PAUSE MEETS:
Jordan Adetunji
Discusses A Jaguar’s Dream (2025), Belfast & dream collaborators.
Hairstylist: Selasie Ackuaku // @selasie__a
Make-up: Anusha Amrita Kaur Solanki // @anushasolanki
Talent: Jordan Adetunji // @jordanadetunji
“I feel like some people need to up the pace… let’s have some fun.”
Some artists wait for doors to open. Jordan Adetunji has built his own and kicked it wide open. Genre-blurring and boundless, Jordan acquires a sound that has always felt like it’s reaching forward, chasing something just out of frame.
Raised in Belfast by Nigerian parents, Jordan’s earliest memories of music weren’t shaped by charts or trends, but by contrast of the gospel hymns echoing at home, and the grime and punk pulsing through the city’s underground. His sonic career began in 2019, posting sincere 16s to his following on social media, all while being cemented within the confines of school. 5 years later, Jordan took his farthest leap of faith yet, launching him into true stardom.
When he dropped a track inspired by “Kehlani” (part admiration, part manifestation), it was a love letter sent into the void. He had no co-sign, no inside connection, just the kind of audacity that belongs to those who believe. The result? She heard it. Felt it. And jumped on the Grammy-nominated track. The story of the song isn’t just a career milestone, but a moment of alignment. A reminder that sometimes, the universe really does respond when the art is honest.
This year, Jordan dropped A Jaguar’s Dream (2025), a full project that showcases his progression from school rapper to established musician. His sophomore offering masterfully compiles R&B with Hip-Hop and Afrobeats, allowing listeners to enter the mind, body and soul of his innermost creativity. The jaguar symbolises his ability to conquer space, something Jordan confidently feels he’s accomplished post-release.
PAUSE caught up with Jordan to talk new work, the creative scene of Belfast, and some dream future collaborators.
Check out the exclusive cover story below.
Tell us a little bit about your transition from London to Belfast at a really young age. Did it give you more clarity in what you wanted to pursue? A blank canvas?
Yeah, when I moved from London to Belfast, it was a big change for me culturally and in general. It taught me a lot of different things. I think it made me more confident, because I stood out more. It made me able to try new things and also be more open-minded and listen to different types of music.
Given the nature of your first big hit, “Kehlani,” I wanted to talk to you about dropping snippets before you even finish a song, because I know you did that with that song. Do you think there’s special value in acting on your initial ideas quite quickly? I think maybe in this day and age, a lot of people dwell and doubt themselves because there’s a lot of criticism, especially with the openness of social media…
Yeah, I feel like sometimes it’s best to put yourself out there because you never know really. That’s why I was just like, let me just drop the snippet of the hook and stuff like that, even before I finished recording it. Sometimes what you feel… there’s someone out there that feels the exact same thing, so it’s good to always put it out there and just check and see. You never know.
In terms of creative scenes in London and Belfast, was there a stark difference? I know you were quite young when you got there.
Yeah, there was a bit of a creative scene. But I feel like in terms of creativity, I was always on the internet. I was seeing a lot of things that were happening in London. So, I felt like I wasn’t too far away from stuff. I felt here, locally, there was a big punk scene. I was influenced by that a lot.
Did music run in your family? Or were you the first of your kind in that sense?
Everyone kind of learned an instrument. I played the trumpet and stuff, so yeah. My auntie used to sing in choirs and stuff like that, so there was a bit of that, but I feel like I’m the only one that kind of just really went for it.
Getting into A Jaguar’s Dream (2025), which is great by the way, it’s pretty packed with R&B royalty. I mean, Bryson Tiller, Kehlani, kwn, and Lil Baby, who is obviously more of a rapper. That’s crazy to have those features on one of your opening projects. Given how you push the boundaries of R&B and helping curate sub-genres off of it, how did you decide who could step into the world you were building and further your creative vision?
For real, a lot of these things kind of happen really naturally, especially the kwn thing. I only put up the hook and I hadn’t actually finished the song and she sent it to me. She was like, “yo, let me get on this.” I was like, cool. That’s sick. That’s another example of you kind of putting it out there quickly and it coming back to you. It was really natural. With Bryson, I had sent it and I didn’t think he would record on it, to be fair. I hung out with him in Miami and stuff, went to his house, played some games and stuff like that. And then, yeah, maybe a week after he recorded on it.
I do’t want to focus on genre too much, because you kind of go all over the place, but given the way you bend genre, what are your feelings towards the current state of R&B? I feel like a lot of people are never totally pleased about it.
I like a lot of the new stuff that’s coming out, but I feel like some people need to up the pace, up the tempo a bit. I like to have more grooves in R&B and things like that, so that’s why I kind of made the song “Too Many Women.” It’s like a, “let’s have some fun” type of vibe, you know? Not everything needs to be sad.
