Mental health and music go hand in hand since most artists pour the contents of their hearts and minds into their songs. This is exactly what Canadian singer-songwriter and pop artist Jordyn Sugar is doing through her empowered pop music. Joining Marc Lehman, she discusses her creativity, confidence, and what it means to normalize inner work, especially among young people. Jordyn also shares how Justin Bieber inspired her to continue writing music and how she uses her art to encourage self-belief and emotional openness that help unlock your most authentic self.
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The Power Of Empowered Pop With Jordyn Sugar
Everybody, welcome to the show. I am here this evening to talk openly about mental health and wellness. I am joined tonight by Jordyn Sugar. Jordyn, thank you so much for joining us.
My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
I appreciate you being here. I am going to run through a quick intro, Jordyn, then we will get going. We will jump right in. As I mentioned, we have Jordyn Sugar, a Canadian singer, songwriter, and pop artist whose music centers on empowerment, authenticity, and self-expression. I did my homework, and I listened to a lot of your music. It’s really good stuff. I really encourage my readers to get out there and look up Jordyn.
Jordyn first connected with a wide audience through social media, using music as a way to speak honestly about confidence, growth, and finding your voice, especially during moments when life can be a bit uncertain. Her sound blends pop, R&B, and dance, which is influenced by the heart of her work, which is a clear message that being yourself is powerful. Beyond music, Jordyn is passionate about using her platform to encourage self-belief and emotional openness, making her a natural fit for conversations that matter, like this one.
Using Empowered Pop Music To Inspire Young People
I am excited to talk with her about her creativity, confidence, and what it means to normalize the inner work we all do, especially as young people find their way. I am so sorry, I fumbled that a bunch, but Jordyn, welcome. I have got to say, I am a huge fan of the music, number one. I love the work that you do and your passion. I want to hear really all about it. One of the things that I came across that I thought was just so cool was this strong message of be yourself and how important that is for young people. Tell us about that.
Growing up, I was a bit different than the typical kid. I was a tomboy growing up. I was playing sports and playing the drums, which was not typical for a regular girl fifteen years ago. I was always seeing myself as a little bit different, which is okay for me because I knew that being different stood out, and I did not mind that. Now, with my whole brand of empowered pop, the goal is to let people know that being different is okay basically. There is something to be said about standing out and being your own unique identity, and not following the same trends and paths that everyone else normally takes. Just be completely yourself, even if it means people not liking it.
I love that. What a great message. Empowered pop. I came across that phrase when I was reading about you, and it just got me thinking so deeply about the concept of young adults nowadays. Young adults, in my opinion, this generation, the generation you are in, are often very cool with being themselves. I just love that. Compared to my generation, where we never did that, right?
Yeah, it is a bit different now.
No doubt. Empowered pop. I am assuming what you mean by that is that in a lot of your song lyrics, you talk a lot about being yourself and being authentic. Tell me why that is so important.
Music speaks a lot of volume, and sometimes when you just speak words, it does not hit as hard as when you sing them. Every generation, you have that song that stands out, that empowers. We have We Are the World and all these big anthems that are super unity-focused. They speak so much about coming together and empowerment. Instead of just singing pop music, my brand and everything is empowered pop.
Music speaks a lot of volume. Sometimes, when you just speak words, they do not hit as hard as when you sing them. Share on XEmpowering does not have to be the same message that I talk about in every song, but as long as there is a message of empowerment in every song, no matter what it is about. If it is about overcoming heartbreak or following your dreams or just getting over an ex or something like that, but on positive terms, like “You got this,” or “It is all good. I will do it myself,” or “I am good in my shoes.” All those different topics that play into anything empowering, I love to talk about them because a lot of music could be negative nowadays. I like to bring a positive side to it.
I was just thinking that a lot of music can be really negative, and what a wonderful spin. It is a really good vibe, and just from my perspective, good for people to hear and listen to. I totally agree with what you said, by the way. Music deepens messages. The message that you are sending in a lot of your music is super positive and super powerful as well.
Thank you.
How Jordyn’s Music Career Began
You are welcome. Tell me, I want to hear a little bit about your music career so far. When did you start? You said you started as a drummer.
