When Khalid announced his new project Scenic Drive, and distinctly noted that it was a “tape” he was excited to deliver to fans, one thing came to mind. A little over three months ago, the Texas native offloaded a series of tweets that amounted to an honest admission of writer’s block and struggles with the “overwhelming” balance to meet expectations, remain authentic, and grow into something new and different as an artist. It’s truthfully something most, if not all artists, are forced to grapple with around their second and third albums. Sophomore slumps are already pressure-inducing enough, but even when they’re overcome, the pressure to do it a third time is just as high, if not even higher.
Khalid is a star in his own right. Both of his albums, 2017’s American Teen and 2019’s Free Spirit, are multi-platinum bodies of work with the latter serving as his first No. 1 album. Plenty of awards feature Khalid’s name and his work, and it all contributes to the pressures he feels going into his third album, which he already revealed is titled Everything Is Changing. As a musician, there are practically three options when a mental roadblock is hit while crafting art: trudge through it, wait for it to go away, or divert onto a new and hopefully uninterrupted path. Khalid’s Scenic Drive is the result of his decision to do the last option.
On Scenic Drive, Khalid seeks to overcome his self-doubts by just letting things be. The intention behind this project is to seemingly just do it, to just release music, get back into the swing of things, and even self-supply a boost in confidence. The music on Scenic Drive is simple and appetizing at most as Khalid plays things safely while remaining in a comfortable pocket. It’s the kind of easygoing bass-heavy R&B music that’s romantic, lovelorn, and everything in the middle. It falls on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from what he said Everything Is Changing will present. He previously noted that the songs on the album center “around trying to find a purpose and a sense of self in a world where everything is digitally connected but emotionally disconnected.” All in all, a sharp contrast from what we hear on Scenic Drive.
For what it’s worth, Khalid’s latest project is simply an observant journey through one’s love life, whether it be his own or someone else. It touches on all areas, including the shy moments in the early stages where the respective parties are scared to admit their feelings as “Brand New” and “Open” detail. On the flip side, Khalid keeps things honest and straight to the point about a woman who fails to hold her end of the bargain in a relationship on “Retrograde” and “All Is Bad.” There’s also the hesitance to acknowledge that love is fading away on “Voicemail.” However, if there are tracks that are no doubt made from Khalid’s first-person point of view, it’s “Backseat” and “Scenic Drive.” These see the singer relishing in the natural beauty and existence of what surrounds him while appreciating the fact that he’s able to enjoy it all together.
Scenic Drive unwinds a tense mind through effortless music. It’s something that’s apparent from the moment that Alicia Keys’ free-floating harmonies fall from our speakers. Only Khalid himself knows what he sought through creating this project. Maybe it’s a creative dump in the name of clarity or a moment to refine his skills and return to form. Whatever it is, a sigh of relief as Scenic Drive concludes can be felt as Khalid lets go and allows things to be in their most natural sense. Aligning himself with talented artists like Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, and more only add to the appeal of the whole project which is filled with good and enjoyable music. Hopefully, this makes things easier and less weighted for Khalid as he returns to working on Everything Is Changing.
Scenic Drive is out now via Right Hand Music/RCA. Get it here.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After nearly four long years, Majid Jordan has returned with their third album Wildest Dreams. In normal circumstances, it’s longer than fans would’ve liked to wait in between projects, but if the last 20 months have taught us anything, we’re not at all dealing with normal circumstances. A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic brought the world to a standstill for the better part of a year. With that being said, it still leaves the following question unanswered: Where has Majid Jordan been these past few years?
“I think we almost played like 100 shows in a year in 2018 right after The Space Between came out. We were constantly on the road, living out of suitcases for about a year,” Jordan Ullman, the producer half of Majid Jordan tells me during a Zoom call. “It was a tense time of constantly thinking that we had to keep this music going. It’s like you released a project and people are like, ‘That’s cool, but like what’s next?’” He adds, “I think we’ve always tried to slow that process down and I think releasing this album and just being more in the moment of like engaging with people is the whole idea of where we want to take it next.”
The answer is Wildest Dreams, which arrives this week with eleven songs and guest appearances from Drake, Swae Lee, and Diddy. For Majid Jordan, there’s nothing but gratitude for the fans who, despite their thinning patience, stuck around with them over the past few years. “We wouldn’t be here without you,” Majid says earnestly. “We won’t let you down. You are not forgotten.” Jordan echos the same message and adds “there’s a lot more” on the way that their supporters will be able to enjoy in the coming months.
