How Majid Jordan defined the Toronto Sound alongside Drake

Q29:40Majid Jordan: Good People, writing a hit with Drake, and the importance of staying grounded

Toronto R&B duo Majid Jordan began their career in a University of Toronto dorm room.  From there, they created distinctive music that would usher in a new generation of Toronto artists. 

On their latest album, Good People, they tried to replicate their creative origins to return a feeling they hadn't felt for a while. 

"There were times when we weren't physically in the same room and making things and making ideas," Majid Al Maskati, one half of the duo, told Q's Tom Power. "We just got back to the roots where, in the initial project, it was just Jordan and myself. There was a special energy in the room."

This year marks 10 years since Majid Jordan put out their first project. Their new album serves as a tribute to their original project name: Good People.

Working from home

Majid Jordan has been working from Canada for a decade now, which is Ullman's place of birth. But for Maskati, who is originally from Bahrain, the record needed to reflect both of their origins. 

"I've been away from home for so long," he said. "The pandemic hit and I didn't see my parents for a long time." 

"I'm privileged enough to have a family that loves and cares for me, and I don't go visit them.… I'm so absorbed by this career that's focused on this side of the world."

Ullman said that traveling to Bahrain was helpful in solidifying the group's identity.

"We've made music in my hometown for a decade, and my friend hasn't," Ullman told Power. "Obviously, it's really important, if you can, to understand someone close to you a lot more."

Support from a star

Majid Jordan is one part of the movement that would define the sound of Toronto R&B.

But they had some help from another Toronto superstar: Drake.

"He was the reason why I emigrated to Canada," said Maskati. "He sponsored me [and] he gave me a work visa."

"So he got me a work visa and then bought my first laptop for me. He gave me a monthly allowance to get settled, found my first apartment for me and changed my life." 

While crafting their first batch of songs in a professional studio, the duo wasn't aware they were part of a shift in Toronto music culture. 

"I had never been in that situation before, so I had no frame of reference," said Maskati. "For me, I was just in this room, and I was surrounded by people that were operating at a very high level, very focused on what they wanted to achieve."

"I just tried to soak it in as much as possible and learn as much as possible about how to really conduct myself."

WATCH | Majid Jordan's interview with Tom Power:

The full interview with Majid Jordan is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Majid Jordan produced by Vanessa Nigro.