For sure.
I read up about your interest in video games, anime, and the influence of heavy metal music on you, which I think is really interesting when you listen to your work. It’s clear that the visual aspect of storytelling isn’t lost on you, especially in your music videos. What comes first when you create something? Is it the music or the visual? Do you think about how it looks first and then soundtrack it? Or is it the other way around?
It’s always the sound first, of course. But, I feel like I tried to visually build a world out of it. I’m big into sound frequency and the way things look to the sound. I feel like that’s something that I want to create an emotion out of. Whether it’s from just the physical sound or from the lyrics, but it’s mostly from the sound for me. That’s why I always start with melody before I write lyrics. I want to build a certain sound where you feel something.
Fur Coat – Juun.J, Vest – David Koma, Boots – Timberland, Jewellery – Local Kettle Brothers, Necklace – Artist’s own.
Moving on to your fashion and staying on the A Jaguar’s Dream theme, I wanted to ask who or what your red carpet spirit animal is? Is there anyone, be it a real life person or a character, that you channel when you’re on a red carpet?
Michael Jackson. I think I take a lot of influence from Michael Jackson whenever I dress. I feel like the stuff he was wearing in the 90s, like late 90s, it was really, really creative, especially with the custom outfits that he had and the influences he took from British royal culture, things like that. I thought it was really interesting.
Yeah, MJ’s a good one…
Looking through your various red carpet appearances, I can tell that you like like a co-ord, various types of matching sets, things like that. What’s rule number one when you step out in a public setting? What has to be right before anything else?
How I feel in it. I need to feel like I’m looking good or I have a better outfit than the next person. I’m a big accessories person. I’ve been loving cool belts, rings, and wearing more belts than I normally should… it’s kind of my vibe lately.
Stacking belts is coming in… maybe you’re ahead of the curve on that one.
I unfortunately read that you’re a Chelsea supporter. Football and culture are always intertwining, so who’s a player – past or present – you see yourself in character wise? With you positioning yourself as a Jaguar, I kind of thought maybe a bit of Juan Mata or Didier Drogba…?
Yeah, probably Drogba. Drogba or Lampard.
When I was growing up, Lampard was like my kind of my go-to. I used to collect Match Attax and had the shiny Lampard…
Oh man, Match Attax… I had the whole book and everything!
If ever I had a couple quid, that’s where it was going…
When you consume music yourself, what are some of the first things you take in from an artistic standpoint? And does it differ to how you assess your own work?
How they build out a hook. Sometimes some people don’t, and they have kind of a long intro. I find that pretty cool sometimes, but some people in music, they take more of an artistic approach, more than a song. I find that a lot with The Weeknd. Creatively, he kind of does whatever he wants. I think world building is kind of his bag. Nothing’s ever really the same with him.
I feel like you’ve already ticked a couple of dream collaborations off for R&B – I mean Bryson Tiller and Kehlani… but could you give me three dream collaborations from rock and roll, pop and rap?
Justin Bieber, Ozzy Osbourne, Don Toliver.
I actually think they’d all work on a song together, you know. JB, I feel like he’s starting to come back out of his shell, so maybe the stars are aligned…
Yeah, he’s trolling on Instagram!
Yeah, all my feed’s been is Justin Bieber at the moment.
When you were a young artist, you obviously had to control every step of the creative process, from production, writing and performing to the actual release of your work on Facebook and SoundCloud. How has your self-sufficient nature adapted as your team grew? Was that a welcome transition to have less on your plate? Or were you still very much hands-on in all departments?
I’ve been very much hands-on, but I felt like so much has come at once that I have to give some things away. Like posting, if I forget, I just need to give it to other people. But yeah, I’ve been pretty much hands-on with everything.
That’s nice to hear.
Where can we expect you and your sound to go next? What’s the plan for you?
For me, I feel like the plan is to drop some new music, drop some vibes for the summer, and then go into maybe another mixtape, something more in depth this time. I felt like a lot of the music on the last one was very spread out. Some songs, I made like a week after “Kehlani,” so it still has that vibe. And then some I made maybe a couple months after, while everything crazy was happening. I was on the road so much. I managed to make some songs, but I managed to make ones that I really liked, and those are the ones that are on there. But this time, I think I’ll actually have more time to dive in and make an actual project this time.
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Jordan Adetunji’s A Jaguar’s Dream (2025) is available to buy and stream now.
Suit – Wales Bonner, Shoes – Christian Louboutin.
Full Look – Louis Vuitton, Sunglasses – Vintage Frames Company, Flowers – Feyi Flowers, Jewellery – Local Kettle Brothers.
Full Look – Louis Vuitton, Jewellery – Local Kettle Brothers, Rings – MJ Jones Jewellery Brand.
Follow Jordan Adetunji on Instagram
