We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risks are subjective. People are afraid of so much. Afraid of things that don’t necessarily merit fear. For me…it’s what the worst that will happen? I don’t want to die without knowing I did everything I wanted to. I could get shot tomorrow, I’m a Black man in America, you know? Do I just not go outside the house anymore? Sure, that’s an option…but I was raised by two grandparents who came up during Jim Crow, chased out of South Carolina by the Klan, that sh*t don’t phase me. With the fear, through fear, and despite fear, whatever, it may be, I try to let my brain go where it wants to go and the art follows.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Let’s start with the band name. 2012 Bid Adieu. French for “goodbye,” adieu literally means “to God, and was part of à dieu vous commant, “I commend you to God.” Otherwise, say Goodbye to God. The Mayans predicted that the world would end in 2012. 2012 Bid Adieu was birthed from the idea we did un-knowingly die that year, and that the world we are now in in fact “hell.” The idea spawned during the 2016 election. Well aware of the absurdities in life, stresses from sh*t jobs, we finally thought: “Who cares?” A lightbulb moment happened for us, and in discovering how meaningless this all was, and since then, life has felt more precious each day. We formed around the idea of making sense of this digital purgatory we’ve built for ourselves.

It’s been an easy process. It’s refreshing for me to be in 2012 sessions. When we first started, it was the first time in a minute that I’d had fun in a session. Sometimes, we’d grab whoever in the room, even if they’ve never been on a. song, and ask them to record harmonies. In a normal setting it’s not like that. It reminds me that this is supposed to be fun. There’s supposed to be creativity and energy encapsulated in what we’re doing.

As far as what I want people to know about our story? Idk – I can’t speak for all of 2012. Sometimes I think “nobody cares” not in a negative way, but in a way that reminds myself not to be too self-serious. Every now and then I like to say, “fuck it” and do what feels good to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is hard because my friends know I steady stay at home.

It really depends on whose visiting. Like, is it my mans or is it my mom, you know? I guess the common denominator is Japan Village in Industry Village, Brooklyn. If you get a chance, grab the mushroom cream udon, it will change your life. Top 3 meals in New York.

To visit me in New York means spending hours in my garden. I’m thankful for my backyard. It keeps me occupied and off the internet. If you think about it, gardening is essentially like music where you carefully find the seed, plant it, and let it live a life of its own. The beauty of it is that life isn’t necessarily exactly what you’d envisioned, but its a characteristic of the kind of work I love to do.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am where I am now because I believed Gray when he said I could be. Being 19 years old, not really confident in my musical abilities, Beau Young Prince saw the vision after my first studio session at Gem Star Pro out in VA. I remember moving to New York feeling a complete f*cking failure having no shows, knowing no one, and Lewis listened to every beat I threw his way, daydreaming with me. I don’t know if he meant this, but Donovan said I had a great singing voice back in 2013. We live in an age where it feels like ideas are no longer original, but Jeff always pushed 2012 Bid Adieu to mean more than just music and I thank him everyday. Lastly, my wife. She is everything to me, I love you Mita!

Website: https://www.2012bidadieu.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2012bidadieu/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/2012bidadieu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2012BidAdieu

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCur-OEF-DBhuLOv2jShTLIQ/videos

Image Credits
Andrew Espinal

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