ifitbeyourwill Podcast
“ifitbeyourwill" Podcasts is on a mission to talk to amazing indie artists from around the world! Join us for cozy, conversational episodes where you'll hear from talented and charismatic singer-songwriters, bands from all walks of life talk about their musical journey. Let's celebrate being music lovers!
Season Four runs from September 2024 to December 2024
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ifitbeyourwill Podcast
ifitbeyourwill S04E05 • Julia-Sophie
What happens when music becomes both a lifeline and a battleground? Julia-Sophie opens up about her late introduction to music within her French family, where singing was a cherished form of personal expression. She candidly shares her journey starting from learning guitar at 16 and writing her first song to honor her grandfather, to the thrill and hard knocks of busking and forming a pop band at 17. The excitement of being noticed by a Sony representative quickly turned bittersweet, leading her band to disband. Julia reflects on those early days filled with fun, naivety, and a sense of camaraderie that shaped her identity as a musician.
Navigating the transition from band life to a solo career, Julia discusses the challenges and rewards of staying true to herself amid tempting but conflicting opportunities, such as turning down a tobacco advert. She provides a unique perspective on the creative process, contrasting the collaborative energy of a band with the solitary freedom and responsibility of solo work. Julia also offers a peek into her latest album, "Forgive Too Slow," where emotions and traditional songwriting structures play a pivotal role.
Finally, Julia takes us through the tumultuous emotional landscape of releasing music independently. From the self-doubt and isolation of working without a record label to the near-abandonment of her album, her story is one of resilience. The unexpected lifeline from Ba Da Bing Records revitalized her confidence and provided a sense of redemption. Julia shares intimate details about facing rejection and public scrutiny. Yet, through it all, she found validation and connection with listeners worldwide, proving that perseverance in the music industry can lead to profound personal and professional fulfillment.
here we are, a, if it be your world podcast, um, coming to you from, uh, quebec, canada, reaching across the pond. Um, I'm headed to Oxford to meet Julia Sophie, and we're here to kind of talk about her, her musical journey, where it started and where it's now. As I prepare for this chat with you, julia, I was just amazed that your catalog, and the variety of the catalog that that you've produced throughout your career so far, um, I always like to ask this, as the first question is where did it all kind of start for you? Like, where did the doors of the music world open for you? Um, as you were growing up?
Speaker 2:so I feel like I started quite late. I discovered music quite late. It it was in my family I'm half French and a lot of my French family there's a lot of chanson and people would sing and write songs. So when I first approached music or came to music, it wasn't necessarily about listening to other artists, it was very much about kind of being in a family and listening to people express themselves. So I kind of then I was really late. I didn't again. I didn't like kind of grow up with much outside culture. I just thought when I heard artists because of how I'd been brought up, they were doing what people did. They were just also expressing themselves. So when I first heard the Beatles or something, I was like, well, that's them singing their song and therefore I must sing my song if I'm going to do music. So that was kind of where I came. It was about expressing yourself.
Speaker 2:I didn't actually start learning or playing the guitar until I was like 16. Um, I used to sneak into music lessons at school and I wasn't actually allowed in the class. I wasn't meant to be there, I hadn't signed up, and then one day the teacher took me aside and said you know, if you want to stay in the class, you're gonna have to start doing some other homework. And it just so happened that that week was we had to write a song using seventh chords and my french grandfather recently died and I picked up a chord book and I just literally looked up all the seventh chords A7, c7, e7, e, minor. You know all these chords and I strung them together and I wrote a song, my first song, and it was a song that I wrote for my grandfather, um, my French grandfather, who I then sang at his funeral.
Speaker 1:And that was my first kind of foyer into songwriting, I guess. And was that first song a real reflection of your grandfather and your experiences with him. Yeah, yeah. And was that just you vocal guitar that you?
Speaker 2:That was me vocal guitar. And was that just you vocal guitar? That you? That was me vocal guitar. And then it kind of grew into my mum kind of saying well, if you're going to just practice at home or play, just go out and do it. And so I went I never really talk about this and then I started busking, so on Saturdays I'd take my guitar and sing songs that I'd written. And then I met somebody who was then like hey, do you want to be in my band? And then I formed my first band. I think I was 17. And then my next door neighbor was like hey, I'm doing a gig, get your band, like your band, to open up. And it was literally like in three gigs or four gigs. And I was. I think my dad had said, yeah, she'll do it, you know she's in a band or something. It was very, it was very. I was very, not very much in control of anything.
