Q&A: Julius is Chaotically Self-Reflective with Newest Single “jerry! jerry!”
☆ BY Vanessa Valenzuela ☆
Photos By Sophie Gragg, Styling By Branden Ruiz
Silver Top and Pants Walter Van Beirendonck, Please Do Not Enter
IN HIS CATHARTIC, STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS PROCESS — Los Angeles-based artist Julius does not hold back. A dream-like sense of self-awareness permeates the lyricism of his newest single, “Jerry! Jerry!” Influenced by the likes of Mac Miller and Frank Ocean, Julius juxtaposes straightforward honesty with unpredictable instrumentals in this cerebral journey of a track. Two versions of the track exist — one being Julius alone, while the other collaborates with singer-songwriter Litany.
Produced by Marinelli (who currently collaborates with Finneas), MyKey and Johan Lenox (collaborator of Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla $ign and Selena Gomez) the track initially starts off with an upbeat alternative sound to which Julius uses to his advantage to describe his post-heartbreak feelings. He ruminates over his attempts to move forward and find himself once again, but feels pulled back by the heavy weight of the past, which ultimately causes a chaotic clash of conflicting thoughts, emotions, and actions. Midway through the song, the production picks up speed and evolves into an industrial style, where Litany brings her own perspective of having a broken soul that meshes with others. In the last beat switch, Julius spends his time in a distorted, space-like atmosphere concluding his last thoughts about the future ahead.
An ever-changing artist with a quickly growing discography, Julius released his first single, “Drive Slow,” in 2019, an EP titled part i in 2020, as well as singles “Palm Angels” and “take me to the moon” in 2021. Much of his output evokes an alt-pop spirit, balancing moody outspokenness with sweet production built for a coming-of-age movie or a late night drive through a glimmering city.
We talk with Julius about what drives him towards vulnerability, his inclination to create genre-bending music, and his plans for growth as an artist in the time to come.
LUNA: How has the fall season been treating you?
JULIUS: It’s been alright. I was actually back on the East Coast recently, and I’m from the East Coast, so it’s my favorite time to be looking around — the leaves are changing, it’s the perfect temperature: not too cold, not too hot. I went apple picking actually, which was crazy. Such a random thing to do but, yeah, it’s been nice.
LUNA: With “Jerry! Jerry!” I really liked the sonic experimental journey it took — it changed quite a bit. Can you share your process on the making of this track?
JULIUS: That whole experience was a really crazy time in my life. I’m experiencing a lot of change — a lot of sudden change — that, at the time, I didn’t think I was ready for. But that’s part of growth, and I would just write these songs in my head. They didn’t have any melodies or any instrumentation behind it, and I would meet with my friend Marinelli — who produced the track — and I would just sing acapella, and he would essentially just play something behind it, and I would be like, “Okay, let’s put this here, let’s do that.” We got to a certain point of the track, where I guess the first part happened, and I think he just left the beat running a little bit too long, like what we had done kind of as a base to get started. And something in me … I had written something earlier that morning, and I just switched over and didn’t stop.
I think “Jerry! Jerry!” is pretty much just one take — just the first try. As I finished what I had originally expected the first song to be, like what I wrote, I just kept going with the thing I wrote earlier, and it just ended up working so perfectly. I wanted something crazy in the middle of it to just separate it then bring it together. Because everything I was writing at that time — like no matter how different it felt — it was really about the same thing, about that fact that I was going through changes and I needed to accept the fact that I needed growth. It was a time of my life [where I needed] to just grow up. That’s just what it was. I had to learn how to be by myself, reinvent myself, redefine myself, and figure out what it meant to be happy. And that is kind of the journey, and you just get all those emotions to go into “Jerry! Jerry!” which is why it’s one of my favorite songs to this day that I’ve ever done.
LUNA: What brought you to make a version with Litany?
JULIUS: With Litany, my manager brought up this thing like, “Yo, this song is five minutes long,” and, you know, even I make a joke that I sometimes skip “Pyramids” by Frank Ocean because it’s really fucking long. I get the whole fact that people may not want to sit there for a five minute song, so the only thing I didn’t want to do is compromise it in any way, creatively. My music means so much to me because it really is an extension of myself; it’s me being my most vulnerable, getting everything I have out there whether it’s good or bad. So anytime there’s change or someone else wants to get involved or something is not what I originally intended or envisioned it, it’s sometimes hard for me. With the idea of bringing another artist along, I was like, “Okay, we can make the song shorter, but by adding someone else, that’s not compromising — that’s like bringing me to a whole other level.” At one point I’m working with other people just because — especially with people I respect — I just wanna let them do their thing, because their mind is what makes them unique.
I want them to bring what they have to the table, and that’s exactly what Litany did. When Alanna (manager) showed me Litany, I was like, “Oh yes, for sure.” She was really stoked about it — it couldn’t have been an easier process; it couldn’t have gone any better. She is such an amazing human being and has become such a close friend, too, which I can say is one of the best things about making music — this whole thing along the road. You meet some people that are really special, and Litany is one of those people.
LUNA: You can create something that is true to you but know that it resonates with someone else. And it also resonates with other people.
JULIUS: To me, that was the craziest part of this whole thing. I was writing about my experience that I thought no one else could relate to because it was so specific. I don’t really write for other people — I just write to make myself feel okay. That’s selfish of me. Somehow, when I’m honest and I really just put it all out there, that’s when people are able to relate it to their own experiences. We’re all just going through the same things, differently. That’s the most beautiful thing: when you’re able to make other people feel not so alone. And Litany … when she came back to me, we were talking about what the song is about, and I told her to talk first to hear her interpretation, and she told me things that I had not even realized I was writing about. It’s such a subconscious process, just getting it from somewhere I don’t even know. And I was like yeah, spot on, that’s exactly what I was going through. She wrote it from her perspective, which is why I think it’s such a crazy great collaboration. She saw it very clearly for what it was. And was even able to open my eyes to it.
