Sikarus

At a moment of rebirth, Jordan Brooker turned to one of his favorite inspirations: Greek mythology. After years in the trenches of the Nashville songwriting machine, he was in his early thirties and dreaming up his own project. He found inspiration in old characters we know well — Sisyphus, Icarus, etc. He adopted a new moniker, Sikarus, a fusion that paid tribute to the uphill battle of realizing one’s creative vision, and simultaneously provided a reminder following a decade navigating Music City’s country industry. Don’t fly too close to the sun, and stay true to yourself. “I was trying to come up with a relevant, poignant way to say: ‘This is who I am now,’” Brooker recalls. This will be the first time most listeners are introduced to Sikarus. All the years of experience have allowed Brooker to collide his influences and interests, get closer to something that’s the true representation of what makes him tick as an artist: “great pop melodies, quintessential ‘00s heavy guitars, big wide open choruses that hit you with a wall of sound, lyrical imagery that’s a little nostalgic and a little philosophical.” He references the religious environment of his childhood. “As a kid you get those big questions posed early on,” he explains. In Sikarus, Brooker wrangles all the big existential concerns in life, often couching them in a character sketch or a song that’s deceptively simple. All of this is on display in “Nonchalant,” the debut single from Sikarus.