A key figure in helping Majid Jordan live out this dream is Drake and his OVO Sound label, which signed the duo back in 2013 and brought them to the national spotlight through tracks with the rapper like “Hold On We’re Going Home” and “My Love.” Contrary to social media theories that the Drake and Noah “40” Shebib-led imprint restricts their artists, Majid Jordan says exactly the opposite happens at OVO headquarters. “There’s no one who can say like, you can’t go and make music today,” Majid points out. “There’s no one who can tell us that. We can do everything on our own.” He adds, “The thing is, when you’re dealing, on a global scale, with a team that’s like that, it’s gonna just take a little bit longer than having 100-150 people behind you pushing everything all at the same time.”
The duo released two singles in both 2018 and 2019 before seemingly fading into the background. It was a well-needed and intentional break to slow down their creative process, as Jordan mentioned. Majid Al Maskati, the voice behind Majid Jordan, noted that last year’s pandemic further postponed their return as they were unsure of the health risks behind reuniting to create music. It’s here that Jordan shares how else the pandemic altered their plans. “We were very close to putting out an album, I would say we were wrapping it up end of 2019, early 2020,” he says. “We had a whole body of work under a whole different name, it was kind of like a fragment of an album.”
It’s a roadblock that many artists faced throughout 2020: share their art without being able to present it the way they’d like or hold off for an unknown amount of time. For Majid Jordan, the decision was easy. As their music is so attached to a live experience that amplifies and provides a completely new experience to the music fans heard in the comfort of their own home. It makes sense the duo placed a lot of focus on live performances and touring. Sonically, Majid Jordan is extremely diverse. The duo thrives in a pop world that keeps a foot in the R&B lane, allowing their work to be stretched and pulled into several sonic directions. Evidence of this lives on their 2014 EP A Place Like This and their two albums, Majid Jordan and The Space Between. Majid Jordan has grown in more ways than one and displays that growth on Wildest Dreams.
“There’s definitely an experimentation outside of the sound we’re usually known for [on this album], which I think is great for us,” Majid notes. “I think it’s being proactive in that sense of not being afraid to put the first foot forward into unfamiliar territory and just feeling it out, not even in private, but under the watchful eye of an entire world.” This is evident on tracks like “Forget About The Party,” a stripped-down, guitar-driven ballad that calls for “divine intervention” to redirect a lover from a party to their arms instead. It’s a song that Jordan believes is “at the center of who we are as musicians.” He adds, “I think it makes people remind themselves of a time in their lives. Anytime I listen to that, it really makes me go into a world of myself and memories.”
For Majid, the song that fits that category is “Sweet,” the album’s closer, pointing to a string of lyrics from it to explain why. “Be about me and I’ll be about you / Sing a song from your heart for me,” he sings on the track. “Leave a space in your heart for me / We’re not so different, but we’re moving differently / I feel it every time you leave / I never knew that love could be so sweet.” In short, “It’s that eye-opening feeling where it’s like we aren’t really different,” Majid says. “We’re just doing things differently to get to the same place the same end goal, that same dream we have for ourselves.”
Majid Jordan is unique as the duo is comprised of a singer and a producer, although there are similar acts including DVSN and They. It allows for Majid Jordan to create with just each other rather than relying on the availability and interest of another party. It’s a quality that the duo admitted may have contributed to their longevity. “When you start working on a project it can go many different ways, but I think we as two people are coming together in a way that the stuff we’re able to accomplish musically man?” Jordan says. “I couldn’t even dream of really doing it you know 10 years ago so I think in that way it’s getting easier.” However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t call on other artists when the occasion calls for it.
“We have a collaboration with Diddy, he’s featured on a song called ‘Sway,’” Majid notes. “He FaceTimed us like, ‘Yo wassup, I just wanted you to see the reaction to the song in real-time,’ and he’s dancing on FaceTime with his family. They’re all enjoying the song.” Another too-good-to-be-true moment came on “Dancing On A Dream,” the album’s opener which features Swae Lee. After multiple failed attempts to get the Rae Sremmurd rapper on the song, Majid Jordan submitted the album without the feature and returned to their everyday lives with Majid deciding to fly back to Bahrain, his birthplace, to spend time with family.
Days into his trip, he noticed an Instagram Story post from Swae Lee of him notifying his followers that he was on his way to Dubai, a city just an hour flight away from where he was staying in Bahrain. The singer knew he had to chase down the rapper to secure his vocals for “Dancing on A Dream.” “I have this duffel bag with just a mic, my laptop in it, whatever and I’m like I’m going to go find Swae Lee,” he says with a laugh. “I get there and I’m staying at a place that’s four minutes from his hotel. I find a way to reach out to them and he’s like, ‘Yo come through.’ I play him the music and he’s like, ‘I’m gonna destroy this.’ We basically party for three days, and on the third day, I get them to lay down a verse.”
