In this episode of Deep Down, I speak with dancer and facilitator Bryony Pennington about freedom - not as an ideal, but as a lived experience. Bryony finds it in movement, in adventure, in not needing to ask permission. I tend to find mine in stillness, in structure and in the quiet safety of home.

We come from different places, but what unfolds between us is a kind of creative alignment: two artists with deep mutual respect, exploring how opposite ways of living can still lead to something shared. We talk about our art, care, touring, home, and the unexpected intimacy that comes from difference - not just despite it, but because of it.

This is a conversation about joy, risk, grounding, and how we each make space to be free in our own way.

In this episode of Deep Down, I sit down with my lifelong friend and collaborator, Masumi Saito, an extraordinary movement artist whose work resists easy categorisation. Over nearly two decades, we’ve made art together across stages, galleries, and films, and this conversation captures a beautiful moment where we pause to talk about the deeper threads behind it all.

We speak about what it means to communicate through movement rather than words, and how her Japanese heritage, which is something she once tried to shed, has become a powerful anchor in her life and practice. Masumi opens up about the loss of her mother, and how grief deepened her connection to ritual, culture, and beauty. We explore her resistance to titles like “choreographer” or “dancer,” and why “movement artist” finally feels like the truest reflection of how she navigates the world.

This is a conversation about joy, identity, silence, naming, and what it means to live seriously, and playfully, at the same time.

In this solo episode, I reflect on the strange, galvanizing force of being commissioned to create. In the early days of my career, commissions carried me forward, one after another, an unbroken wave of invitation and encouragement. I thought it would always be that way. But after a long, unexpected lull, I had to learn a different rhythm: how to keep working without waiting to be asked.

From early support by the London Sinfonietta and the BBC Philharmonic to more recent collaborations with O/Modernt and ENBYouthCo, I explore the role of commissions - how they can offer not just deadlines, but meaning, focus, and momentum. And how, in their absence, we find other ways to give ourselves permission, and accountability to keep making art.

It’s about career, but also about life: how any genuine external pull can be a quiet, necessary force.

In this episode, I catch up with my longtime friend and collaborator, novelist (and occasional movie star) Lauren J. Joseph. From our early days making DIY operas and performance art to Lauren’s recent book deal with Bloomsbury, we trace the curious ways that art and life blur over time.

We talk about what it means to be taken seriously, how writing can reshape reality, and the strange magic of turning experience into art (even when the details get… embellished). It’s a conversation about voice, visibility, and the evolving forms creative expression can take.

Along the way, Lauren shares a line from Henry Nouwen: “The point is to be fruitful, not productive”, which quietly becomes the heart of the episode.

Playful, thoughtful, and full of layered history, this one’s a joy.

What happens when we stop fighting to keep everything afloat? In this solo episode, I reflect on the quiet power of letting go; of dreams that might never happen, of identities that no longer serve us, and of surface-level effort that drains more than it gives. Inspired by a painted phrase I stumbled upon: "If you're tired of keeping the ship afloat... let the ship sink", this episode explores how surrendering can sometimes be the bravest, most freeing thing we can do.

I talk openly about the fear of walking away from long-held goals, my struggles with overwhelm as a multi-hyphenate artist, and the tension between creative ambition and emotional sustainability. From music school friends who left their instruments behind to the opera I never finished, this episode is a slow dive beneath the noise; an invitation to go deeper, simplify, and maybe even discover a lighter, more focused way forward. If you’re craving space to reassess what you’ve been holding onto, this one’s for you.

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime collaborator and dear friend, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney. Filmed in her now-hometown of York, we reflect on our shared musical journey; how she helped me shape my voice, and how we’ve both fought against the labels imposed on us, whether in genre or industry.

In this episode, I dive deep into the nature of creativity. Is our work finite, or does it stretch on infinitely? Inspired by legends like Sibelius, who famously put a full stop on his composing career, I ponder if an artist’s journey is ever truly complete or simply an endless evolution.I also share a personal story about finding refuge in the garden, where mindfulness helped me cope with burnout and reconnect with reality. And along the way, I reveal a mentor’s secret: the art of pausing mid-idea to keep the creative flow alive. Join me on this reflective ride as we explore the challenges and beauty of staying in motion.

What if things go well? Dancer, choreographer, and artistic director Monique Jonas believes in unlocking potential; emotional, creative, and human. We talk about the power of positivity, versatility, and transparency, and why dancers are people first, artists second. With Jona Dance, Monique is building a space where the next generation can grow with care, not fear.