I guess it roots back to when I was three years old. I started playing on an electric drum set my dad had in the basement. He was a drummer growing up, and I think I got that in my bloodstream. From the age of three, I was playing the drums, but I actually had rhythm and an actual flow to it. It was not random hitting. I would play songs, play along to songs, and catch onto the beat. It came super naturally without even thinking, which is not something that happens when you are that young.
It is something either you have got to pursue, or you have got to keep working on, because obviously it is there from the get-go. Singing was a little bit in the back of my life. I would always sing, but it was not at the forefront. The drums or playing basketball. Those were the two things that I was really good at. I loved singing, and I love music, but I never thought I had a good voice, so I never put myself out there. When COVID hit, school was shutting down. I was in the last year of high school, and I was so bored. I love being out, and I love doing things. As soon as everything was shut down, I could not just sit around.
I was like, “What is better than now?” This is the best time if I am going to put myself out there and wing it and hope that somebody thinks I am good at singing. The time is now because I thought in my head, “I am not going to go back to school because of COVID.” No one is going to see me ever again in my head. This is what I was thinking, and if I am going to embarrass myself, at least I do not have to see anyone in person. I just went with it, and I guess it just caught on, and people started liking it. I do not know if you know, but that is when Justin Bieber reposted my TikTok to his Instagram story.
I did not know that. That is pretty awesome.
Hence why he is on the wall, I can see that. On the wall, like the Never Say Never, always believe in your dreams. As he said, “Never Say Never.” I just started believing in myself to the max after that moment happened. I took off with that momentum of confidence to where I am now.
What a cool story. Tell me in terms of performances, where do you perform? What is that like? Walk us through that a little bit, Jordyn.
I have performed on stages across a few cities in Canada. I have been to the States, and I performed. I performed in front of ten people. I performed in front of thousands. I performed even in front of 25,000 people, which is something I do not even think of. I was at a festival here in Montreal. Performing is my favorite thing. I love recording. I love being online. I love content creation. There is something about stepping onto a stage and performing that nothing else does for me like that.
It is just such an adrenaline rush, and it makes me really understand why I love to do what I do. When I step onto a stage, I remember why I love it so much. I know it is cliché, but it really is true. The moment you feel that feeling of being with a mic and just walking out and people cheering, it is a different type of feeling. I performed in Vegas. I opened up for CeeLo Green.
I saw that. Yeah, that is impressive. Good for you, Jordyn.
That was on the Vegas strip. That was so cool. I have opened up for Gloria Gaynor and Kool & the Gang here in Montreal. I just performed in Jersey not too long ago and opened for Rachel Grae. I have opened up for Kardinal Offishall in Toronto for Canada Day. I have opened up for a few people in Montreal here at smaller venues. I also went to LA and performed at a few schools with KISS Radio there. I toured all the Montreal EMSB schools here. It got me a lot of traction with all of the kids in Montreal.
That is fantastic. You have been busy, my goodness.
Since COVID.
I sure hope your mind has changed about your voice. It is fantastic, by the way.
Thank you.
You have been super successful, and I am excited for what is to come. Tell me, I am curious, because your audience is mostly kids. Would you say?
I believe that I have a wide demographic just because my music is so pop and it is so radio-friendly that anyone who listens to the radio would hear my song, and I think they would like it just because it fits that particular box. I do think that a lot of kids like my music because I do cater to that young poppy sound, but as I grow up, I want my music to grow with me. That is where this next era of my music is going.
It is changing from a song like Summer High, which is super teeny-bop. It is great. It is a great song. It is so catchy. It is personally one of my favorites that I have ever done. The kids love it because it is so kid-friendly. Now we are moving on to the more adult themes, which is still what kids listen to because I believe music is for anybody. I do not know if it is mostly for kids. A lot of kids love my music, but a lot of adults love my music too because of the messages. It is hard to say. It really is hard to say.
