jules Visits Section 36 Music!

Another incredible artist visited Section 36!! jules is fresh off her fantastic single "Drive Home", which should be on everyone's playlist! I am flattered that she was willing to visit with us to discuss the song, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

So, let's see what happens when jules visits Section 36 Music!

Your recent single, “Drive Home”, is just outstanding. What can you tell me about it?
Thank you so much! I wrote it about a year ago for a songwriting class at my school. It honestly took me quite a while to work out the lyrics because I had so many feelings about the topic that were difficult to articulate in such brief stanzas. I'm really proud of how it came out both lyrically and production-wise. I wrote it about an observation I had about modern day hookup culture. So many people my age have encounters that are so impersonal, and this is so normalized. I personally don't enjoy that style of relationship, and that's not to say that those who do should feel any shame, but I just know that's not for me.I also wanted to start writing with a lot more honesty and this was a topic that I have not heard anybody right about before. 

Do you have a favorite memory from the recording process?

I really loved recording all of the complex vocal stacks throughout the song. I have a strong coral and a cappella background so vocal stacks are sort of ingrained in my production and writing style. Some of the vocal stacks were already present in my original demo, but I'm at the point where I can speed run my vocal stacks, meaning I can come up with a melody and stack harmonies on top one after the other without planning them out in advance. We had some extra time after recording everything so that we can go back and add more vocal stacks and ad-libs. My producer, Timothy Van Bloem, and my sound engineer, Sam Rosario, really allow me to take the reins and encourage me to try different background vocals and adlibs throughout this process. It's so fun and satisfying to hear a vocal stack being built from the bottom up in real time.

You had the chance to perform at the Northeastern graduation at Fenway Park. What was that experience like?
I did! It was so much fun. This year was actually my fourth time performing at Fenway Park at Northeastern’s graduation with my a cappella group, the Nor'easters. This group has given me so many incredible opportunities to perform in some wild places including the White House, TD Garden, and MGM Music Hall. Fenway Park is just so historic and the sheer size of the park is unlike anything I’ve experienced as a performance venue. Performing for so many people is just unreal and I get to do it with my best friends. Next May, it's finally my turn to graduate at Fenway Park. I already know that it’s going to be completely surreal and I'm going to be a complete mess, but it'll be bittersweet.

Who or what would you say are your biggest musical influences?

My musical influences are honestly all over the place. I've always loved R&B, particularly artists like SZA, Victoria Monet, and Frank Ocean. I think a lot of my upcoming projects take on this sound more than any other genre. When I’m writing and making a demo, it honestly depends how I’m feeling or what is inspiring me in that moment. There are plenty of other genres in which I have written and produced and I would love to release these projects eventually. I’ve done the sad indie pop Lizzy McAlpine vibe, the fun and colorful pop/rock Remi Wolf vibe, and the hyperpop PinkPantheress and Charli xcx vibe. These are all artists I absolutely love and they inspire me so much. 

If you could cover any Disney song, which one would you choose? Why?
This is a tough one. I did a cover on my Instagram and TikTok of “When Will My Life Begin?” from Tangled and that brought me so much joy. Any time I can tap into my musical theater background, I will and I’ll have a great time. 

What are your immediate musical goals?
I think right now I am just trying to build my identity and my audience. I started releasing music as jules about 2 years ago, but I still feel so early in my journey. I’m still discovering who I am and how I want to present myself to the world, but every act of creation gets me a little bit closer to figuring it out. I’ve gained a bit of a following on TikTok with my covers, but translating that to engagement for my personal projects is honestly really hard. It shows me that the talent is there, but there is still plenty of work to be done on the brand and presentation. But I have hope for myself, especially with my next EP which is in the works and should be coming very soon…. :) 

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I'm definitely excited about an EP soon! I know that audience will grow for her soon.

As always, I want to thank jules for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview. 

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again, jules, and good luck reaching your goals!