In this episode, I dive into the art of upcycling music—taking forgotten melodies, abandoned sketches, and past compositions and giving them new life. But is reworking old ideas a creative shortcut or a path to deeper artistry?

From my own decade-old piece resurfacing for a new ballet to Stravinsky’s habit of storing unused themes in a desk drawer, I explore the fine line between repetition and reinvention. Inspired by a striking visual evolution in art, I reflect on how ideas transform over time, sometimes becoming unrecognisable yet carrying the essence of where they began.

At the heart of it all is a question of resourcefulness—why am I so drawn to reusing what I’ve already created? Does it come from efficiency, nostalgia, or something deeper? Join me as I unpack the personal, emotional, and creative forces behind recycling music.

What’s the drive behind making music? For composers like Steven Daverson and me, it’s more than just notes on a page, it’s about connection, creativity, and finding meaning in sound.In this conversation, we reflect on 20 years of friendship, the tension between solitude and collaboration, the thrill (and terror) of hearing your work performed live, and how deadlines can be both a curse and a creative gift. We also explore why, in a chaotic world, making something beautiful might just be the most radical act of all. Join us as we go deep into the art of composition, the struggles and joys of music-making, and what truly keeps us coming back to the blank page.

Welcome to Season 2 of Deep Down with Jordan Hunt!

As the saying goes, no man is an island, or rather no person is an island, and we all depend on a small village to survive, but why does that reality or truth feel so against the grain?

Having grown up fiercely independent, I fell into the trap of thinking I could do it all myself. But Deep Down, what was the turning point for me? I discuss this and more about being a self-releasing artist in this episode.

Season 2 out now, with episodes on TuesdaysDeep Down is a candid exploration of the creative process, a series that delves into the symphony of being from the perspective of a London-based composer, performer and self-releasing artist, and through conversations with like-minded friends and colleagues. We take a Deep Dive into lyrics and songwriting, unravelling universal ideas and enigmas through some of the profound moments that shape a musician's journey. Join Jordan Deep Down, embarking on a journey to uncover the melodies of life, in search of answers to the elusive question: “What do you really feel… Deep Down?”https://lnk.to/DeepDownPodcastFilm by Christopher Thomas

A quick update to round up the first twenty episodes of Deep Down with Jordan Hunt.

Time to celebrate! Spring is upon us, and yet I have no time to celebrate. With a list of achievements and reasons to celebrate accumulating, it comes with an ever-expanding schedule to match, and so I ponder in this rare moment for reflection, if Deep Down, which is more important, the achievement, or the celebration?

In this brief episode, after a sleepless night, I gather my thoughts to share examples of what keeps a musician up at night? The same relatable doubts of imposter syndrome, my place in the world, and an unavoidable clarity make for some deep-thinking about how to move forward, and how Deep Down, we’re all together in our solitude.

Music and night-time are such beautiful partners for me, and I always prefer the mystery of the dark to access my inner creative world, but is it a necessary state to be able to write at all, and why is it that the absence of light allows us to access a more boundless interior horizon? After the eight-hour writing stints of my younger days, Deep Down, is there any wisdom to be gleaned from this way of creating, and how does it all connect?

In a chaotic and noisy world, I’m sure most of us have felt overwhelmed at some point, Following some advice of a therapist, the apparent cure to overthinking is action, but as a freelance musician, juggling many roles and wearing many hats to make a living, has that action gone too far and turned into overdoing? And Deep Down, what’s the answer?

In this episode I take a Deep Dive into my song, appropriately titled ‘Ocean Floor’. It’s almost as though my work is all connected! I’ll be explaining how this enigmatic song of two halves really defines a punctuation in my songwriting career so far. I’ll be giving the emotive backstory behind the lyrics, revealing just how painstaking the lyric writing process can be, but also how cathartic and therapeutic it can be!

In this episode I explore Joy and Suffering, two apparently opposite emotions that one might say define the artist’s palette, but far from their obvious differences, are they really just different perspectives of the same thing?

Having a musical output largely informed by the latter, I wonder, Deep Down, do you have to suffer for your art for it to be any good?

In this episode, I explore my apparently eclectic output as a composer and a seemingly disparate career as a musician and artist and ask what’s the thread that ties it all together and does that thread even exist? After an early career as a musician where any paid work was good work and the journey to develop my niche as an artist incrementally narrows the spectrum of my output, has it all paid off to create a united body of work, and Deep Down does it even matter?