Jourdan Evans Releases A New Rendition Of A Classic Single
Credit: Lilly K Photography
A new single release from Jourdan Evans does an outstanding job of delivering heavy-handed passion in vocal performance, but also bringing a youthful tonality to an absolute classic, originally performed by the one and only Elvis Presley, and what Jourdan does with the song is make it his own, while still keeping the underlying message alive.
This was a brilliant rendition of a robust single, and performed with the same wonderfully boisterous vocal approach that you would want, keeping the energy of the original version at hand.
"If I Can Dream" is a pretty well-known single again, originally performed by Elvis, and its messaging had to do with a certain time in history, having been written originally as a tribute to Martin Luther King.
The single is completely anthemic from start to finish, and Jourdan still took these specific elements from that original messaging and spun it into something a little fresh and new, oriented closer to not just his timeline, but his person.
For Jourdan, the single still has that passionate and emotional drive, but it's aimed a little bit more at following your dreams. It's more about leaning into hope in general. Having a huge dream and jumping at it, no matter what anyone may tell you.
This, to me, is such an important factor because it showcases an artist that's able to take a classic, vintage single, and repurpose it to an extent. Again, the original sentiment of the song is there, but he's utilizing those lyrics in a way that is close to his heart.
We all have dreams. Whether we're old or young. Sometimes it takes songs like this to remind us that following that dream isn't wrong, no matter what the circumstance.
It's also a reminder that we have to fight for those dreams. Nothing gets handed to us; nothing is fair, so having the knowledge that he must fight for the dream that you're chasing, no matter what it may be, is really key.
I feel like Jourdan really got that message across and did so in such a graceful manner.
His vocals are definitely big. He's able to bring such a soulful approach, still keeping in mind that the song is a classic, giving his vocals the right little vibratos here and there so that it follows that aesthetic.
He's very smart, especially in terms of being able to hone in on the sound that he wants to get and nailing it.
Sounds like these are not easy to cover. This is not just any song. It's an Elvis song.
It takes guts to cover a track like this one, and that's exactly what Jourdan has. He knew what he was going for, and it was completely nailed. The whole understanding of following your dreams, having to go through struggle to get there, and knowing that it'll be worth it in the end comes through in the song.
I just think it's pretty cool how he was able to take a song like this and make it his own.
There is a music video accompanying the single and it showcases Jourdan performing and getting a bit personal, which works amazingly simply because it showcases the right kind of visuals for the moments of intensity throughout the song where he really belts out.
It gives you what you want to see in terms of character, persona, and throughout it all, he's giving little nods to Elvis. Those nods come in some of the clothing that he's wearing, some of the scenery around him, and how some of the shots are done.
It's very easy to see that the same amount of thought that went into the song itself, went into the video as well.
The video has a natural flow that goes perfectly with the same flow of the single and how it's performed, giving you two halves that make a whole.
This whole project showcases a young artist who's paving his own path, doing things his way; working to bring his visions to fruition, and doing so with that fire that's needed to be able to build all of this.
The single was really well produced in general. There is some great reverb effect on the guitars and vocals, once again hinting back to that vintage, classic songwriting style and approach, and it really works perfectly for his rendition of the song.
The track definitely has its big rises at climactic points where the intensity is very high, and during those sections you really get sucked right into the song.
I would definitely suggest watching the music video the first time you listen. It makes a huge difference in terms of grasping the secondary message that's more personal to Jourdan, but also, once again, showcases his complete understanding and knowledge of connecting with the original song and bringing up certain elements of vintage tonality and visuals that line up with it.
There's a lot of great attention to detail going on, and you should definitely not miss this.
Once I dug into the song and video, I knew I wanted to speak with Jourdan about how and why the soul came to be, so that's exactly what I did.
Dive into the interview we conducted with Jourdan Evans, and be sure to check this video out as soon as you can.
Hey Jourdan! Thanks for doing this with us! Let's jump into "If I Can Dream"! I love this approach to the track and you really managed to stay true to the original in a way!
Thank you so much! I’m really happy to hear that because that was honestly really important to me. It’s such an iconic song, and I wanted to keep the heart and soul of the original which was written some 60yrs ago now which is crazy , while still finding a way to make it feel personal to me and where I am right now.
Question- What made you cover this song?
If I Can Dream was actually a song my dad introduced me to and when I first heard it I really connected with the messages.
It’s about hope and this idea of continuing to believe in something and keep moving towards your dreams even when there are challenges or things getting in the way.
When I started thinking about creating a music video that was more about my own journey , I kept coming back to it. It just felt like it was the perfect song to go alongside the story I wanted to tell.
