Jordyn Shellhart Discusses Debut Album 'Primrose' and the Gift of Vulnerability

Jordyn Shellhart started singing publicly when she was three years old. A knack for songwriting followed as her little self loved to make up aimless little songs. Her natural inclination toward music led to a family decision to pack up and leave the West Coast for Nashville, Tennessee. “My mom came home one day to my brother and I, and she just said, ‘We need to leave California. Jordyn likes to sing; What do y’all think about moving to Nashville?’” So that’s exactly what they did.

Though the proposal seemed crazy, Shellhart got to Nashville and scored her first publishing deal at 14 years old; she played the Grand Ole Opry at 15. "We realized maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea," exclaims Shellhart.

Then, in an unthinkable turn of events, Shellhart lost her voice. Her burgeoning career came to a halt and she lost her record deal with Sony Music. “It totally derailed my artistry not being able to sing. It affected every facet of my life because my identity and who I believed myself to be were so wrapped up in singing,” she notes. “Having to untangle that and thinking, ‘What am I without this thing?’ That was a huge part of my late teens, early 20s.”

In an interview with Billboard, Shellhart shared that looking back on the experience, it was the best thing that could've happened for the sake of her growth as an artist. When asked why, she responds, “Because I signed a publishing deal so young, my formative years as a songwriter were spent co-writing and spent writing with people who were way more experienced than me and had hits. Losing my voice and losing touch with most of those people and having to go back to square one, it forced me to be writing by myself.”

Photo by Jory Lee Cordy

Shellhart would go on to write songs for Cody Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini, Don Williams, and Mickey Guyton. She helped co-write Little Big Town's "Sugar Coat" which earned her a Grammy nomination.

Now signed with Warner Music Nashville, the start of the new year marked a new chapter of solo music for Shellhart. Released in January of 2023, Shellhart made a triumphant entrance into the current country music scene with "Who Are You Mad At" which acted as the lead single to her record Primrose. Shellhart recalls "Who Are You Mad At" being the “star” in her circle of Nashville songwriters. Friends and collaborators would send videos of themselves listening to the demo and work tape; she knew it was special. Hence making it the perfect debut release.

Talking about the track, Shellhart shares, “It feels good, but just under the surface, it has a lot to say if you’re paying attention." She goes on to tie the specific tune into the full project, "That was my hope for the whole album. You don’t have to pay attention; you can enjoy it just by having it on, but if you do pay attention, you’re gonna find something - something maybe that you weren’t expecting to find.”

Another pre-release track, "Joni" features the direct and simple, yet brilliantly clever line, "I don't think Joni Mitchell would like any of my songs." Shellhart wrote it with two of her closest friends, Cameron Jaymes and Savana Santos. “We were joking around about what it’s like to be an artist, be a songwriter, be a creator, and have this life and these desires to be great, affecting your everyday life and relationships," she says.

In the visual for the wispy track, Shellhart can be seen dancing in a grocery store in pretty pale blue boots. Scenes of overlit grocery aisles pair well with the playful, bouncy lyricism Shellhart tapped into. She owes the unique idea to her director and when he first brought it up to her, she realized it was her worst nightmare. But with the new era of Primrose on the horizon, Shellhart forced herself out of her comfort zone. “I was like, 'You know what, Jordyn? Don’t even complain or object, just force yourself to do it because you don’t have a choice." She continues on remembering her inner dialogue, “‘You’re in the business of stretching yourself and doing things that you’d never thought you’d do right now, so just roll with it.’ And I did.”

Other standouts on the LP include the desperate plea "When Something's Gotta Give," the upbeat and catchy tune "Steal A Man," and the immersive, introspective "On A Piano Bench Getting Wasted." For Shellhart, every entry on the 12-song project could be a favorite.

There is one that comes to the front of her mind though, and that is track nine, "Maybe Someday You'll Have A Daughter," which, since its release, has already been streamed over one hundred thousand times on Spotify alone. “‘Maybe Someday You’ll Have A Daughter’ is my favorite in a sense that it inspires the most vulnerability in the people that I play it for," Shellhart admits. "I’ve been honored to receive so many people’s stories from that song, who come to me or write to me [about] what it meant to them and why.” The detailed story evokes a visceral pain; Shellhart wishes the antagonist in the story can learn empathy. She ends the chorus with lines, "Maybe one day she'll be cryin' / She won't wanna tell you why / And you'll think back to this, hope that's not it / Maybe then it'll hit you harder / Maybe someday you'll have a daughter."

Primrose is a stellar composition that solidifies Shellhart's righteous place in the country genre; despite it being a long time coming, it feels like it landed at the perfect time. Her songwriting reads like an open book that taps into deep vulnerability while also remaining universal.

“Primroses are typically the first flowers to bloom in the spring and it felt really representative of this first offering and these songs, a lot of them are firsts," she shares with a giddiness in her tone. "It feels like a coming-of-age record or this experience of my life up until 25. My hope is that my sharing these stories and vulnerability would help other people express theirs.”

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