Allentown-based singer-songwriter Jordan White is excited to release his latest single, his first since signing with David Ivory's Flexitone Records label.
With a working title of "Crazy Girl," the single is expected to drop digitally on Sept. 4. "The song came out really well," White said during a recent phone interview. "If this does well, the label is committed to doing a full-length (album)."
"Crazy Girl" is based on an ex-girlfriend of White's, he said. The song tells the story of the two meeting, falling for each other and the emotional (and psychological) chaos that eventually ensued, White explained. "She really messed me up," White said. "But she is cool now and she's calmed down and (since) apologized."
"Crazy Girl" starts off quiet, building both musically and lyrically, before reaching a powerful crescendo. "By the end, there's this (musical) explosion," White said. He pointed out the amount of vocal harmonies that were recorded for the song. "It's almost kind of an R&B song and changes halfway through," he added.
While the vocals were provided by White, he said studio musicians -- whose credits include working with The Roots, Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle -- came in and recorded rhythm, percussion and guitar parts. The song, White said, is being mastered by Dann Huff, who mastered Taylor Swift's successful 1989 and Red albums.
White said he has played the song for his ex-girlfriend. To his surprise, White said, she had the opposite reaction of what he expected. "She listened to one of the rough cuts and she started crying. She loved it, which is bizarre to me," White said.
White, who was a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol, met Ivory in March 2014 at the Lehigh Valley Music Awards, he said, where the two hit it off. Months later, Ivory -- a Grammy Award-nominated producer and engineer known for his work Pennsylvania natives The Roots, Halestorm and Silvertide -- invited to audition for his new Flexitone Records label.
White will be part of a Sept. 12 Flexitone Records showcase concert at the Blackjax Centerstage in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. Admission costs $10.
"I hope that enough people like it (the single) enough that it gets to a point where I can do another (one)," White said. "There are a lot of big players on this. Hopefully this works out really well."
For more on Jordan White, visit jordanwhitemusic.com.