Sounds like you have a demographic. It goes anywhere. Yeah, it definitely does. I am asking mostly because my audience on this show is really two groups. Young adults in high school and college, and then their parents. We often talk about different topics associated with mental health and wellness. Believe it or not, music comes up a lot as a coping skill and as a soothing mechanism. It is a go-to for a lot of people because people are constantly with their phones, and they have their music.
How Music Taps Into Your Mental Health
They are one step away from putting the earbuds in and just listening. A lot of my patients over the years who have excessive anxiety have really turned to music as a way to cope and a way to ground themselves. It fits in really nicely with the concept of empowered pop and kids really turning to that to feel positive and to feel good, versus the negative music that can come through. I am curious about your thoughts in general on young adults and their wellness or their mental health. How does music fit into that?
Music is a good outlet to cope with a lot of emotions. There are so many artists, like Billie Eilish, who talk about mental health in every song. It is a little more on the depressing side, but there is something to be said about listening to what you are feeling. I know when I am in a bad mood, you might think to turn on a positive song, but there might be a song that is explaining exactly how I am feeling, and it makes you understand yourself better, or it makes you feel not alone. A lot of music does that. If you are having a certain thought, there is a song that reflects it. There are so many songs in the world.
There are a hundred thousand songs uploaded to Spotify a day. There is going to be someone talking about exactly what you are feeling. Most of the time, you think you are alone, but I can tell you that most people are feeling exactly the way you are. I realized that through music. I think mental health and music go hand in hand because a lot of artists have mental health issues. I think they just put their feelings into lyrics and melodies. Listening to what somebody else is singing about makes you feel a little bit better and makes you feel like you are not alone. That is kind of why.
A lot of artists have mental health issues, and they put their feelings into lyrics and melodies. Share on XI would agree. I have been to many concerts over the years with my kids, my family, and friends. I would say that the number one show I have ever seen was when we went to see Post Malone. Post Malone got up on stage and, in between songs, he talked about mental health. I thought it was so impressive, honest, and genuine. I started paying attention to it. You are right. Lots of musicians are doing that, and they are putting clips out on social media about it. For young adults, when they hear musicians talking so openly and honestly about their own struggles and their own mental health, it is validating. It is validating for kids to know we are all human beings, and we are all susceptible. Quite frankly, as you just said, many of us have struggles.
Even if it is not out there in the public, most of us do have our struggles. I actually just wrote a song about it, not too long ago, that will be coming out soon. Speaking about just the feeling of being overwhelmed, anxiety, and feeling like you are at the edge, and you are not really sure where you are going next, and being uncertain. The next song that is coming out in a few months is about mental health awareness, for the most part, and the ups and downs of life. I am excited for that.
Those types of songs really resonate with lots and lots of people. Do we have a name for the song yet?
It is called Underwater.
Enjoying The Young Adult Life Outside Of Music
You guys heard it first here, Underwater. Keep an eye out for it in a couple of months from Jordyn. That sounds really exciting. Jordyn, tell me, I am curious, outside of music, do you have time to just be a young adult?
I need to write the best music. There is something to be said about going out with your friends and going to bars and clubs and seeing what is out there to be inspired to write. There are times I think, “I have not lived enough to write a song like this.” I need to go and live it, and then I can write about it. If I have not lived this experience, I have no right to write it if I do not even know what is happening.
My music is heavily inspired by experience or a universal topic that I can resonate with. I do have time to be a young adult. I do go out with my friends. I meet people. I do not like being home too often. I work from my studio, and I am at the studio, or I am doing content. When I can get out and just be 22 and do whatever I need to do aside from music, I definitely do that. I definitely need time for that. I think it is important.
I am really glad to hear that happens. I have to ask, have you met Justin?
No, I have not met Justin.
Justin, if you are listening, come on, contact Jordyn. Hopefully, you guys will be able to meet one day. He sounds like he was a part of your early story.
He is the reason I continued. I was having a lot of anxiety about the posting. I had a few thousand followers, but I really did not think I was all that. People were saying you are great, and I appreciated it, but in my mind, I was like, “I am okay.” It would take me hours to film a video. Sometimes it would take me five hours to sing one little 30-second thing for TikTok. I would keep going, I would lose my voice, and I would keep posting.