LUNA: What drives you to create emotionally vulnerable lyrics?
JULIUS: It’s almost selfish — I’ve done it since I was a kid. I started writing music when I was like 14, and this is me being straight up: my first girlfriend I ever had was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. We were 14 years old, and I was in love with her; I think I was a freshman in high school. I just didn’t know how to cope — I was so lost and I was just so scared that my best friend was going to die. She was so scared she was going to die, and it was a really crazy process. She was in the hospital for nine months at Children’s Hospital and I was there every day after school, going on the train to visit her until I would go home.
I was just really really sad and confused and lost, and one day I was just on the train and started writing a song to make me feel better, and since that day that’s exactly what music’s been. It’s just like the highs and lows — it’s what makes me feel better. Life’s a lot of lows, so I guess that’s why a lot of my music is the way it is. But at the same time, it’s a cathartic process — writing for me. That’s why I think if you listen to my music, you’re just listening to “me.” Like, you’re just hearing me talk, hearing my thoughts, hearing about my life.
Blue Set Fiorucci, Necklaces: Arms of Eve
LUNA: Because I feel like I hear so many different types of sounds in your music, I wanted to know what artists or genres influence you?
JULIUS: I listen to a whole lot of everything, and that’s probably why my music sounds so crazy. Like, when people ask me, “What genre of music would you define it as?” the best I can describe it is “me.” It’s me being myself, and then whatever genre or sound I end up making that day. I’m a huge Mac Miller fan though. They just put Faces on streaming, so I’ve been listening to Faces a lot. Huge Frank Ocean fan — I’ve been a huge Frank Ocean fan since the Odd Future days. I’ve been talking to my manager about how much Lil Wayne has influenced me, which may be surprising to some. But that man is a lyrical genius, and he taught me how to play with words and he taught me to be weird and be out there and say things that might shock you for a second — to just be yourself. I feel like what makes the three artists I mentioned really unique is that I’ve never met any of them, but I feel like I know them as best friends. I think that’s the coolest thing about them. It’s the same way people tell me my music has helped them, and how their music has helped me. What’s crazy is how Lil Wayne talking about his experiences has somehow helped me, which doesn’t make any sense, but he does it so beautifully and that’s why I have such respect for him.
LUNA: That’s the power of music, when it hits certain parts of your brain or heart.
JULIUS: It’s crazy being on both ends — I mean, I’m a fan too; I’m an artist. I would definitely fangirl over John Mayer for sure. There’s just some people you have tons of respect for because of them staying true to themselves and building their craft to the point where they’re the best they can be and that’s what I really look for in what a true artist is.
LUNA: Is that what you’re looking for in the trajectory of your career?
JULIUS: Oh yeah. I remember, I was 15, and someone asked, “What do you want to do?” and I was like, “I wanna sell out MSG,” and I was like, “I wanna be like Michael Jackson or Prince.” They just looked at me like, “You idiot, you are the dumbest kid,” and I was. He was like, “You will never be them,” and I must’ve named off so many people, but he said, “The only person you will ever be is you.” When he said that, it made perfect sense. I never compared myself; I don’t compete with anyone else — my trajectory is my trajectory.
All I can do is grow and be the best version of myself, whether that’s growing at perfecting my craft and the fact that I write every day, or that I’m learning about music theory, or learning how to play instruments. Or the fact that I’m just like out here living life and being a human being and having human experiences and being able to relay that through my craft. I think that’s what you can expect. The more I grow as a person, the more I’ll grow as an artist. Hopefully, in trying to be the best person I can be, like I’ll also be the best artist I can be. I think it all really goes hand in hand.
LUNA: Your hair has been pink, green, and blue from my knowledge. What inspires this fashion choice, and what color is next?
JULIUS: It is literally a gametime decision every time I sit in that chair with Nicole — shoutout to Nicole. She colors my hair, and she’s like, “What are we doing today?” Basically, it’s just whatever I’m feeling. I couldn’t tell you what the next color is going to be because I couldn’t tell you what I’m going to be feeling that day. Sometimes I’ll just randomly shave my head. It’s a freeing feeling, and it’s way cheaper than a haircut.
One time I just shaved my head, and I was at Target, and I saw these colors, and I had nothing but pink and I was like, “We’re doing it.” So my friend dyed my hair pink for the first time and I just looked at myself and I was like, “This feels right.” It never felt like I was trying to do anything — I was just messing around. I realized that’s my whole thing; I try not to think too hard about anything. I just live life and things come and I let them happen and I take it as it comes.
So the green for “Palm Angels” — I was really feeling the green — I had bought a bunch of plants so I was in a green mood. The blue was like a sad kind of thing for me, but I didn’t go too deep. It was a sad but optimistic blue. We’ll see how I feel in the next couple weeks — I’ll get back to you on that one. It’ll be a surprise to me.
I always have some crazy colored hair, and sometimes there will be family events and my dad will be like, “Are you really going to come with colored blue hair?” and I’ll just say that’s just who I am. You’re telling me not to? You’re telling me not to come! So that’s what it is at this point. You gotta let me live man!
LUNA: Are there any upcoming projects you have planned for the rest of the year?
JULIUS: Can I just say the word “lots?” Like lots of projects — I’m working really hard and I’m living my life every day, and it’s getting really crazy. I don’t want to spoil or say too much but, yeah, I’m really excited for what’s to come.
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