Speaker 2:I had no idea what was going on and then, um, yeah, actually that was my first band and, uh, we actually got spotted by a sony uh person at our very first gig and then, um, offered this kind of management, this deal thing, and then basically it was such a terrible deal that we didn't sign it and then we all disbanded and went off to university and that was it. So what was the?
Speaker 1:style of that first band sorry what was the style of that first band? Like it was. How would you label it?
Speaker 2:it was. It was it. We were four girls and we were pop. We were just pure little ditty pop songs, you know, um, simple chords and uh it was. It was so much fun. It was kind of part of kind of felt like forming an identity, like having a place, having a band, having a group, and we were like real gang, you know. So that was that was my first.
Speaker 1:That was kind of rites of passage and growing up sure sure what do you, what do you think that that they noticed in that first gig. That was like whoa, there's something here with these, with these gals, and I want to try to give you a part. Like what was it that you thought that they were like okay, we got to get these guys and sign them and make records and tour. Like what was what do you think that they thought of you guys those first shows?
Speaker 2:I never really thought about that. I think I think we were fun, like it was all about. Like it was fun, it was a lot of naivety. I was, I was writing songs and there was another girl in the band who was also writing songs and there was two of us and she was. She was an absolutely brilliant songwriter. I think she's incredible. Um, and I guess there was a little bit of competition between us. We would like try and up each other and, um, I think maybe it was just, yeah, fun and fresh and new and, I don't know, catchy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, something, because I mean that's pretty amazing, that first encounter of, particularly at a young age too, right, I like I was talking to some other bands too that tried to get scooped up super young in age and they just were like we weren't. We weren't prepared, we didn't know what to expect and we didn't know what they wanted from us and we were just like we want to make it, so we'll just whatever they want. And as they reflect on that past, they were like I should have done this and this and this and this. If you reflect back on those times when those first initial like feeling of the startup, um, what you, what were your kind of like um, um lessons that you learn now reflecting back on it, that you would have tweaked a bit back then if you could have I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think I would have signed that deal. I was very much disappointed that we didn't sign it because the other band members didn't want to sign it. They were far more sensible than me, so maybe my regret was not like that, but so that felt tough at the time. I think I mean moving like after that when I formed my kind of post-university band I don't know what I I don't know about regrets and things we regrets, things we haven't done yet.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I think maybe, maybe not so regrets, Julia, but more of like reflections myself first, and I cared about other people more than me.
Speaker 2:And although that's a funny regret to have sometimes, I've noticed that, for instance, like Radio One, dj wanted to play a track of mine ages ago, really loved it, but it had gone through a friend and I didn't want to upset the radio plugger, for example. I was like, well, there's a job and if I do that then. So there's things where I'm like if I maybe just kind of put myself first and there's other things like not, yeah, not upsetting. I still find that really hard. Actually, I kind of don't want to upset people.
Speaker 1:I hear you on that. It's yeah, yeah, it's always kind of a learning. I mean, I even feel at my age as well too, sometimes like being the yes person all the time and not saying well, that might not benefit me particularly well, and it takes strength and bravery to to to kind of draw that line at times. Um, particularly when you have influences like come on, come on, like and you care about people.
Speaker 2:I mean it's a tricky one because in some ways I don't regret that because I, you know, I I think there was a had an opportunity to have a song in a big tobacco advert years ago and I was very principled that I wouldn't do that, you know. And yet you know, it may be it'd been an opportunity to earn a lot of money. So like things like that. I'm just like why, why do I do, you know? But so in one sense it's good that I think it's important to hold on to who you are, and sometimes I wonder if, to make it, there has to be a kind of ruthlessness that I don't think I've had.
Speaker 2:Or at times when I have been more successful, I just worked really hard, like it was the sole thing that I did. I didn't go out, I didn't see friends for ages, I was very focused. So I don't know, it's a tricky one and often you'll hear in interviews looking back on a bit like big famous, you know, artists who have made it, who we admire and inspire, like I mean the greats, there is an element of like having to be their focus is that's their focus. There is no compromise, and I wonder if that's part of it I don't know, being nice interesting thing to ponder, for sure.
Speaker 1:Huh, it's if I mean to be, you know yeah yeah, yeah, um, kind of talking about your two different styles, um, and I'll try to set this up that you started off very kind of garagey rock um with your earlier um bands and then there was this shifting of. How long did that process take, julia? For once you left the bands and decided you were going to go onto your own stuff and you were on it to bring a little bit more electronic in what, what? What re-imaging or re-configuration were you looking at when you were trying to do that change or shift from from one kind of genre to the next?
