Canadian country music is developing its own identity, led by stars such as Gord Bamford. Although country music roads do led from the USA – to Australia as well as other countries – Canadians have long had a distinct approach to their national cultural output that is not so much about proving that it’s distinct as keeping their heads down and working to make the best song, book and so on as they can.
Amanda Jordan is a country-pop artist originally from Smith Falls, near Ottawa, ON, who has just released the single ‘Driving in the Dark’ and an accompanying video, which you can see below. And Jordan has, indeed, been working to make her music great, with top-ten finalist spots in the 2016 and 2017 Ole Red Dot on the Spot Songwriting Competitions, and the finals of the 2018 Canadian Songwriting Competition for her song ‘Silverado Run’. That same year, she opened for Canadian superstar Brett Kissel in Sudbury, Ontario and was one of eight wild cards to compete for the last spot in the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase. That experience – and her subsequent songwriting work in Nashville – have led to the release of this wonderfully entertaining, moreish song.
Jordan made the decision to move to Nashville in 2018. ‘The very first time I drove to Nashville to write,’ she says, ‘my twin brother was accompanying me and telling me about how he loved to drive at night and into the sunrise. From there, the song [“Driving in the Dark”] grew. I wanted to create a happy musical energy that captures the euphoria one feels when you first fall in love and begin experiencing the world together. It’s something you can listen to as you drive along on a warm summer evening.’
Jordan will return to Canada in October for an Ontario media tour and single release show in Ottawa on 19 October to coincide with the Canadian radio release of ‘Driving in the Dark’.
Listen to Amanda Jordan on: