Interview With Julie Elody! (@JulieElody)
Photo Credit: Becca Wilbee
- How did you get your start in the music industry? I decided my Junior year of high school that I wanted to be in this industry and applied the music industry program at Loyola. I was in a funk-rock band during my college career and that’s when I knew I wanted to do this. I said to myself, “Crap. You want to be a rockstar? You can’t pick something a little more… guaranteed??” But I was hooked.
- How would you describe your sound?
When I went solo a little over a year ago I knew I needed to pick a genre I was happy with. This was my time to re-brand and really focus on creating music I want to make. I had been experimenting with a bunch of sounds when a friend showed me the song “Gasoline” by Halsey. I knew instantly thats the type of stuff I want to be making: a sort of electro-pop but with lyrics that are real and meaningful. I suppose you could call it a “dark pop.”
- What makes you stand out from other artists?
I think I have a story to tell. There are a lot of people out there more talented than me- but I want it more. I have this desperate need to make people to pay attention to what I have to say, and I know that when you put words into a song people listen.
- Can you tell us about your single ” The Lighthouse?”
The Lighthouse is about pretending to be okay when you’re not. I was living for years with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder but I had gotten really good at convincing myself I was fine. Mostly I did this by keeping busy, even in the car I’d have to blast the music so I couldn’t hear my brain screaming at me for help. Then one day I was driving home and my radio broke. I drove home in silence, literally sobbing because I finally was alone with my thoughts and knew I needed to find help. I wrote the song that night.
- What was the recording process like?
I have a little studio in my room with a vocal mic and a decent interface. I recorded the vocal melody and the piano chords that same night but it was still the shell of a song. It wasnt until my friend Lena from Tuff Ghosts came over that it became a full song. She really heard what I was looking for and when I heard the final version I knew that was it.
- How is this song different from your other music?
It’s a lot different than my stuff in the funk rock band, The Fake Carls, I made a total 180 when it comes to genre and I’m really happy about that. Im proud of the music I co-wrote in that band but this music feels more authentically mine. My other single, Sirens, is honestly pretty similar to The Lighthouse. It has that dark sound, with lyrics about mental illness. It’s something I think I need to work through and writing these songs is helping me process what I’m going through.
- What can you tell us about the music video that you shot for the song? All I can say is it is going to be AMAZING. Shooting it was unbelievable! The concept is being trapped in a house as if you’re trapped in your own mind, but it does have a happy ending.
- Do you have any upcoming projects that your fans can look forward to?
Actually on October 15th, only two days after The Lighthouse, I have a feature coming out, I sang on a Trial&Error song. The song is all about this deep regret I have not being there for a friend that was having a hard time. Its being supported by Chill Your Mind and Im really stoked to be apart of it!
- What are your social media accounts?
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