{"id":16353,"date":"2015-12-07T16:47:47","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T16:47:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=16353"},"modified":"2015-12-07T16:51:17","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T16:51:17","slug":"life-music-and-waterfalls-we-talk-to-juliana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2015\/12\/life-music-and-waterfalls-we-talk-to-juliana\/","title":{"rendered":"Life, Music, and Waterfalls: We Talk to Juliana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Juliana<\/p>\n

You’ll recall last month we spoke to Australian singer\/songwriter Juliana about her new album, ‘Mere Mortal’, and the stunning video for her song, ‘Waterfalls’. Since then we’ve got down with her for a chat, and found out some more about her, her music, and get the downlow on that video.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

EP: We love the video for ‘Waterfalls’ – what’s the story with that? And – are we right in guessing it’s been shot somewhere near Coleraine?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: YES! The place we filmed was actually called Sealake and I think it\u2019s only few hours by car to Coleraine – it was stunningly beautiful. I\u2019ve never seen anything like it! It\u2019s the most humble little town and everyone knows each other! It\u2019s the kind of town that would probably drive me a little crazy, because I\u2019m a big city kind of girl – but I absolutely loved it\u2026 There was something so special about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Juliana<\/p>\n

I think it was on the second day of shooting we shot at one of the local salt lakes and we had to get there super early so we wouldn\u2019t lose light and on the way was the most dreadful car ride – we had to be really careful not to bog the car! It\u2019s so funny to find something so gorgeous in the middle of that haha! <\/span><\/p>\n

It was dawn when we arrived and our whole crew stood there for about five minutes, watching the sun come up\u2026It was just wow! You couldn\u2019t tell where the horizon was because the water was so still it mirrored the sky perfectly! It looked like you could walk on it! I can\u2019t even describe it and none of our photos did it any justice\u2026
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Juliana<\/p>\n

Anyway enough of my rant! In the beginning I was actually a little hesitant to go with this story. I think what worried me about it was that people wouldn\u2019t understand it enough to connect with it. But I hadn\u2019t seen the bigger picture yet and it turned out to be perfect – just what I wanted. I trusted Blake\u2019s vision, I told him the kind of feeling I wanted to get out of it and he conjured up this beautiful story; I went with his gut instinct and he delivered as you can tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

The song is about searching for something that is out of your reach – it could be love or even happiness- and the video mirrors that quite well. I wanted to stay as far away from clich\u00e9 as possible. I didn\u2019t want a boy meets girl story. I wanted the audience to go along a journey with these characters and sense the dark undertones. And that\u2019s exactly what we did – it had people intrigued; it had them wondering, where are they going? Who\u2019s the little boy? Where did he go in the end?<\/p>\n

I think what I loved about it most was the open ending! It allows people to have their own interpretations of what happened, because everyone\u2019s experience is different! <\/span><\/p>\n

EP: Your debut EP, ‘Mere Mortal’ is stunning. Is there a theme running through it? How many songs were left *off* to make it, and how do you know when a song is going to be suitable or not?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Yes there is \u263a I always say, that as people we have an inevitable need to connect – either with others around us or ourselves\u2026There are five songs on the EP, each symbolic of the five senses. That\u2019s what makes us who we are; that\u2019s what enables us to feel emotion. It\u2019s an emotional journey, which in some ways is quite bitter sweet\u2026 It\u2019s about getting to know ourselves, and I know that can be a little scary. You can hear a bitter sweetness in the music and the lyrics. I wanted the EP to embody a sense of dichotomy and at the same time flow seamlessly just as a journey does \u263a <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a great question – there were A LOT of songs that I wanted to feature on the EP, but couldn\u2019t simply because I didn\u2019t want to reveal too much yet. I released the songs that as a collective sounded great, but individually showed a different side to my sound. I acted out of feeling; out of instinct and if I had a tiny little doubt in my mind that people wouldn\u2019t be ready to hear a song, or is wasn\u2019t the right time for it to be heard then I didn\u2019t question it. Because I\u2019m independent at the moment, I remind myself that not only do I have to think creatively, but commercially too, so I had to factor that in also when choosing each song! <\/span><\/p>\n