Speaker 2:I'm gonna just like. So there's a little, as you said that, there's a little thought just kind of stringing me from what we just spoke about. When you're in a band with a lot of people, there's an element and sometimes it works it's the, it's the recipe, it's the ingredients that makes the cake rise like don't, don't mess with the ingredients and mess with the cakes working right, there's lots of different and that works Either works or it doesn't work in a band, and I guess part of that transformation to a solo artist was me. Okay, I need to express myself and I'm not managing it in a group, so now I'm going to go solo and do it wasn't in a.
Speaker 2:It wasn't kind of like I'm leaving everybody. It wasn't that explosive. It took me maybe eight years, you know in life, to be like, okay, well, there's more circumstance now. I don't have, I'm not, I don't have the youth, I don't have the. I have other commitments, responsibilities. I'm not, I don't have the youth, I don't have the. I have other commitments, responsibilities. I don't have time to be with in a band. So it was kind of, logistically, I can do it by myself, but actually also selfishly, it means that I can. I don't have to compromise right, right, and was that?
Speaker 1:did that? Feel liberating, in a sense of kind of taking ownership for it, and that it was under your purview what you were going to do and how you were going to express yourself and deliver yourself to the world?
Speaker 2:It felt more like pure, it felt more true to me and I could finally express myself how I wanted to be. I want to put harmonies, if I want to, you know, mess around with effects and layer and do. I can just do what I want, and that is liberating. And it's also quite lonely, like it comes at a cost, like I'm by myself. I only have myself to question, and it's a load of work. You know that I can't. I can't share the load. So so everything, everything has pros and cons, but it does mean that when I'm writing and producing, I can, I can communicate, I can try and put across, yeah, what I want to, without having to compromise.
Speaker 1:Right right, it makes a lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense. Now, your latest record that you put out Forgive Too Slow. I mean it got really well received. Would you agree with that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, from.
Speaker 1:the musical, musical world, from the world like it seems to be um, appreciated, um, and I've been listening to it a lot to kind of get into your head space a bit, um, and it's so fascinating. But I'm so curious is like, what's your writing process for particularly those set of songs? How would one begin? How would you be inspired, like, for example, I'll give you something concrete like on Numb, how it starts with that kind of pulsating, that is your line, and then you build on top of that. Or are these all like kind of acoustic songs you wrote and then you bring in the electric components?
Speaker 2:It's a bit of a mix really. Most of the time I start with an emotion or a feeling and I'm quite traditional in my songwriting approach. I guess that's my roots. It's like I do gravitate towards like verse, chorus, first chorus, and you know these things, um. So yeah, I I tend to start with lyrics, a gentle beat like nothing, basically totally as minimal as I can. So I try not to color in, I try not to use any sevenths or minors, almost Like I will literally like make it as raw as I possibly can, because then when I can go, when I go into the studio, then I can color it right. So I'm really it's almost like I just chuck it all out, um, and I just then I walk away do you?
Speaker 1:start with the, with the music, or do you? You tend to always start, as you said you were mentioning, with a lyric like how does that how?
Speaker 2:did okay, right so I'll play the keyboard or the guitar and I'll write. I'll write from that and I'll come up with the melody and it's just. It could just be like going around for hours and hours and I'm fine tuning, like trying to find where it feels congruent, like I can come up. That sounds good, that it's good. But when it feels right, something just feels like something I can relax and click into place and be like oh, that's how I feel, that's that's what I wanted to say, you know. And then, and then that's it. And then I just walk away because I'm like too impatient and don't have the attention span to like, like, do any more you?
Speaker 1:know how long did it take to put this record together your latest? What was the whole process of from pinning them to putting them on tape to launching it? How was that whole process for you?
Speaker 2:Well, because I was mostly doing it in any spare time I could find it wasn't like I had. I Would you know, I wish, or like it would be nice to have like a month or two Just to write and sit in the studio and record. That's the dream, isn't it? But reality is it wasn't at all. It took me a year, a good year, from, yeah, just to like keep scratching, scratching away. It's like scratching it, it kept getting better. No, yeah, it took me a year.
Speaker 1:What was your impression that you wanted to convey with the record and, as opposed to what the reviews were at the end, did those match up? Did? Did people get what you were trying to do with the record like? Did they connect to it, um, in the way you had hoped?
Speaker 2:do you know, in all honesty, I always forget that people may or may not listen. I had no, I had no. I mean, it's never really happened. I've never had this much attention on anything I've released. I really just put together a record. That was something I needed to express. It wasn't about all the songs are about everything I've done, as Julia Sophie has never been about getting attention or being in the music industry, because I felt so burned from it in the past that I kind of it was more like I need to express how I feel. So I guess, like, in all honesty, there was no, no, I had no expectation. Expectation is that a word? Yeah, I know, I had no, I didn't. I didn't think anything.
