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Dartford midfielder Jordan Wynter has been hitting the right notes on and off the field this season.
The 29-year-old is well known to Darts fans after four years at Princes Park but his music is also taking off, thanks in no small part to former Manchester United and England international Rio Ferdinand.
Wynter gained a slot on Ferdinand’s podcast Vibe With Five, providing weekly Premier League freestyles and football-related pieces last year.
“I’ve been making music for a handful of years now,” said Wynter, who has been one of Dartford’s most consistent performers at the heart of their midfield this season.
“It’s been picking up a bit of traction here and there.
“Somehow, I got the chance to go on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast and do a couple of freestyles for the Premier League. Featuring on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast was something I never imagined would happen.
“I’ve been releasing music myself for a number of years. It’s something I was doing when I was at school but as my career in football started, I put it on the back burner. Now, as I’ve got older, I’ve wanted to venture out, outside of football, and it’s something that I enjoy.”
Wynter takes both his football and music as seriously as each other.
“I don’t want to pin myself to one hole, if I’m honest,” he added.
“I don’t mind being known for the music side of things. A lot of people know me for my football so it’s good to have that under my belt.
“When I network with people, they hear about me and it’s good that they’re interested that I play football and I do music. It goes hand in hand for me.
“I feel there’s a lot of musicians that have done things outside of music and it allows people to be more interested in them, it means more people get engaged with them and understand who they are as a person.”
Earlier this season Wynter provided a freestyle piece which was used in the build-up to a weekend that featured both the Manchester and north London derbies.
“I ended up doing a freestyle for the Premier League productions that was broadcast in all other countries apart from the UK on a channel called Global Sports,” said Wynter, who came through the youth system at Arsenal.
“The opportunity came from me being on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast and I’d been doing some stuff on my own profiles as well. It’s opened up doors.
“I’ve got to stay consistent, persevere, enjoy the journey and see where it takes me.”
So how does the new-found fame sit with Wynter?
“It’s weird, I don’t really look for the attention but it comes with the package,” said Wynter, who began releasing music officially from August 2019 with a single titled No Games.
“I’ve got to capitalise on it, and look for ways to engage with people outside of music or football.
“I don’t care about the attention. I’d rather be behind the scenes and just doing things but I’ll take it as it comes.”