Maybe it was prophetic and maybe it was just the time of the day.
But it seemed fitting for Canadian up and coming R&B singer JRDN to be lit by the golden sunset, beaming across Two Islands Lake.
Without an air of attitude, the down-to-earth singer is working hard to shine. He is known to his mother as Jordan Croucher and was all smiles at Haliburton summer camp Camp Timberlane for a few songs and a few days.
He is on his way to making a name for himself as a love song singer, like Marvin Gaye. He has a list of nominations including the 2012 Juno for R&B/Soul and New Artist and a nomination for Urban Artist of the Year from the Indie Music Awards.
Croucher has also completed two albums, including a recently released single Like Magic.
He describes his next album as one for the ladies in his life.
Croucher has already thought of future albums, including his third to focus on the phase of life men experience after singlehood ends.
Summer camp isn’t anything new for the Halifax and Toronto-raised singer who is working with Toronto’s Grammy Award-nominated Kuya Productions. The songwriting and production team has worked with Nelly and Ginuwine to name a few.
The 33-year-old first went to camp as a seven-year-old and called his mother to go home.
“I was living in Toronto [and] they took us out to camp and scared us. I cried and had nightmares,” he said. “They took us up to this hill and they had a big cross. They put us all around the cross like about 15 to 20 kids and had a séance with us … then they had counsellors in the woods breaking branches. I mean come on we’re seven years old. That would freak any kid out.”
Scary movies were hard to watch after that experience, but didn’t stop him from going to more summer camps.
His visit to Camp Timberlane brings back all of the good memories about camp.
“To come in and be appreciated by these kids is cool,” he said. “It makes me feel good about what I’m doing knowing they appreciate my music.”
Croucher, who spent a few days at Camp Timberlane last year, first learned of the opportunity through friend (and another up and coming singer) Danny Fernandes.
After arriving on Thursday, Aug. 2, he not only performed, but stayed until Saturday and acted as an honourary counsellor.
Last year he enjoyed himself, reveling in the campers’ energy and the beauty of the area. It was difficult to leave for the city.
Although he would love to win, or even receive a nomination for a Grammy, ultimately, he said, he has one dream.
“I just want to be heard around the globe,” he said.

Note: Camp Timberlane also hosted So You Think You Can Dance winner Jordan Clarke and Canada’s Got Talent finalist dancer Shale Wagman in the same week.
Both were judges for the camp’s Dancing with the Staff show ­– a takeoff of Dancing with the Stars.