From the young college students with a dream to the well-established duo that signed to Drake, made music with Diddy, and chased down Swae Lee in a foreign country, you can say that Majid and Jordan are living out their wildest dreams. However, what’s next? For Jordan, it’s opening doors for a marginalized community in the music industry. “I definitely want to make a concrete actual studio in Toronto, and I want this studio to be run by women,” he reveals, adding that his younger sister aspires to be a producer just like him. “Two percent of women are producers. It’s something that as soon you really put it into reality and understand that, it’s pretty ridiculous that it’s still like that.”
Majid also has noble aspirations that will hopefully make careers in the fine arts world more attainable and realistic for people in his home country of Bahrain. “A dream for me is to be able to give people where I’m from access to just arts programs — music, visual arts, drama, anything — and bring them over to this side,” he reveals. “Also, take people who are experts and connections that we’ve made, artists that we know, [and] bring them over to that side to give people that exposure and that connection.”
The duo’s unlikely success due to their unique beginnings contributes to their desire to help those who have the odds against them. It also serves as another point of inspiration behind Wildest Dreams. “When I left home, I left there with the dream of building a sustainable career — creating myself from nothing in another place,” Majid says. “So that dream, we’re still in the process, we’re on the cusp of it and now we’re putting out this album, we’re still kind of feeling it out. The struggle is knowing that it’s not a guarantee, and yet, pursuing it and persevering through the most difficult times.” Jordan emulates a similar thought from a broader point of view. “‘Dream’ in the initial can be such a blissful, built identity that isn’t in reach,” he says. “It’s just this idea, like [a] utopia. Then there’s also the reality of what do you dream of from other human beings and from yourself? I think the duality of that is found on [the album].”
Wildest Dreams is out now via OVO Sound/Warner Records. Get it here.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Two weeks ago, Toronto-based electro R&B/synth wave duo Majid Jordan announced their third full length album and first in four years, Wildest Dreams, out later this month. Comprised of singer Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman, the pair have already dropped a few stellar singles off of the album in the sleek 80’s dance floor floor inflected “Summer Rain,” the upbeat electro soul banger “Waves of Blue,” and one hell of a shoulder to cry in in “Been Through That.”
But now with the acoustic “Forget About The Party,” they’re really flashing a distinct versatility. Singing over a handsome guitar melody, Al Maskati paints the nightlife of The Six into the hook while he pleas with the object of his affection to drop what she’s doing and come be by his side: “The city’s got you blinded by the life, forget about the party, come to mine / I’ll give myself to you like its a habit, everything you wanted, you can have it.” He transitions from a gentle delivery into a high-pitch falsetto, showing palpable range that matches the diverse early offerings that Wildest Dreams has already yielded.
Listen to and watch the visualizer for “Forget About The Party” above and check out their upcoming tour stops below.
Wildest Dreams is due 10/22 via OVO Sound.
11/11 – San Francisco
11/19 – Los Angeles
11/20 – Los Angeles
11/27 – Chicago
11/20 – Brooklyn
12/1 – Brooklyn
12/2 – Toronto
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s been a while since experimental R&B duo Majid Jordan — that’s Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman — have released a full-length body of work. The Canadian duo’s last album, The Space Between, dropped October 27, 2017, climbing to No. 30 on their home country’s Billboard albums chart and No. 74 stateside. However, in all that time, they’ve never been forgotten or overlooked by fans, who have patiently awaited news of a follow-up.
They rewarded that patience today with the announcement of their upcoming third album, Wildest Dreams. Building on the momentum of singles “Been Through That,” “Waves Of Blue,” and “Summer Rain,” the duo is set to release their latest album on October 22 through Warner Records and, as always, Drake’s OVO Sound. In addition, they’re planning a short, celebratory tour to commemorate the project’s release, hitting four US cities including Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco ahead of a triumphant homecoming to Toronto to complete the run.
The singles that they’ve released so far promise a return to the New Wave-inflected, dance-pop-grooving R&B we’ve come to enjoy from them — and look forward to hearing again, very soon.
