Jordan Stephens: Heartbreak, hitting rock bottom and finding my way back from self-destruction
Aug 30, 2024
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Jordan Stephens, writer, musician, and one half of Rizzle Kicks, shares his candid journey from chaos to self-discovery. He opens up about the painful breakup that spurred his exploration of heartbreak and masculinity. Jordan discusses the struggles with ADHD, creativity, and self-worth amid the pressures of fame. He emphasizes the importance of discussing male vulnerability and the healing power of love, while reflecting on how shared pain can foster understanding. His new book, 'Avoidance,' dives deep into these experiences.
The podcast underscores that grief is a universal experience, impacting everyone regardless of their fame or past successes.
Jordan discusses the freedom of prose writing compared to lyrics, emphasizing the importance of finding one's authentic voice in storytelling.
The exploration of heartbreak in Jordan's life reveals how emotional pain can lead to significant personal growth and deeper self-awareness.
Deep dives
Exploring Grief Through Personal Experience
The focus of the episode is on the relationship with grief and how it shapes personal identity. The discussion emphasizes that grief is a universal experience that affects everyone regardless of their background or achievements. The speaker highlights that a broken heart can impact anyone, reiterating that pain and grief need to be processed by all individuals. This exploration of grief aims to engage readers in a relatable manner, showing that fame or success does not exempt one from facing deep emotional pain.
The Creative Process of Writing
The podcast delves into the speaker’s approach to writing, comparing prose writing to songwriting. The speaker reveals that writing prose provides more freedom compared to the rigidity often found in lyrics. Additionally, the speaker shares experiences of creative blocks, linking them to personal struggles with substance use and mental health. The emphasis is on finding one's unique voice in writing, shaping a narrative that reflects true emotions and experiences without conforming to conventional writing rules.
Navigating Identity and Community
The speaker discusses his childhood experiences, particularly the challenges of growing up in a diverse environment. He reflects on feeling like an outsider due to his mixed-race background while also expressing curiosity about the cultures around him. The importance of community is highlighted, showing how relationships and interactions in his neighborhood influenced his perspective on life. This background plays a significant role in understanding how societal expectations and personal identity intersect.
The Impact of Education and Ambition
The narrative touches on the speaker's experiences within the educational system and how it shaped his ambitions. Despite feeling misunderstood in traditional schooling, he found opportunities outside of school through competitions and creative outlets. The recognition he received through these competitions contrasted sharply with his typical classroom experiences. The speaker emphasizes that intelligence isn't solely defined by conventional education, insisting that personal drive and creativity can lead to success.
Heartbreak as a Catalyst for Reflection
The episode culminates in discussing heartbreak and its profound effects on personal growth and insight. The speaker reflects on a significant relationship that ended due to betrayal, triggering a deeper understanding of his own emotional wounds. This process of introspection led to the realization that unresolved griefs from other aspects of his life needed to be addressed. By writing his story, he seeks not only healing for himself but also aims to help others navigate similar emotional journeys.
Jordan Stephens is a writer, musician and actor, best-known as one half of the hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. His late teens and early twenties were a whirlwind of hit records, sold-out shows and wild parties, fuelled by a heady cocktail of drugs, drink, sex and chaos. It was fun until is wasn't.
In 2017, everything fell apart when Jordan cheated on his then-girlfriend, leading to a painful break up that left him heartbroken for the first time. Desperate to make sense of it all, Jordan set out on a journey of self-discovery, facing his emotions and slowly pieced himself back together. He opens up to James about his experience of heartbreak and why love is such an important, yet misunderstood, topic for young men today.