Episode 003 – Kentucky | MAKE // BREAK

Kentucky is the musical project of Canadian artist Jordan Holman, whose debut album Second Chance Music weaves together near-death experience, hard-won clarity, and a refusal to quit. Influenced by The Tragically Hip, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, and R.E.M., Holman’s work blends acoustic rock and indie folk with a voice that’s both intimate and unshaken. On MAKE // BREAK, he reflects on decades in the business, the myth of the starving artist, and why he simply wants to keep writing until the end. It’s a conversation that swings between Tolstoy, Cormac McCarthy, Ligotti, and the economics of survival—big ideas balanced by the daily grind of an artist carving out space in today’s fractured industry. Kentucky’s songs, from “No More Tomorrows” to “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life,” are reminders that music can still hold weight when it speaks to survival and second chances.

👀 What you’ll hear

• Explore Kentucky’s philosophy on hope, death, and why meaning is self-assigned in a creative life
• Contrast nihilism, spite, and the daily practice of living with intention as an artist
• Revisit the glory days of artist development and why labels rarely take risks today
• Break down how homogenization and streaming culture reshaped music’s role in society
• Unpack why Kentucky just wants the right partners to help him keep writing until the end

🕰️ Chapters
00:00 Intro and welcome with Kentucky
01:00 The “make or break” question on what truly matters
03:30 Tolstoy’s Three Questions and daily meaning
07:00 Hope, possibility, and building your personal deck of cards
12:00 Thomas Ligotti, nihilism, and living in spite
19:00 Cormac McCarthy, death, and “die trying”
32:00 The starving artist myth and the need for support
37:00 Partnerships, publishing, and why labels fall short
43:00 From artist development to homogenized culture
50:00 Novelty, combinations, and the next musical shift
55:00 Streaming, AI, and the future of entertainment
01:02:00 Kentucky’s honest admission: the struggle for help and resources

🔗 Guest Links
https://iamkentucky.com/
https://www.instagram.com/i.am.kentucky/
https://www.tiktok.com/@i.am.kentucky

🔗 MAKE // BREAK & Host Links
https://open.spotify.com/show/5GDOUd909p7ir2W74M9teg?si=cbc7e01e13ba4a20
https://instagram.com/lowkeyhellish
https://tiktok.com/@lowkeyhellish

🔗 V13 Media Links
https://v13.net

Tell us in the comments: Do you think record labels should still invest in artist development?

(explicit language)

#MakeBreak #Kentucky #MusicBusiness