Welcome to the Pretty Party: A Q&A with Jorden Albright

Jorden Albright/Photo by Ripley Scott

When you envision Jorden Albright, think of a one-woman creative powerhouse raised in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tennessee, in a home where solitude bred brilliance. From drawing and making YouTube videos as a kid to crafting music and visuals that seamlessly blend emotion and artistry today, she’s been building this creative empire for quite a while.

Jorden was raised as the only child in her home, but she actually has five half-siblings—four brothers and a sister. Growing up, she spent most of her time alone, developing her creativity in a supportive home. Her parents encouraged her artistic pursuits, buying her equipment and fostering her love of expression. She got her first taste of performing during high school, where musical theater introduced her to the stage and sparked her passion for connecting with an audience.

Jorden credits her supportive parents and early inspirations—hello, Hannah Montana—for sparking her love of music and entertainment.

Now, whether she’s collaborating with Knoxville’s local talent or vibing in her sacred space at home, she’s still following that path.

Her latest EP, Pretty Party, showcases her signature genre-blurring sound, blending pop, R&B, and experimental elements into a style that’s uniquely hers. Pretty Party is streaming now on all major platforms, and you can follow Jorden on Instagram at @nonbright.

The Knoxville Ooze sat down with Jorden to dig deeper into what makes her tick—from pre-show rituals to her favorite plugins—and we even got some wild insights into her creative process (spoiler: it involves birds). If you’ve ever wondered how she keeps her creative gears turning or what’s next for this multi-talented artist, read on.

Jorden Albright/Photo by Ripley Scott

Where were you born and raised, and what kind of kid were you?

I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, right outside of Memphis in Collierville, Tennessee. I am an only child. I have like five half-siblings. Let me make sure I'm counting that right. Yes! So, I'm one of six, but I grew up by myself, so I’m the only child of my two parents combined. Because of that, I did spend a lot of time at home by myself, which definitely informed the way I create music. It's pretty solitary. I'm really comfortable creating in a space alone at home most specifically. I grew up making all sorts of stuff—whether it was drawing, writing, making YouTube videos, or working on music. I definitely had a pretty sacred space by myself at home. My parents were always super supportive of my creative process. They would always buy me the random equipment and things that I needed as I grew up, like when I was asking for video cameras and different software. It’s because my parents kind of just let me have my own solo playground that I was able to build a lot of my skills. Also, I did musical theatre in high school, which was my introduction to performing on stage.

When did you become interested in music and entertainment?

I think I've been interested in it from the beginning. I always say my first real big inspiration was Hannah Montana. I always say it because it's so true. So I think that show started in 2006. I was maybe—I don't know—I was around nine or ten years old. Obviously, Miley’s from Tennessee, so that was a big thing for me, and she was making music that I really connected to at that age. That was a really big first stepping stone for me being like, "Wow, it sounds pretty cool to be a pop star." I made YouTube videos from the time I was like ten, so I always intertwined my interest in music with my interest in visuals like video content, as well. I made music videos, wrote songs, and put a lot of that up on YouTube. But I will say, my first YouTube project—just as a little tangent—was like, I had an alter ego named Lisa Luffandangle. I think I wiped all those videos off the internet, so no one should be able to find that. But it was basically an offshoot of Fred Figglehorn where I was pretending to be this five-year-old little girl with crazy vlogs. It was cute, but that was before I got into really intertwining the music thing with YouTube.

What brought you to Knoxville, and what do you love about it?

I came to Knoxville in 2015 when I had just recently turned 18. I came here for college and stayed here. I did move to New York for a couple of months after I graduated in 2019 to do an internship at ABC. That was fun. But I ultimately came back to Knoxville because, one, I missed parking lots and saving money, but also I like Knoxville. It grew on me a lot. It’s very different than Memphis, but it's still Tennessee, so it still felt like home. Obviously, me being here for four years kind of helped me to feel more comfortable. I always say Knoxville’s a small city and a big town because you can get the small-town vibes. It's obviously still a college town, and you've got nature everywhere and a big sense of community. But you also have a pretty thriving nightlife. We have a pretty poppin' art scene, and there's plenty of stuff to do, especially these days. It's definitely growing a lot. I appreciate the duality here—that you can have all these city life experiences if you want, but you also have the close-knit community aspect. Our art scene is really cool. I've met a lot of cool people, and it’s nice to be in spaces where you almost always see someone you know or have played a show with before. That's fun.

Is there a genre you’d like to experiment with that you haven’t yet?

I’ve touched on basically every genre that I really like. I think my music is so amorphous. I’ve touched on a lot of different things—hip-hop, R&B, house, rock, and pop. So I’ve definitely played around with stuff, but I’d love to dig a little bit more into rock. I’ve always said, like, if I get a live band behind me, I’d love to try creating crunchier versions of my pop songs, getting some distorted vocals going. So if you're trying to join my band, hit me up!

How do you know when a song is finished?

I think I have this method where I'll have a song that inspires the song I'm working on, and I'll play them back-to-back. If it feels like they can go on a playlist next to each other, then I know it's done. Until that moment, it's not finished. It has to sound like they kind of go together in the same musical space.

Which comes first in your process: the melody or the beat?

I think the melody always comes first for me. I'm a very melody-forward kind of girl. I will hear the phonetics of the lyrics before I actually know the lyrics, and then I'll go back and plug them in. It's kind of like a color-by-numbers process in my brain, which is fantastic.

What’s your favorite part of the music-making process?