Question- The original version, performed by Elvis, paid tribute to Martin Luther King. Is your version different in terms of its meaning?
Yeah, definitely. The original was written for Elvis by Walter Earl Brown at a really difficult time in American history, so obviously the circumstances behind it were completely different to mine.
But the things I connected with are hope, overcoming challenges and continuing to believe that something better is possible so the song still feels just as relevant today.
I just wanted to take those messages and tell it through a much more personal story about being young, having dreams and trying to work out your own path . I’m only 15, I have so much to figure out still but that’s also the really exciting part.
Question- The video for this single was shot amazingly! How much of a hand did you have in the final edit?
Thank you so much! I was honestly really lucky with the creative team around me.
Lilly K Photography was my film producer, and she really understood the story I wanted to tell and what I wanted people to feel from it. She captured it so beautifully, and I feel really fortunate that I got to work with someone with that much talent and experience.
I was definitely involved throughout the editing process as well. Because we already had the storyboard and the important moments mapped out, we could keep checking back to it and make sure we weren’t losing the story along the way.
A lot of the whole process was completely new to me. There were things I hadn’t done before, but that was exactly why I wanted to try it I love being able to create.
Question- was the video your idea?
Yeah, it was. I’d had the idea in my head for a while and I knew the sort of story I wanted to tell. LA is such a special place to me and my family and the Hollywood sign is like one of true most iconic landmarks in the world that represents hope so
It made sense to do the video in this location.
I’m a young artist and I’m still figuring out where I fit and what my own path looks like. Some days are amazing and others days are challenging. I wanted to show both sides of that, but ultimately make the story about hope and continuing to move forward.
Question- Are you performing live shows at all?
Yes, definitely! Performing live and connecting with an audience is like my favourite part.
I’ve got two really exciting shows coming up in September. I’m supporting Human Nature and Ben Folds at a music festival in Australia later in the month which I’m incredibly excited about.
I’ve also been really lucky to have some great opportunities performing at NRL football games. There’s something pretty incredible about walking out into a stadium and performing in front of that many people.
I also really love being able to use performing for things that actually mean something. For the last four years I’ve been invited to perform in support of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, and that connection has become really special to me. Being able to do something I love and hopefully help kids and families at the same time is something I feel really honoured to be part of.
Question- Now that this is released, are you getting ready to work on something else?
I think like most artists, you never really stop working on the next thing!
My main focus now is my first EP of original music. I absolutely love songwriting and that whole process of starting with an idea, developing it, taking it into the studio and then hearing it slowly turn into an actual song.
I think that constant creating and adapting is one of the things I love most about being an artist.
I’m working towards releasing the EP in the first half of 2027, and then I really want to take those songs out and perform them for audiences. That’s the part I’m really excited about taking something you’ve spent so much time creating privately and finally getting to share it with people.
Question- Who would you say are some of your bigger musical influences?
That’s such a hard one because I genuinely listen to everything.
One of my vocal coaches in LA gave me really good advice. He told me to keep listening to all kinds of artists and genres even people I don’t know or music I might not initially think is for me because it broadens what you hear and what you can learn from.
So I really try to do that.
I can go from Adele and Bruno Mars to Michael Bublé, Måneskin or Yungblud, then go all the way back to Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin. I’ll listen to '60s music, rock, pop, jazz, country, musical theatre pretty much anything.
I’m only 15, so I think this is the time when I should be listening to as much as possible. I don’t really want to decide too early that I’m only one type of artist.
Question- Where was this track recorded?
I recorded it at Sing Sing Studios with my producer, Thomas Keating.
I met Tom about three years ago, and we hit it off pretty much straight away. I was very young when we started working together and I think that was quite new for both of us, infact he told he doesn’t really work with kids but here we are now 3 yrs down the track. We just developed a really great working relationship and he said he felt like working with me was like working with other adult artists.
He’s become a great mentor to me as well as my producer. He has so much experience and knowledge, but he also gives me the space to have ideas, try things and sometimes get things wrong, which I think is really important when you’re learning.
Question- How did you become interested in being an artist in the first place?
Honestly, I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t doing something creative.
When I was little I was constantly putting on shows at home. I’d create the lighting and staging, sing and act in them. My parents had to watch the show every Sunday !! Then around 6yrs I saw CATS and I just knew music and stage was where I wanted to be.
This love eventually led to my first professional musical theatre production when I was 12, when I was in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat .
As I got older, I started wanting to create more things myself writing music, reimagining songs and then coming up with the stories and videos around them.
For me, the centre of everything is storytelling and entertaining . Whether it’s music, acting, theatre or film, I just love creating something and hopefully making people feel something from it.
Thank you so much for having me!
Credit: Lilly K Photography