Speaker 1:Really, I didn't think you weren't thinking about that external, you were just. It was just all inward that you were yeah, building this record around yeah, this is what I feel.
Speaker 2:This is my life disaster that I'm living today.
Speaker 3:This is my relationship falling apart.
Speaker 2:This is us having an argument. This is like I'm just constantly trying to, like, put things right, and it never works. So it was it just, and then, and then, yeah, I guess the reviews have been incredible. Really, I just had no idea, you know, then it becomes a philosophy, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:it's like, oh, now I have to make, and it has to be an art piece, um, you know, and some review that's putting pressure on you for, like, you feel pressure, like, okay, they said all these things about this record, you know not thinking about the future, does that? Do you feel that it's? It's invading in that personal space of when you create a record where it's very internal, in that personal space of when you create a record where it's very internal that the second one might, you might get more in your head about what are they going to say, and or are you able to kind of keep those two separate?
Speaker 2:I'm going to try and avoid that. I think I think there's just no. I think you can be as like clever as you want, and sometimes I've released stuff and been like this song is a banger, everyone's gonna love it. Literally no one listens to it. I'm like I don't understand, and then so I just don't think there's any rhyme or reason anymore. I just I'm just so confused I have no idea.
Speaker 2:So I think I think what, I'm just what, what I have been in this record, that I that I maybe haven't been when I think, oh, I'm gonna release a banger, this is great, is actually honest with how I feel. Like I've gone like cerebrally or cognitive. I've gone like this is this is clever, but actually on the stuff, like with this record, I just just like this is how I feel. So I think if I can stay with that, I don't know, I haven't really. I have started writing again actually, and I'm going to the studio next week, so I have no idea, but I guess I can only be me Like it's not going to be. I'm not suddenly going to be really cheery, I don't think you know.
Speaker 2:So I can only be what I am really. So I don't think you know.
Speaker 2:So I can only be what I am really. So I don't, I don't know how I got to that point. I think what the nice thing is is that maybe people will listen to something if I release something that that would be nice, because they've maybe heard my record and they might be interested. I think that feels quite, quite nice. I nearly didn't even release this record. It'd been in my Dropbox for about a year after finishing it and, yeah, I just felt so defeated by it all.
Speaker 1:What was the hesitation that you felt about it?
Speaker 2:Well, it's a lot of work to release a record. I didn't have a record label, um, I didn't have any kind of I'd I'd done. I'd released three eps and they'd done really well, and I thought, oh, maybe maybe I'll get a label, maybe I'll get some support. It's that lonely thing, it's like me just doing it and I just thought, well, if nobody wants to release it, then why am I releasing music? Like why am I bothering? Like is it just for my own ego? Is it just me? People don't want it.
Speaker 2:You know, I was like I kind of need some valid, like I know that it's great to self-release and I do believe that there's value in that, especially when you're starting out. But at some point there's a real realism if I'm going to release it, either I release it, you know, I just play it to my friends. But if I release it, I don't know why am I doing that? So I was really questioning that, um, and then, and then miraculously Badabing Records from New York, who, who had bought my first EP on Bandcamp and I kind of kept a bit in touch with him but like hadn't had the confidence to send him my other EPs, because I want to release this record on vinyl and so I said great. You know, that gave me the. That's the only reason why the record is not in my Dropbox.
Speaker 1:Seriously, that's an amazing story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean happenstance.
Speaker 1:Sometimes in the music business, just it's you never know what might happen and what song might you know get in touch with someone else and I mean it's just um, it's a crazy business and I mean kind of a question for you is like what keeps you going? Uh, you know, because of the ideas of what you were saying, of loneliness and, and it's a struggle too, because because you're talking about yourself and you're exposing yourself to the world of you know, like your feelings and experiences you felt, how do you find that bravery? I always ask that to artists because I find it spectacular that certain humans because not all can do it can do that and feel that exposure and that vulnerability. How do you keep that going so that you can continue doing this craft that you love to do?
