Rising rapper ARDN has signed to Capitol Records, marking the occasion by releasing his major label debut single “Plain Jane.”
With its silky smooth flow and raw, autobiographical lyrics, the track encapsulates the appeal that has made the South African-born, Canadian-raised artist one of the most respected and popular new artists in the rap game. “Plain Jane” is the first taste of ARDN’s forthcoming EP, The Bronze Age.
In many ways, “Plain Jane” doubles as a statement of intent. On it, ARDN demonstrates his melodic delivery and nimble wordplay (“I came here to make a killing and I do it broad day”) and underlines that he’s willing to work harder than anyone else in hip-hop. “Plain jane, plain jane, n____s ain’t nothin’ but the same thing,” he sings on the chorus over a driving guitar line and horns. “Sun went down and the rain came, but I maintain, gotta maintain.”
Influenced by the likes of J.Cole, Smino, and Anderson .Paak, ARDN got his big break when a snippet of “Til The Morning” went viral on TikTok in 2022. Since then, the newcomer has garnered more than 10 million TikTok views and soundtracked over 240K “creates.” His music quickly spread across the internet and ARDN now boasts more than 345K monthly Spotify listeners as well as more than 22 million total streams across platforms.
In addition to rolling out “Plain Jane” and his forthcoming 10-track The Bronze Age EP, ARDN is also gearing up for a European tour. He first takes the stage in Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 1 and then sets down in Belgium, Sweden, and France, before winding up in Germany on March 31.
ARDN European tour dates:
3.1 Belfast, UK The Limelight
3.2 Dublin, Ireland The Academy
3.4 Birmingham, UK Q2 Institute
3.5 Bristol, UK SWX
3.6 Manchester, UK 02 Ritz
3.7 London, UK Q2 Forum
3.8 London, UK Q2 Forum
3.10 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
3.11 Rotterdam, Netherlands Annabel
3.12 Brussel, Belgium La Madeleine
3.13 Paris, France Bataclan
3.16 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall
3.17 Frankfurt, Germany Zoom
3.18 Lausanne, Switzerland Les Docks
3.19 Zurich, Switzerland Dynamo
3.21 Stuttgart, Germany Im Wisemann
3.23 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefahlich
3.24 Aarhus, Denmark Voxh all
3.25 Copenhagen, Denmark Grey Hall
3.27 Stockholm, Sweden Munchenbryggeriet
3.28 Oslo, Norway Vulkan
3.30 Berlin, Germany Astra Kulturhaus