Rising British artist Jordan Max has revealed his latest single and video “Me, Mary & My Guitar” today. “Me, Mary & My Guitar,” directed by David Helman (The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Vince Staples, Khalid, Zayn, Gucci Mane) follows Jordan Max’s powerful single and accompanying video “War,” published by Danger Mouse and released via Neon Gold Records earlier this year.
Jordan Max said of his inspiration for “Me, Mary & My Guitar”: “It’s about a broken relationship, it didn’t work out. I thought I loved her at the time but it all went wrong, no longer am I her fool. Now I’ve let go of that and it’s just me, Mary (weed) and my guitar, I’m walking away in the shoes she bought me.”
The scenic video for “Me, Mary & My Guitar” was shot at the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Showcasing the region’s open roads and vast mountain ranges, “Me, Mary & My Guitar” features wide shots of Jordan Max motorcycling down an empty highway, interspersed with footage of him seated alone in various settings — from a dark, crowded bar, to an open field, to a rippling river basin surrounded by desert. Alongside solo shots of Max, viewers are introduced to a woman sitting solemnly outside her home and later standing in the same open field. “Me, Mary & My Guitar” begins a story between Jordan Max and the mystery woman, to be continued in coming visuals.
Jordan Max made his debut in 2016 with his EP Only One Is King, written and recorded in the bedroom of his childhood home. Lead single “Hell” showcased his unique sound and earned him a spot on Complex’s“10 British R&B/Soul Artists To Watch in 2017,” in addition to praise from Consequence of Sound, i-D, Pigeons & Planes, Fader and more. The prestigious BBC Introducing series placed him on the industry’s radar, gaining high-profile fans in Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and Pharrell Williams, even leading to a string of European tour dates supporting Jorja Smith.
In 2017, GRAMMY award-winning producer Danger Mouse signed Jordan Max’s publishing and released the single “Out of Luck.” 2018 sees him collaborating with producers Craze & Hoax (Emeli Sande, Naughty Boy) and Felix Joseph (Jorja Smith, Jesse James Solomon) on “War”. After doing everything D.I.Y. in the past, the collaboration offered space for evolution.“[Working with producers] didn’t just improve the quality of the recordings, but allowed the songs to breathe more rather than me making it in my room with limitations,” he says. “It’s been exciting to take this to a new level.” While tapping collaborators and producers, Jordan Max stays true to his roots. “Soul is all about raw expressionism. I wanted to capture that whilst finding a common ground between alternative, blues, and a little hip-hop.”