Probably writing the music. I enjoy the production and recording, and I also love performing. But there's something so special about writing, because the song doesn't even exist yet. I become a perfectionist by the time I'm producing, so I enjoy writing because I’m still figuring out what the song sounds like in my head. It's a very ephemeral, dreamy space. I enjoy that as a water sign—I love ephemeral spaces and that whole vibe.

What’s the most unexpected place you’ve found inspiration for a song?

The birds outside my apartment. One of the songs on my last EP, Anatomy, is called 'Rigor Mortis.' The main melody of the song goes “da da da,” and the birds outside my apartment would chirp in that melody all the time. I always say, if you know what bird that is, please let me know so I can thank it personally for that song.

How do you know when a song is finished? I think I have this method where I'll have a song that inspires the song I'm working on and I'll play them back to back, and if it feels like they can go on a playlist next to each other, then I know it's done. And until that moment it's not finished. It has to sound like they kind of go together in the same musical space.

What’s your favorite tool as a producer?

I love like a rhythmic delay. I love having the main vocal and then it having a little shadow right after it. I think it really helps carry the song and build a space. If I can use a rhythic delay, I will. If you have me on a feature, I will be using rhythmic delay and you can't stop me!

What song could be the soundtrack to your life?

Let’s see, if I pick one of my own songs, it won't work because all of my songs are the soundtrack is my life, I probably pick Wish, which is a song by Trippie Red and Diplo. It's so good, the chorus starts with, “Baby what's you wishin’ for, maybe you should wish it more.” That's my whole mantra. I very much believe in manifestation. If I want it, I got it. You will hear it on Pretty Party, by the way, because that's one of the lyrics on it, so it means a lot to me, clearly.

What do you do to relax?

After a long day of creating music, I usually unwind by retreating to my couch. My desk and my couch are about two feet away from each other, so I just walk on over there, sit down and watch a game play by my favorite YouTuber Dashy. I will annoy my cat a little bit, all this happens on my couch, so it's a very sacred space for me.

What’s a song that makes you feel things?

I would say “Under Wraps” by Hers. They were a duo that I just discovered, like the spring semester of my senior year, when I had just gotten into a relationship. It was a very potent time in my life. But they passed away in a pretty tragic car accident, so when I hear this song, it brings up emotions from that time in my life, but also it's a timestamp on their career, which I'm really sad we're not getting to see. But they're a really great band; check them out.

Do you have any preshow rituals or superstitions?

It's not really a ritual or superstition, but on the day of a show, I cannot go anywhere or see anybody. I need to just be in my space and marinate in my introversion because when I get on stage, I consider myself to be like a phone. I need to charge at home so I'm fully charged to get on stage and get my best work. So if I have a show, don't hit me up before the show. But afterwards we can hang out!

What are your favorite lyrics from a song you’ve written?

The lyric from the EP that hits me the hardest? There areally actually two of them.

The first one is from The Empress. It's when I say, “I'm in the business of minding my own.” I feel like not one was divinely inspired. I wrote it, but I don't even feel like I wrote it. I feel like it crawled out of my subconscious mind.

The second one is, “if I should die before I awake, I pray my baby’s at my grave” from Oh God. It’s clearly a play on the bedtime prayer, but it's also got this sweet desperation to it; it’s very hopeless romantic. It's saying that if you’re dying, the only thing on your mind is will this person you love still be thinking about you. It's kind of depressing, but I love it.

Who’s your dream collab?

Doja Cat! I really am curious about her process. I first got into a song of hers in like 2015 on SoundCloud. It was not the cow one, but I'm just curious about the whole process. Even if the collab doesn't involve me singing, I just want to sit in the studio, Doja, and see what you’ve got going on, honestly.

Who are some local artists you’ve collaborated with, and who would you like to work with in the future?

Oh my goodness, I’ve collaborated with a lot of people. Recently, I worked with D. Smith—he’s a rapper with a cool R&B vibe. He’s in Florida now, but he was in Knoxville for a while.

I’ve also been in the studio with J. Bu$h, though that track isn’t out yet.

Another frequent collaborator is Kami Astro, who’s produced a few of my tracks. One of the songs I perform regularly in my set was produced by Kami. I’ve also worked with Jakey Lutko from Chattanooga.

And let’s not forget Benji Iii—his name has three I’s in it! If you check my Spotify, you’ll see all the collabs I’ve released so far.

As for future collaborations, I’ve talked with my friend Jack Moran from Run 40. We went to high school together and have been wanting to make music for a decade. We’ve performed together a few times, and I’d love to finally get a track done with him.

Zach Miles is another artist I’d like to collaborate with. I’m always open to working with new artists too. If someone reaches out and I vibe with their track, I’m down to hop in the studio.

How would your friends describe you?

Hopefully in a good light! In high school, I won the senior superlative for Most Original Senior Girl, which was surprising at the time. I showed up to school one day and found out I was basically a shoe-in for it. It was nice to know that people saw me as original back then—hopefully they still do. I’d like to think I’m pretty chill, kind, and creative. I try to stay out of drama. I’m always making something, whether it’s music, TikToks, or editing videos for work. I’ve got my local Hannah Montana gig playing shows, and I’m constantly creating content. So yeah, I think creativity is probably the biggest part of how people would describe me.

What do you do in your free time?

I spend a lot of my free time making music. It’s not my full-time gig, and I like it that way—it keeps it fun. If I were playing gigs to pay my bills, I think it would add pressure, and I really respect artists who do that. Aside from music, I make TikToks—though I don’t like to talk about it much! I’ve been making videos since I was a kid, and it’s important to me to keep that passion alive, even though it’s part of my job now. I’m also really into witchy stuff. Tarot, astrology, meditation—I’m all about it. You’ll usually find me burning incense, surrounded by crystals. That’s definitely my vibe.