Speaker 2:Well, in all honesty honesty, I nearly didn't. I I've nearly just put it all away because I felt so my confidence was really low, um, from being from, you know, constantly releasing music and not really getting anywhere, um, and so it's really like bad for your mental health to have like constant knockbacks or just constantly be told you're not good enough or, you know, not even acknowledged. So it is really tough. I wouldn't say it's the most healthy environment to be in. Um, and for me now, like having gone through, like oh, you know I need to get my stuff out of storage, you know I need to like actually put together a show, like I, in all honesty, it's given me the confidence to start again, like I hadn't really written anything for a year or two years because I'm just done. It's just so painful. So basically, yeah, I think there's a certain element of I don't know what's that, what's that word when you just enjoy a bit of pain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe, but in all honesty, when my, when my album got um, because I released an album, you know, my album when I got signed to island records back, you know, years ago, and I worked so hard to get a sign like maybe it took me four years, four or five years, and my band did like we were doing gigs um most days of the week, you know, and then it got like a zero out of 10 in the NME and it just totally killed my career, having worked so hard and being totally dis like.
Speaker 2:The reviewer had totally got the wrong end of who I was and it was just all terrible. So this time around, obviously I had no idea that my album was going to get into pitchfork. I had no idea that. I don't even know how that happened in all honesty, but that was really triggering. That was like, oh my God, is this moment going to be really shaming? Am I going to have to hide in the cupboard again and be told publicly shamed about how bad my music is? You know? So like it was really. It was really.
Speaker 1:It's actually really frightening you're on the edge there. That was really on the end.
Speaker 2:That was really I'm not. So I had no. Yeah, I just had no. I think I just had no idea it was going to touch people and I don't know if it'll ever happen again. Really, you know, I'm just. But it is nice when it's the other thing, when you're not publicly shamed and slaughtered, slain in public. Uh, I must say that is, I feel, a little bit of I've gone around the full. I feel like I've crawled back up the mountain and managed to kind of uh, what's the word redemption? Like be redeemed? Yeah, a little bit so there you go.
Speaker 1:It's rising out of the ashes.
Speaker 2:Yes, maybe it's a lesson in kind of not giving up, but yeah absolutely well.
Speaker 1:I mean your experience and your dedication and your I mean it's, it's remarkable, um, and I think this achievement you should be tickled about. I mean it's such a great record, um, I had friends like I have friends all over the music friends and they kept sending me your record. You got to listen to this, you got to listen to this.
Speaker 1:So it's touched so many people, and these are people from the US, from Europe, from Australia. So, again, I think you achieved something that was for you, but it's touched people in a way that is really sensational. So thank you for this record. I hope people buy it and see you and and and go and watch you tour and buy the record. Just to kind of wrap things up, julia, what, what, what can we look forward to from Julie, sophie, come 2024, 2025, you had mentioned you're, you're to studio. Um, what's, what's your timeline? Look like, uh, for fans out there that are wanting more of you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, good question. I'm going to do a few shows in the UK over the next. This like the end of this year and start of next year. Um, I am going back into the studio. I don't know what's going to come out of it. Um, yeah, there's part of me who's I don't know. I'm kind of gonna see what comes out, I just gotta. I've just started writing again, so I I'm going to see what happens. I don't know. It's a good place to be in. I feel creative. You know that's nice.
Speaker 1:You seem liberated and excited about writing process, starting up and records and songs and collaborating and and getting yourself out there, which is um. It's exciting for me as well, so we'll see.
Speaker 2:Let's keep keep the door open, but uh, I definitely feel like, yeah, I feel inspired amazing.
Speaker 1:Well, again, I just want to thank you, julia, for this. Um, it's been a really fun talk with you. I've loved listening about your history and struggles and successes and ups and downs and circular, and um, it's been really fascinating. So thanks for taking some time to share your, your, your life with us well.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate that means a lot.
Speaker 1:Well, all the best. I always had a feeling that I was wasting time. I always had a feeling that I couldn't get you out of my mind. I'm giddy for your comfort, been watching you for a while how you put your thumb through the hole in your jumper. You always cry before you smile. Call me up tonight. I wanna cry on the telephone. Me on the county road, shed chips on the way home. Call me up tonight, staring at my telephone. We are now at Upper Session Road, thank you, was it unlikely that you'd ever like me? Am I stupid to think that you would Call me up tonight? I wanna cry on the telephone. Meet you on the county road, share chips on the way home. Call me up tonight. Staring at my telephone. I'll just stop tonight and I'll let it go. Come on, darling, you don't be fine without me.
Speaker 3:Come on, baby, together we can watch TV. Meet my disease. It could be so easy. It could be so easy. It could be so easy. It could be so easy, it could be so. Oh, oh, oh, baby, surprise me, call me home tonight. I wanna cry on the telephone. Me on the company road Shed chips on the way home. Call me home tonight. We are now at Upper Session Road. Thank you, thank you, bye, bye.
