Lost in LA: In Conversation with Jordan Anthony

I sometimes think it can be deeply comforting to feel understood — that moment when you realise someone else feels something similar to you, even though they’re living a completely different life. That sense of recognition, of emotional closeness without sameness, is one of the most defining forces behind young artist Jordan Anthony.

For Jordan, music has never been about perfection or performance alone — it’s about connection. “I want listeners to feel inspired and seen through my music,” he tells. “If someone stops a song to replay a line and thinks, ‘THAT PART!!’ and really relates to it, I’ve done everything I set out to do.” It’s a feeling he has already managed to create with his previous releases — songs that sit somewhere between vulnerability and strength.

Born in Perth, Australia, and now based in Los Angeles, Jordan’s relationship with music began early. Writing his first song at just seven years old as a way to cope with bullying, songwriting quickly became his personal language — a place where thoughts could exist freely before being spoken out loud. Over the years, that instinctive honesty has remained at the core of his work, whether on large stages like The Voice Australia, Junior Eurovision, and American Idol, or in the solitude of his bedroom with a guitar.

His new single Lost in LA feels like a natural continuation of that story. Written during a moment of homesickness and self-doubt, the track captures the emotional in-between space of chasing a dream far from home — the quiet loneliness, the pressure, and the feelings that rarely make it onto social media. And it has become a warm, intimate single — one where Jordan’s voice stands front and centre, fully present, telling his chapter. “I want people to know it’s okay to feel lost sometimes.”

In our interview, we talk with Jordan about moving across the world, piano lessons, learning to enjoy the moment rather than chasing outcomes, and his biggest dream.

photograhphy by Ryan Simmons

Hey dear Jordan, I’m listening to your new single “Lost in LA,” and it’s so beautiful. Anyone who’s ever lived away from home can really relate to it. Like the title says, it’s such an honest piece about those hard moments when you move away from home—the homesickness, self-doubt, and emotional turbulence that rarely show up on social media. Besides writing music, what helps you the most when you go through those tough moments?

Firstly thank you so much, it means the world. As far as what else helps me, a good FaceTime with my friends and family does wonders. And I’ll be so honest—playing Call of Duty on PlayStation with one of my best friends from Idol, Blake Proehl, also really helps. It kind of takes us away from the stresses of the industry and the journey at the best of times. Sometimes you need a bit of an escape, and that does it for me, lol.

What expectations did you have when you moved to LA, and what do you think are the biggest differences in lifestyle and mentality compared to your home in Australia?

I definitely had high hopes, as anyone would—especially coming off American Idol, ready to dive in and go all in on my music career. And it has been absolutely amazing so far, such an incredible journey with some amazing people. I think the biggest difference for me personally would be the pace of life. The way things move in LA is really different to back home in Perth. Everyone is chasing something, and it would be really rare to go into a coffee shop or a restaurant and not hear someone talking about something artistic or exciting—and I think that really pushes me and excites me to keep going on my own journey.

The song was written in your bedroom—Is that where you write most of your songs, or does it vary?

Some of my songs definitely get written in my room when I can’t hold out for a session or something is really pressing on my mind. But most of the time I’m lucky enough to be writing with incredible people in different songwriting sessions, whether it’s in LA or Nashville or just with friends.

“Art is the thing that stops the world from falling apart a little bit more.”

You wrote your first song at 7, as an escape because you were bullied at school. Do you still have a live recording of that song, and was it directly about bullying?

It’s actually really funny because that is genuinely the only song I think I’ve written that I haven’t recorded in any way. The only recording we have of it is on my mom’s old Facebook memories, which is kind of funny. I remember the song so vividly though—it’s called “Wait,” and I wrote it when I was seven about my experiences of getting bullied throughout school and needing someone by my side when I had no one, lol.

By five, your parents had enrolled you in piano lessons. Do you remember what you thought or felt the first time you sat down at the piano? Do you play any other instruments?

I’m going to be so honest—I absolutely hated piano lessons, everything about them. My teachers would always get mad at me because I would always try and guess what the music and notes were doing instead of actually reading it. So I’m definitely happy that as a songwriter I don’t need to read music very often anymore. But piano lessons are really the reason why I get to do what I do today, and Mum and Dad always said that I would thank them one day for the years of hated lessons—and I do.

You’ve been on The Voice Australia, represented Australia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and participated in American Idol. How do you handle the pressure in those public formats? I mean, as an artist, you’re always in the public eye, but these formats feel extra intense, especially when you’re so young.

To be honest, I don’t. I go into these situations with really low expectations and try to have fun with it every single step of the way. I’ve definitely spoken to some people that have been on those shows with me, and the biggest thing that they regret is not enjoying it more because it is so fleeting—even though it is an amazing experience. I think just trying to outdo myself every round, and every step of the journey, was my biggest focus instead of thinking of it as a competition.

“Everyone in LA is chasing something, and that energy really pushes me to keep going on my own journey.”

There’s an EP on the way this year, and you’ve already shared a bit about it: “It’s a culmination of the best songs and stories I’ve written over the last year and a half—moving to LA, finding who I am as an artist, and making music I feel so genuinely passionate about.” How would you describe the artist you are today?

This is honestly the question that stumps me the most when I get asked it, because I almost feel like that’s something that a listener or a fan would be able to answer easier. So much of what we do as artists is almost subconscious in a way—we just “do it.” But I feel the artist I am today is the realest version of myself and tells those real and vulnerable stories that at times I was scared to share with people. But if I can help someone through the stories by the means of a big banging pop song, that’s all I could ever ask for.

I absolutely love TEDx Talks, and I know you’ve given one about the power of storytelling through music. Do you think art has the power to change the world?

100%. I even think art is the thing that stops the world from falling apart a little bit more. I think music in particular as well is like a universal language. It brings people together that would never even look twice at each other on the street or ever interact. It’s one of the most magical things ever—being in a room of people from all different backgrounds and experiences, screaming the lyrics of the same song and sharing moments like that. It’s such a powerful thing.

What are your dreams for the next few years?

Touring is my biggest goal and dream. Touring the world with my music has literally been the biggest dream ever since I was little, and going on tour this year and next year is going to be so healing for me, I think. And also releasing my first ever project.

And what advice would you give your younger self today?

It gets better, kid.