For Maria Jordan it all started when she was 14. “I was staying at mum’s house and noticed a 12-string Yamaha guitar in the corner of the room,” she recalls. “Mum showed me how to play three chords, D, G and C”. I returned a week later having written 10 songs. I always had melodies kicking around in my head and would be constantly writing lyrics or poetry but it was only when I picked up the guitar that everything clicked and I had my vehicle for writing songs”.

“From there I became quite a prolific songwriter, pouring out everything I’d ever wanted to say. My guitar was now part of me and I rarely put it down from then onwards”. In her early teens Maria felt awakened by bands such as Nirvana, Green Day & The Cranberries which led her to buy her first electric guitar, a cream Fender Squire Strat. A lot of rocking out in her best friends garage followed and Maria quickly embraced her rebellious streak, dying her hair green and piercing her nose. In her late teens, Maria discovered Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks and Sarah McLachlan. “I found a love for music that now went to a deeper level,” she says. “These women wrote their songs and sang them in a completely individual way and the world embraced them. I loved the way that sometimes just the simplicity of one instrument and a beautiful voice could move me so much.” Following this new inspiration, Maria dropped out of A-level Art to pursue music when she was 17. She became a regular on the acoustic scene of Manchester and soon recorded her first demo. “I was 17 and thought I was ready to hit the big time. I couldn’t have been further from the truth.” But if she wasn’t quite ready for the “big time” yet, Maria was making strides.

She was performing constantly, sharpening her song craft, and meeting some like-minded people. In 2001, a friend introduced her to drummer Dave Heyes, who had recently finished a stint of gigs with Elvis Costello. After attending one of Maria’s gigs, Heyes quickly became a fixture in her band. In 2005, Maria came across producer John Kettle (Tansads/High Holy Days/The Marble Index). Together, they recorded a three-song demo. “Once I was in the studio and heard the magic of my music coming to life, I knew that this was where things were going to change forever,” Maria says. Within a few months, Maria had five major record labels and publishers interested. She set up a showcase in London and traveled there with the band.

“The sound was bigger and better than ever before. From there I got a fantastic reaction from the labels who wanted to hear more.” In the summer of 2006 Maria and Dave established the indie label JTC Records, and they released the single “Love Of My Life” which went on to receive national airplay. Soon after this Maria returned to the studio to record her debut album “Landslide”.

Now, with an impressive list of radio stations to her credit, gigs in front of thousands of people including this years “Rock In the Park”, and a growing number of fans and industry admirers, Maria Jordan is on the brink of assuming a new role: the influential singer-songwriter who will help inspire the next generation. Maria has recently completed her first US TOUR and is planning to embark on a European tour…quite a long way from playing three chords in her Mum’s house.