With 13 contestants performing talents ranging from singing to Indian classical dance, Jordan Cordel’s debut song “Lonely” took the hearts of judges and audience members.
The Texas Revue, a UT Talent show established in 1920, offers three prizes up to $1,500. After seeing a flyer for a UT talent show earlier this school year, Jordan Cordel, a master’s business student, became the 2025 Texas Revue champion.
“I was happy that people were happy for me and seeing people show me love that I’m not always used to,” Cordel said. “It was that moment, (I) just felt like it was my turn. It was my turn to win. It was my turn to be clapped for, it was my turn to be celebrated. I just soaked it all in.”
Cordel started singing at 8 years old and performed in the kid’s choir at his church. As he continued singing, he earned more leads and started entering talent shows and eventually high school UIL competitions. During his undergraduate years, he started a band, Chasing Destiny, and after moving to Austin, he created another, The Get Back, but it wasn’t until the last five to six years that Cordel turned his singing from a hobby to a career.
“You can just tell the passion that Jordan has,” said Alex Vasquez, Cordel’s best friend of 10 years. “I feel like other people, they’re just like ‘Oh, yeah. I’m kind of good at singing; let me make some money out of it.’ But you can tell that Jordan really wants to get after this.
Cordel said the song “Lonely” was an original and expressed how he felt after going through heartbreaks and turning into someone unrecognizable. Last year, he competed in the McCombs Got Talent, where he also performed “Lonely” but did not place. He said after receiving his participation award, he put it in his car as a reminder that he would perform this song again to prove to himself that it was good.
“I remember his audition very vividly because the Jordan that performed on Friday was very different from the Jordan that performed when he auditioned,” said Karolina Vega, a communication and leadership freshman and Texas Revue event coordinator. “When he auditioned, he came out, put his hood on and we were all like, ‘What’s he gonna do?’ He had that amazing voice, it just left us all speechless.”
After winning the talent show, Cordel said he plans on using the money to finish producing “Lonely,” pay his band members and book studio appointments.
“Seeing people tell me they got goosebumps, the song spoke to them or … just telling me that they enjoyed the performance and I did a good job was the encouragement I needed,” Cordel said.
This year, Cordel’s album “You Made Me This Way” will be released in two parts, one in the spring and the other in the fall. The album will contain 20 songs, and “Lonely” will come out near the end of April. Cordel said he hopes to become financially independent from his music, go on tour and win a Grammy.
“I want to be able to have people come tell me that my music touches their life and that I inspired them,” Cordel said. “I want to do what I love … what I was created to do.”
