Resident artist seeks to share lyric skills

Music artist and lyricist Jordan “Paradise” Ruiz is starting up tutoring lessons as he seeks to help people learn the fundamentals of songwriting. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Seeking to help people learn the fundamentals of songwriting, music artist and lyricist Jordan “Paradise” Ruiz is starting up tutoring lessons focusing mainly in that field and he hopes that others may learn the art and experience the therapy that songwriting can bring.

As a substitute teacher at Saipan Community School, teaching is nothing new to Ruiz, but when it comes to teaching others about songwriting, Ruiz explained: “I just think it’s [songwriting] a healthy release for things we have stuck in our heads, our minds. And I think that it’s a good avenue for kids to get into because, when they have it at a young age, it’s always a tool they can use once they grow up and mature. So [songwriting is] just planting a seed for them for their minds, and having that way to get rid of the stress that they have on their chest and their minds.”

Ruiz originally lived in California, and first visited Saipan in 2017. Shortly after graduating from high school, he and his family relocated to Saipan to be with their family. He has been writing songs for five years, but just recently he began recording and releasing his music on music streaming platforms. Growing up, he was influenced through the music of several artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Joyner Lucas and especially Mac Miller. “I just noticed how they struck my emotions and I related so much in the way it impacted me. And as I grew up, I realized that if I could make music like that, make awesome lyrics with heart-driven words and ideas, that it could impact someone else like that across the world too.”

When it came to his personal music career, Ruiz said his personal musical journey isn’t to get a million fans but rather to impact a million lives. “I’m more about the impact. I’m not trying to have a huge fan base that surpasses everyone else—that’ll be cool but it’s not really the goal. At the end of the day I want to make a difference.”

Nowadays with certain music often pushing toxic ideologies, he hopes to be a positive artist for the youth. “…at the end of the day if we do what we can to be positive toward them, and show them the right way instead of the wrong way, it’s bound to have a greater impact than the negative stuff that just pulls them down into ruts that they shouldn’t even be in in the first place.”

To contact Ruiz for tutoring sessions, reach out to him on Instagram @jordanparadisemusic, or https://instagram.com/jordanparadisemusic?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= or call (670)588-3800. You may also find him on Facebook; search Jordan Ruiz or https://www.facebook.com/jordan.ruiz.790?mibextid=LQQJ4d.

To listen to his music, you can find him on YouTube: @jordanparadisemusic5922 or search Jordan Paradise on all music streaming platforms. Paradise’s new song, “Second Chance,” was released yesterday.