EP: What does the future hold for you? Where do you see yourself next year? In five years? 10?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: I have a very clear vision of where I see myself in the future. I want to connect with millions of people as my musical heroes have. I want to be that artist for someone… I am a realist, though. I know that only comes after hard work and endless dedication. So in the upcoming years, that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing\u2026 working extremely hard to get myself heard. I don\u2019t have an end goal and I don\u2019t want to have an end goal. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever get to the point where I\u2019ll say, \u201cyes this is enough, great job, you can stop now\u201d. That\u2019s just my character – nothing is ever enough and I don\u2019t want my goals to end at a certain point. In saying that, my biggest hope is that people connect and are inspired by what I\u2019m doing, if I can do that every day, then that that\u2019s an ongoing achievement within itself \u263a<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Juliana<\/p>\n

EP: If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently, if anything, and why?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: Hmmm, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything I\u2019d do over. I don\u2019t believe in regrets\u2026I think, we do what we do, at the time for a reason, and if it was the wrong decision, acknowledge it, but don\u2019t regret it. Growing up is about learning, and we don\u2019t learn from the things we did right, we learn from the things we did wrong\u2026 I\u2019m trying to pin point something I\u2019d change – I have a terrible memory, really terrible haha – but I really can\u2019t think of anything as of yet. Maybe in the future I\u2019ll have a different perspective, but for right now I like what I\u2019ve done, and I like where I\u2019m headed with it. <\/span><\/p>\n

EP: What’s your take on the current state of the music industry right now?<\/b> Do you feel it’s easier to get ahead in Australia, or is the struggle the same everywhere?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: I think the music industry is going in the right direction – I actually really, really love where it\u2019s headed! Thanks to Sia, Ed Sheeran and Adele\u2019s return – and there\u2019s so many others I want to name – it\u2019s becoming about the songwriters again. For a while it was a bit \u201cfactory\u201d like, it was almost like people were turning over and manufacturing pop songs just to throw it out there and have it featured on the charts, they didn\u2019t really have enough if any, substance. Now that\u2019s changed, the industry is evolving and it\u2019s allowing people to really experiment and introduce a sound, which at times is really different, but the audience are embracing it, and almost begging for it now because they\u2019re so bored of what pop music used to be. It has substance! That\u2019s my interpretation anyway! <\/span><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s just as hard everywhere, but here at home the population is insanely small compared to somewhere like the US! I mean the population of California alone is more than our entire country. The market is so much bigger, so it allows for something more, something greater. You don\u2019t only see it in music, you see it with actors and dancers as well! They make it in Australia and then the next thing they do is go to the US. I love home, I really do, but because we\u2019re so small we don\u2019t embrace the entertainment industry, as easily as other parts of the world. If I\u2019m going to make it, I want to do internationally, why not? <\/span><\/p>\n

EP: Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to get into the music industry?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: Don\u2019t let anyone tell you, \u201cyour sound is too poppy\u201d or \u201cyour sound is too indie, people won\u2019t get it\u201d. Your sound is your sound. There is no right or wrong when it comes to your music – what matters is that it\u2019s yours. There\u2019s always a market somewhere out there in the world that\u2019ll embrace it. Just tap into it. What\u2019s important is that you stay true to what you are – it sounds cheesy, but it\u2019s so true! Another thing that\u2019s really important is protecting your art. It\u2019s called the music industry because that\u2019s what it is – an industry. It\u2019s a business. So do your research and be savvy about it, and if you can\u2019t, build a team around you that can! <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Juliana<\/p>\n

EP: What three songs\/artists are the most played by you right now and why? Anyone we should look out for?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: Okay number one right now is Halsey. She is amazing. I am in love with her. She\u2019s gold. I play her all day every day – I love who she is, I love her music and I love what she\u2019s about. <\/span><\/p>\n

Number two is Jarryd James, he\u2019s a fellow Aussie from Brisbane and oh my god he is crazy good! I saw him in concert and I cried until the album came out and then I cried some more! <\/span><\/p>\n

And the third\u2026Sia, I\u2019m always listening to Sia. She\u2019s amazeballs \u263a<\/span><\/p>\n

EP: And finally: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview – but nobody ever does?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

J: Oh, I\u2019ve never though about this! Maybe if I have a phobia?<\/span><\/p>\n

Which I do – it\u2019s chewing gum. I hate the smell, I hate the idea of it, it\u2019s disgusting! And Oprah Winfrey has it too, so I\u2019m not a freak after all! Hahaha!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find Juliana online on her website<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>. \u2018Mere Mortal\u2019 is available on iTunes<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n