I would get so aggravated if I only got 100 views. I was just like, “Maybe I s***, maybe this is not for me.” I kept going. It was four months later when he posted me because people said I sounded like a young Bieber. It is that moment that I was like, “If Bieber posted me to his story, maybe I have to stop second-guessing myself.” Right after that moment, I could tell you my mind 180’d, and I was like, “I guess I am pretty good. I am going to keep going.”
There you go. I love that story.
A boost of little something to remind me to “Stop doubting and that I am on the right path.”
I love that story. Maybe one day he will contact you, and you can open up for him. That would be great.
That is the goal.
In all seriousness, I think having mentors in our lives and having people that affect us and hold that mirror up and show us, “You’re damn good at this,” is incredibly powerful and so important. Many of my young adults come into my office regularly, and we speak virtually regularly. I hear things like, “There is nothing special about me.” It just makes me want to scream. For every young person who says that, there is a list of things that are special about them. They just do not know it yet.
I will say the same thing. A lot of people come into my life, and they will be like, “I am so jealous. You have so much talent. I do not have a talent.” It is not that you do not have a talent, you just have not found it yet. I say the same thing. You just have to keep trying things. Everyone has something that they are good at, even if you do not know it, you know?
It is not that you do not have talent. You just have not found it yet. Share on XYour spirit and your fortitude through doing what you are doing are incredible. For so many young people, if they do not get immediate success, they give up. When you find your passion, and clearly music is your passion, chase it. You are going to have those days that feel great, and you are going to have those days that s*** and are really frustrating. Hopefully, many more wonderful days. I would imagine, having talked to other musicians, that it is like any other career.
You are going to have your frustrations that come your way. I have to say, you are definitely a role model for many, Jordyn. Young people are looking for those passions and struggling to think, “I will never find it.” They will. I did not find mine until I was a junior in college. I think I was 20 or 21. Not that much different in age than you. I found it by accident. We will go into that story. To me, I love being a counselor, and it sounds like you love being a musician. I hope that for every young person who is tuning in, they find their passion as well.
Me too.
Jordyn’s Nominee For The Next Guest
Jordyn, listen, I really appreciate you spending some time with us. I know you are busy, taking some time out of your schedule and making it happen to spend some time on the show with us. I really appreciate that time. One last question for you. I ask a lot of my guests to nominate a friend, a coworker, or a relative. Someone you know who you think would be good for me to interview next, just to keep the conversation moving forward. Anybody come to mind?
My good friend, who is also an influencer and a magician. His name is Raphael La Ferrara. He goes by Rafi. He is huge in Montreal with millions of followers. His message is all about “never give up.” We have shows together. I am participating in his show in April. We are very close, and I think he would be good to try to get in contact with if you can.
I will get his contact info from you offline. I appreciate you nominating him, and I will try to get him on a future show. That sounds like a really good interview.
For sure.
Jordyn, thanks again. I really appreciate it. To everyone, be on the lookout for all the new stuff coming your way through Jordyn Sugar. Jordyn, thanks again.
Thank you so much.
Have a good one. Take care.
You too. Bye.
Important Links
- Jordyn Sugar
- Jordyn Sugar on YouTube
- Jordyn Sugar on Instagram
- Jordyn Sugar on Spotify
- Jordyn Sugar on TikTok
- Jordyn Sugar on Facebook
About Jordyn Sugar
Today on Normalize It Forward, I’m joined by Jordyn Sugar, a Canadian singer-songwriter and pop artist whose music centers on empowerment, authenticity, and self-expression.
Jordyn first connected with a wide audience through social media, using music as a way to speak honestly about confidence, growth, and finding your voice—especially during moments when life feels uncertain. Her sound blends pop, R&B, and dance influences, but at the heart of her work is a clear message: being yourself is powerful.
Beyond the music, Jordyn is passionate about using her platform to encourage self-belief and emotional openness, making her a natural fit for conversations that matter. I’m excited to talk with her about creativity, confidence, and what it means to normalize the inner work we all do—especially as young people finding their way.
Reading about mental health is hard. Let’s schedule a free consultation.