Interview with Julie: Musical Voyager

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1. Hey Julie! Can you tell us about your personality?

Well, I’m going to try to tell you about my experience with music and how that might help to better understand my personality. Above all, I am a musician, having spent 9 years in singing lessons, 12 years in a choir, 2 years in lyrics, 7 years on the piano, and 7 years tap-dancing. I participated in three operas, jazz concerts, festivals, blah blah blah! It was thanks to my parents who forced me when I was young to do this but now I can see just how much music affects my way of life. One could say that that opened me up to a lot to new things (not necessarily music-related). I am someone who is rather happy, seeing the good side of things and trying not to be discouraged. And I am avidly passionate when people talk to me passionately :) Sometimes that’s a double-edged sword because I often forget what I want exactly. As a result, I want to say that you must not lose yourself in other people’s passions because you might end up finding yourself doing medieval embroidery and realizing all at once that there are other things in life. 

I am a little bit like a sponge that absorbs everything in its path: sounds, images, impressions… Therefore I love creativity, arts in general, and if I create something it must have a sense. What I really love above all else is to have a good idea: you couldn’t make me happier than telling me “you had a good idea.” And it’s true when I love a piece of music for example. Sound for the sake of sound is not that interesting to me. 

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2. You’ve managed to gain more than 300 subscribers on Whyd without any help, what is your favorite style of music that everyone loves so much?

Well, the problem here is that I have absolutely no favoritism: I love absolutely every type of music. I ask myself if it’s not because of the variety of styles that lots of people find that I post on Whyd. From metal to classical concerts. It’s a theory. I believe that it’s due to my classical education that lets me be tolerant even with crazy things and to appreciate the frame in which a piece of music is constructed, understanding where it comes from, etc, etc. 

Overall, I like when music is constructed, and it has a meaning. Then I like when it’s contrasting, when genres mix, and rhythms collide, when foreign sounds arrange themselves: as long as all of that is balanced. Finally, I like when I don’t get bored, that’s to say there are musical accidents in songs: making sure managing the timing of each of the parts to not be redundant but enjoying the melody. Living the sound like story. Anyways, if you have succeeded in satisfying those three things, I am definitely going to enjoy it!

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3. Where do you find all of this music?

A little bit everywhere. In bars with Shazam in the air! In films, TV shows, on my friends’ iPods. I go to a lot of concerts and I love to discover the opening groups. And of course online: that huge show in all of its sound levels. I really like to find a sound like finding a good deal, something like a dude in the middle of the Brazilian fields mixing on his old PC and BAM I find it and feel just like I am shopping and am the only one to have found such a great deal!

Sometimes I search for an artist when I see a bunch of their songs pop up in my Whyd stream. Then I find who they collaborate with, if they are touring, with whom… then I jump to that artist, then to another, and on and on and on…

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4. What are you doing now in your life?

Now I am a graphic designer focusing mostly on oriental typography. You might tell me “but Julie, why don’t you work in the music industry?” It’s a huge dilemma. But as I said before I love creativity in all of its forms. I chose graphic arts six years ago because at the time it suited me well. I’ve never closed off the option of music. Who knows maybe one day! And to speak truly about this moment, I am on a journey for a year in New Zealand, to travel, to exchange, and to decide a little more about the track that I am going to take in this life. 

Thanks Julie! We hope you discover some excellent New Zealand bands to share with us, make sure you subscribe to her on Whyd to keep up! 

20th May 2013