Jordan Janzen

For Canadian singer-songwriter Jordan Janzen, learning to play music came as naturally as
learning to walk and talk. Janzen’s parents, part of Christian rock band Sojourner, naturally
instilled in him a love of music. His bedroom was right above his parents’ rehearsal space and
by the time he was seven, he was playing drums with their worship team. Gifted with a natural
ear for music, Janzen soon started leading worship for his youth group. “For me,” Janzen says,
“music and worship are intertwined. It’s a connection to our relationship with God.”
This innate understanding of music combined with a lifelong love for God shows up in Janzen’s
latest single “You Can Let Go,” a heart-driven pop ballad that gives the listener permission to let
go of past regrets, secrets, all the things that can be so difficult to release. “People need Jesus
more than ever,” Janzen says. “The God of love and comfort is the God that’s going to draw us
in. He loves us just as we are. We don’t have to do it on our own. We can let go.”
Janzen learned that particular truth after touring Canada for over a decade with Canadian band
The Color. At 17, he entered a singing competition in Canada which planted the seeds of full
time music ministry. After the local contest, he and several bandmates went on a six-week tour
across Canada with Amanda Cook. That first tour ignited a fire and the next decade was spent
building the skills and fanbase that equipped Janzen and friends to launch “The Color” in 2012
(is this accurately phrased?). “When we first started out, I was a full-time youth pastor. By the
time we grew to doing over a hundred shows a year, I had to choose between being a full-time
youth pastor or a full-time artist. I could no longer have a foot in both camps.”
Janzen, like most artists, toured full time until COVID hit and all touring shut down. “My
priorities started to change during that time,” Janzen says. “I prayed God would open doors and
close doors accordingly. After the pandemic, I started coming to Nashville for writing
appointments, totally open-handed. I knew it was time to start something fresh.”
Going solo after being part of a band for so many years unlocked a new level of vulnerability
within Janzen. For the first time as an artist, he began allowing pieces of his own experience, his
own struggles and questions and doubts, into the songs he was writing. “There’s a new, deeper
honesty to my songs that make them a place of safety,” he says. “That’s what I want when
people hear my music, to know they can connect with a God of safety and comfort.”
More than a shift in writing and performing, standing alone in the spotlight highlighted, among
other thing, his lifelong struggle with perfectionism. “The majority of my life I’ve spent with
eyes and spotlights on me. It can hard to be okay with being me, but I’m learning it’s okay not
to be perfect. God doesn’t bring perfect circumstances. He brings the strength to get through
it.”
Earned perspective and an unshakable faith are what drive Janzen’s worship-fueled pop songs.
As Janzen releases “You Can Let Go,” his goal for the future is to write more songs from the
deep well of his heart, songs designed to usher people in to the assurance of God’s wide-open
love. “It’s so amazing to use my creative gifting to leave a mark. As long as that’s happening, I’ll
keep doing it.”