AT 15, Jordan Ezra is now the youngest Malaysian to compose and produce a solo album, titled 'Oddity In Duality'.
Jordan was inducted into the 'Malaysia Book of Records' after his recent showcase at Drum Live Asia in Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, celebrating his musical journey which began at the age of 9.
His induction was made by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, music producer Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar and Julian Mokhtar, the guitarist of Blues Gang.
EVERY INSTRUMENT
Jordan performed every instrument on his album — guitars, piano, bass, drums, and keyboards, and released it on various global music platforms on April 26.
This achievement is even more remarkable considering the album was composed, recorded and performed in Jordan's music room at home within three months.
'Oddity In Duality' is a 10-track album that was first composed by Jordan at 12, and kept in the archives until he gained the expertise and knowledge to self-produce the album.
BEACH BOYS
Jordan said he was primarily inspired by Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys, "especially on the album 'Pet Sounds'.
"The way all the sounds in the songs blend together to form one sound, or 'wall of sound', greatly inspired me to attempt the same kind of production techniques and songwriting on my album."
He added: "Another one of my inspirations is The Beatles. Their work in revolutionising albums is probably the reason I was able to make an album myself."
The launch also saw the presentation of the first Star Wars Millennium Falcon electric guitar in Malaysia, performed on stage for the first time by Jordan and his band, Motion, comprising Brandon Musdiono, 13, on vocals and piano, Aedric Phua, 15, on drums, Aiden Neo, 15, on keyboards, Shawn Chong, 19, on bass, and Jordan on lead and rhythm guitar.
"The guitar was fan-built by Star Wars enthusiasts and tuned and intonated by Julian," said Jordan.
AIMING FOR BERKLEE
On his short term goal, Jordan said it was "to get into Berklee College of Music and complete my degree in composition, production and sound engineering".
He added that after acquiring the techniques of working on Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), he could mix the multitude of stems to create a unique blend of mixed genres in his album.
"Francis Khor of The Alleycats tutored and guided me on the use of the DAW system and the various techniques of working his music instruments," said Jordan.
NEW YORK PERFORMANCE
During the pandemic, Jordan won the Junior II Gold Award for the Artiste of the Year 2021 with Atlanta-based International Youth Music Competition and was invited to perform at the DiMenna Centre in New York in August 2022.
He said: "Becoming a musician hasn't always been my dream. When I was about 7, I thought being an engineer was pretty cool.
"I wanted to become a musician when I was 10, when I first started playing the guitar.
"Recently though, I've taken a liking to the production side of music and I'm fascinated about the whole process."
QUEEN FAN
He said his father was always supportive of his music ambition.
"I'm grateful to my dad for guiding me all these years."
The first songs Jordan liked were by Queen, Ed Sheeran, The Cure, and ABBA.
"In my early days I took a massive liking to Queen. My favourite song was 'Bohemian Rhapsody', I absolutely loved the songwriting and rock parts of that song."
ED SHEERAN SONG CONTEST
The first song he remembered playing on the guitar was 'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran.
"I submitted the song for a nationwide contest organised by a property developer and emerged third. I won two tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert for his Divide tour."
Jordan said he was lucky to see Sheeran live in 2017.
"I thoroughly enjoyed that concert as I was already a fan of his album 'Divide'."
Jordan's first big concert was in 2019, when his then music school got him to play live in Da Men Mall, Subang Jaya.
"That performance provided a valuable experience and taught me a lot about stage presence and playing under pressure.
"It would be great if I could pursue a career as a music producer and help other artistes write songs," he said.