Published by Publik / Private Editors

Jordannah Elizabeth Graham-Mayer reflects on time, marriage, children, songwriting, and the decade-long evolution of The Warmest Low—from 2009 recordings to a growing body of music, literature, and film. Read the edited interview via Week In Pop on July 8, 2026.

Image Above: Unpublished photo circa 2019

PREFACE

The question, as I mention in this full interview regarding the development of a new Jordannah Elizabeth (Graham-Mayer) album, was: “Who is Jordannah at 40 years old?” The people who lightly helped shape the reality and concept of the upcoming album knew I had been married three times. They knew some of my children—if not all of them—and they knew portions of my life that I’ve kept private for years.

John, whom I called “Jonny” when I was a little girl (I barely knew how to spell his name, so I asked my mom to help me write it on a party favor after quietly requesting that he be invited to my birthday party. He was older, and I had a crush on him—one I couldn’t discuss with anyone. My family was also very nosy and aggressive, so I kept a lot to myself.), and I were married 20 years ago. Later, my 14-year marriage to the musician people know as Drake came to an end, allowing John and me to decide to take another leap together—a decision that was honestly made very thoughtfully and rationally. Aubrey was incredibly respectful, mature, and supportive throughout the process.

Musically, the new album is about family and the fathers of my children. I have to confess that I’ve been ill, and they have stepped up to become the primary parents to our children. Some people know Jimmi, Buzz and Sonam. Some know Marie, Olivia, and Rosie through John’s music. Others know Adonis, my biological son with another father, named Beach, though Aubrey (Drake) is his dad for life. Some know Charlie and Shawn, who became stars, while others know the children who are simply growing up outside the public eye.

This is my reality. In some ways, I feel like I should apologize for not writing about it sooner. I didn’t choose a major publication, and we didn’t pursue a glossy magazine spread. This all came about rather spontaneously after we discussed how some people, often unfairly, have criticized John for not speaking publicly about our family. The truth is, it really isn’t anyone else’s business.

What made me realize it wasn’t intentional on his part was an interview I gave to Week in Pop, which was heavily edited. References to John, Drake, and Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge were omitted. Lucian heard something in some unreleased recordings that I didn’t initially hear myself, and his encouragement ultimately helped lead to their release as part of The Warmest Low Trilogy, which includes The Warmest Low (Single One): 10th Anniversary Edition, The Warmest Low (Single Two), and Makeshivt Kity’s first release in 16 years, Experimental (Voice & Cello).

Enjoy the full interview.

There’s a lot of tea.

Image Above: Jordannah in 2026

The Warmest Low (Single Two) arrives as part of a trilogy that spans more than a decade, but also reaches back even further to recordings made in 2010. When you think about time as a collaborator in this project, how has your relationship to these songs changed between the moment they were recorded and the moment they were finally released?

The last time I spoke to you, I had released ‘Borders (Live)’ where I was sitting with my music director, Miles and we were going through songs to rework. I remembered I had an epiphany about Borders. This time, I was buying time, thinking about time and wanting to find songs that had a quality that held up to The Warmest Low (Single One). So, this time around, it wasn’t about time being a collaborator in a specific manner, it was about aligning the music with (Single One).

John and I have been having kids for the last three years, and when you’re pregnant, you need more time. You need more thought when it comes to navigating your energy levels, we were also traveling, so there was this time where we were all moving about, and I found myself trying to figure things out after the first round of development had been solidified. Who is Jordannah Elizabeth at 40 years old? This concept of family and the fathers of my kids, including Drake and a child from a third marriage, so we went to work on Fathers.  Nonetheless, before this drop, I wanted to continue my work on The Warmest Low – a chapbook series, a music series and a scripted series. I like columns, series, continuations, growth, the discipline of keeping with a project over many years, so this felt right.

The Silver Lake bungalow sessions with Marika Tjelios feel like a very specific sonic and geographic memory. What do you remember most vividly about that space in Los Angeles at the time, and how did that environment shape the emotional tone of the recordings?

