see you when you come in. We've been talking to Jordan Rockeye. His new album the Loop is released Friday, May 10th. Let's go out on a little bit of music. But before we do that, Jordan, thank you so much for joining us.

[Jordan Rakai]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's listen to a track, flowers. Here it is.

[McDonald's Employee]

Said it twice now I know it could When I looked in into your eyes for the first time.

[Kusha Navadar]

Passover is coming up and tomorrow we'll talk about how the lessons of the Passover story resonate with some of today's most pressing issues. This was all of it. Thanks so much. Have a great day. See you here again tomorrow.

[Michaels Party Shop Announcer]

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[McDonald's Customer]

I'm gonna put you on, nephew.

[McDonald's Employee]

All right, unc. Welcome to McDonald's.

[Jordan Rakai]

Can I take your order, miss?

[McDonald's Customer]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.