Someone smart once said, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” (His name was Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, but this isn’t history class.)

That said, the phrase resonates today–and how! The notion of virality has turned our world on its face. An actual virus engulfed the globe and changed life as we know it. And with apps like TikTok, a viral moment can finally be the breakthrough someone was looking for, quite literally changing everything overnight.

Such was the case for LA-based singer Jordy, whose song “Long Distance” spread like wildfire, giving the fresh, angel-voiced singer a step up the ladder to the platform he deserves. Still early on in his career, I caught up with Jordy over the phone to discuss the perplexing peaks and valleys of the last year, shout outs from Meghan Trainor, and the duality of being classified as a “Queer Pop” artist.

Can you describe the last year? Pairing COVID with career success must be an interesting combination.

Well, obviously the lockdown and COVID, in general, have been huge adjustments for everyone in terms of careers, mental health…all of it. It was definitely a journey. I’m lucky to live with a couple of friends from college. So we’ve been supporting each other. But you know, I had a bunch of Pride shows last summer and was planning more, and of course, everything was canceled.

So career-wise, I was looking at myself like, “What am I going to do?” How do I keep going? And at the same time, my grandma was getting really sick and my family and I were separated from each other, because they’re in Chicago, and I really had to think like, when’s the next time I’m going to see them? So I had all of those normal human feelings on top of wondering where the hell my career was going. But I was really lucky and got a publishing deal right in the beginning, which allowed me to really hone in on writing.

It took me a while to adjust to the Zoom sessions and being on FaceTime with producers and my cowriters. At first, I was super skeptical. Now it’s the new normal. A lot of my cowriters and producers like making music that way. And it’s been really crazy having moments like these, successful moments, amidst this time of uncertainty. It’s such a dichotomy.

Um, you know, it took me a while to like adjust to the zoom sessions and being on face time producers and my co-writers. And at first, I was like super, super skeptical, you know, like how can you feel the vibe or the energy when you’re just like looking at each other on a screen. Um, but I think at the end of the day, I just got used to it. And I think, you know, one of my songs tomorrow that I put out with my friend Austin, we wrote over his damp. And I think that was the first song I wrote on zoom, where I was like, Oh wow. Like it is possible to make really cool stuff on them. And it is possible to make music that’s super meaningful over, over a FaceTime call. And I think once that happened, I started just trusting my abilities more and more. But at the end of the day, I think people right now need music more than anything.

Just from browsing your Instagram, I saw so many incredible moments for you in the last few weeks. Like playing your song on MTV, and a shout-out from Meghan Trainor. What did that all feel like?

I’m an independent artist, you know, working with my incredible publisher and agent. We’re just this little team grinding our asses off and working hard. I’ve been doing this for three years. I moved to LA almost four years ago. You know, there are so many little victories along the way. But this past month, in particular, there have been so many milestones and it’s just been so lovely to be able to look at my manager and just sort of laugh like, “Wow, we’re really doing it.”

There were so many songs…I put out like thirty songs. That’s what I attribute a lot of the success to. You have to be consistent…and you know, Meghan Trainor is an artist and a writer that I’ve looked up to for a long time. She is a queen of pop. And so it was so validating.

The thing that really started this crazy bump was “Long Distance” going viral on TikTok. So I’m like, “This whole time I just needed to sit in my bed and record a video of me singing into the microphone.” But I should mention that, as any independent artist will know, there are high highs and low lows. But for now, I’m really happy and excited.

How do you explain those highs and lows to people outside the industry who might not get it? There’s a real misperception sometimes that if you have one song that “hits,” you’re all of a sudden a mega-millionaire superstar.

Totally. When people ask me how I’m doing, I try not to answer that question anymore with work-related things. It’s so easy for artists to define themselves by what they do. There’s so much more to us than that. Obviously most of us like what we do, but finding that balance has been very important. I think it puts me in the best mindset.

What are the pros and cons of being labeled as a gay artist?

II mean, I’m so proudly verbal and loud about my queerness. It’s a part of who I am. But I have a lot of friends that don’t really like to be seen as a gay artist. I get confused when people say Queer pop because it’s like, that’s not really a genre?

It’s a marketing term I guess.

Right! And I do have an attraction to that. I’m just not sure it’s a “sound.” At the same time, I’m using male pronouns because I’m attracted to males. But I’m a pop artist, a pop writer, and proudly gay. But I think there is a very fine line. Nobody wants to feel stuck in a box. But music speaks for itself, and hopefully it reaches lots of different communities.