My first big Makeshivt Kity release, Los Angeles EP was released in 2007, and labels were very interested. I moved out to Los Angeles from Denver, and began shopping. Things were going alright, but soon into it, I had some tragedy, and the economic crash occurred. This wasn’t the biggest issue: I went back to Colorado and released The Holy Implant, and the labels said it was too weird. A netlabel, Trastienda took me on, but I decided to turn the discouragement into fuel, met Marika and wrote three songs to create a single called Patience under the name Jordannah Elizabeth.

It was my first solo release, and I prided myself in working with a woman producer. She was brilliant and had every instrument you could think of in her house. We sat for a weekend, and the bonus song on 10th Anniversary was track 2, and on (Single Two), Patience was track 1 and ‘Just for You’ was track 3.

Silverlake and Echo Park were in a hayday, when The Warlocks, BRMC, Dead Meadow, Miranda Lee, and all sorts of bands were beyond burgeoning. I was inspired by those bands for the Holy Implant, but I think I toned it down, and really looked to Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams, Jill Scott, Miranda, the subtlety of Tess Parks and so on.

The Warmest Low series has expanded beyond music into chapbooks, essays and other literary forms, almost functioning like a living archive. When you’re moving between writing and recording within this universe, how do you decide what becomes a song versus what becomes text?

Interesting – (Single Two) was kind of organic, meaning, when I sit down with my work and begin to decide what to do and release, I know I create the single to have another collection of music. The simple logic of it is, ‘I wouldn’t call it (Single One) if there wasn’t meant to be (Single Two), so when I was settled back into the United States after teaching, and creating a bit of routine with John, Aubrey, the kids and our moms/families, it was time to cook.

John made me do it. I didn’t want to, honestly. I love how listeners really respect me, and I care for readers and listeners, but I can live without being a big star, or even dropping and being a big to-do. If I sign to a label, it will be for him, and honestly, if he didn’t release for a long time, I’d probably talk to him. He’s been out of his deal for 5+ years, so that was a combo of him ramping up a bit, re-organizing himself, and then him getting deeper into his A&R space, and saying ‘it’s time’. I resisted, but this is a fun endeavor that’s giving me time to get deep into writing, composing and recording.

John Mayer’s role as A&R and COO of The Process Records came after he and Drake initially championed your work years earlier. 

Yeah, I have to mention that Drake worked hard in the background in about 2019. We had been quietly married for a long time, but I think there was this point where he began to get things moving. He honestly inspires me to write poetry, to design and write essays. So, I ended up designing for his fashion-line and taking on his creative company as much as time permitted.

I think John is a catalyst for songwriting because Your Body is a Wonderland really changed my life as a young songwriter. I covered him when I was woodshedding, and working on my chops. His catalog is very inspiring to me as a musician. I’ve been digging into his catalog for months, and I’m excited to dig deeper, that’s not super common when it comes to long-term study. Sometimes, you have to take breaks, but I just want to learn more and study his songwriting and vocal style. When it comes to me, I have my ways, so I don’t think my album will come out sounding like him, but we’ve always noticed our similarities, particularly his folk work.

How has that long-term advocacy shaped the way you’re able to revisit and release archival material like Single Two, especially in terms of trust, sequencing, and letting older work exist on its own terms?

That was actually, Lucian Grainge. He saw something in the title track Patience, that I didn’t quite hear. I really like the song and the single, but it was there just to show I could do it outside of being a super experimental and at times, noise artist. Those songs were an F-you because I thought the labels didn’t think I had the capacity to write clean pop-folk oriented songs. Yes, he’s an exec, but I could tell his ear was genuine.

And when it comes to John, I was thinking of a Father’s Day gift, and I thought ‘Just for You’ was super sweet, and how I felt. I’d make poetry books when I was married to Drake, and it’s not a comparison, they are different people, both wonderful men, but I always want John to know I love him, and appreciate all these years. He and I have known each other since we were very young, so there’s this understanding of lost time, and this peace of knowing that time doesn’t betray you.

I always wanted him to know that the belief he had is important.

I have some old collaborators who I jammed with 20 years ago, I’m excited to work with: Qiana Glaze, and Breck Brunson (A Rush and Borders) and Miles Gannett (Borders (Live), bandleader and music director) will work on the upcoming album. I’m shooting for The Changing Colors as well, one of my fave singer/songwriter projects.

This is the story though, all that’s been happening.