Wildest Dreams is due 10/22 via OVO and Warner Records.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s amazing that Majid Jordan decided to stick around with their fans for once this year. Next month will mark four years since the duo delivered with their debut album, The Space Between to the world. The project was a quality output and those who enjoyed looked forward to more. Unfortunately, for the better part of the years since that album, supporters of Majid Jordan were left high and dry to wait for the duo’s next release which, thankfully, arrived earlier this year. Their outputs continue with their latest release, “Summer Rain.” On the track, they commend their new lover for calming their stress just like the summer rain does in a heatwave.
Majid Jordan’s 2021 return began this past spring with the release of “Waves Of Blue.” The confident single was the perfect way to begin their comeback as the duo used pop-leaning production for an upbeat free-floating track that found them pouring their heart to an unnamed love interest. They followed up that song with “Been Through That,” a dancefloor-friendly track that touched on the different levels of love. Majid Jordan spoke about both songs in a tweet prior to the release of “Been Through That.”
“’Waves of Blue’ was made at the very beginning of this album, and it only makes sense that we begin our next chapter with this song,” they wrote. “This song is like staring at the sea – you’re not in the water, but you’re getting carried away by its currents.”
You can press play on “Summer Rain” in the video above.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Majid Jordan has returned with a new single, “Waves Of Blue,” kicking off their comeback after a year-long hiatus with the announcement of more new music on the way. Today, they also shared the video for “Waves Of Blue,” a simple production that revolves around a photoshoot with multicolored filters on the lights. The singer and producer perform to the camera as it rotates on a track around them, with a secondary shot pulling back and showing exactly how the effect is done.
In addition to “Waves Of Blue,” the OVO duo also released “Been Through That,” another dancefloor-ready single with lyrics that lament being in a romantic rut and commiserate with anyone going through one. Both songs broke a long dry spell for the band, which last dropped a new single in 2019, collaborating with Khalid on “Caught Up.” They performed “Waves Of Blue” on The Tonight Show on Wednesday night, introducing the world to their new look and revamped sound on one of the biggest stages yet, prompting a fresh wave of anticipation for the album which they say is currently in the works.
Watch Majid Jordan’s “Waves Of Blue” video above.
Majid Jordan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As 2017 approached an end, OVO-signed duo Majid Jordan appeared with their sophomore album, The Space Between. The 13-track effort saw contributions from labelmates PartyNextDoor and DVSN, and while it may have fallen under the radar for many people that year, the project was an impressive display of Majid Jordan’s talents. Since then, the Canadian duo has remained rather quiet but it’s looking like things will be different in 2021.
The duo returns with their second single of the year, “Been Through That,” a groovy number that sees Majid Jordan acknowledging the nuisances of love over a dancefloor-ready beat. “Days when you think it’s love, feel like it might be an act, I’ve been through that,” they sing. “Times when you drink too much / You still call when it’s late, I’vе been through that.”
’Waves of Blue’ was made at the very beginning of this album, and it only makes sense that we begin our next chapter with this song. This song is like staring at the sea – you’re not in the water, but you’re getting carried away by its currents. https://t.co/xvZcAMeKKhpic.twitter.com/pmdJ6LYzbh
The track is also a follow up to “Waves Of Blue,” which Majid Jordan released back in April as their first single since their 2019’s “Caught Up,” their collaboration with Khalid. In a post on Twitter, the duo shared some insight on “Waves Of Blue” shortly after its release. “’Waves of Blue’ was made at the very beginning of this album, and it only makes sense that we begin our next chapter with this song,” they wrote. “This song is like staring at the sea – you’re not in the water, but you’re getting carried away by its currents.”
Hit play on the video above to listen to “Been Through That.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
For the past couple of years, the singers that are housed under Drake’s OVO Sound collective have been delivering impressive projects. Roy Woods returned last year with Dem Times, DVSN blew listeners away with A Muse In Her Feelings, and PartyNextDoor broke out from his cage with PartyMobile. While all of these projects were welcomed with open arms, there was a noticeable absence in the mix of it all; Majid Jordan. The alternative-leaning duo has left fans hanging without a new full-length effort since their 2017 project, The Space Between. Thankfully, it seems like that drought will come to an end as the duo returned with their new single, “Waves Of Blue.”
The song was initially premiered on a recent episode of OVO Sound Radio through their new Sound 42 station on SiriusXM. The new track errs on the pop side of things as its upbeat free-floated production finds Majid Jordan pouring their heart out to an unnamed individual. Despite declaring that they’re no good for them on the new track, the duo seeks nothing more than to spend time with their love interest and enjoy the moments that come with it.
As for Majid Jordan’s last release, you can revisit their 2019 track, “Caught Up” with Khalid here.
Press play on the new track above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
