Spotlight: Ness Julius Sings a Universal Truth in New Single: “Girls Luv Kehlani”
WHILE LA CONTINUES TO LURE IN CREATIVES— from all over with its enchanting promises of fame, not too far in Bakersfield, California is R&B artist Ness Julius propagating his craft. His beats are moody and vulnerable, lyrics seductive and tantalizing (fundamental qualities of good R&B), but when he speaks the conversation is polite and his words intentional; his character shares the same kind of confident humility as his songwriting.
Originally born in Houston, Texas, Julius spent most of his life in the desert-like city surrounded by a huge scene of Country, Rock, and Rap music, seemingly everything but the R&B he first started making at the age of 13 and professionally produced by 17. Back then, he was working under the name “Ne$$”, a moniker he later realized was something he hid behind. The ultimate rebrand to his first and middle name, “Ness Julius”, was his vulnerable reintroduction to the industry as an adult and founded the mentality that drives his artistry: staying true to himself and his identity.
In the struggle of being seen at the beginning of his career, fostering a community of R&B fans within his hometown became a priority when it came to outreach.
“It was a little bit challenging at first in terms of growth, when we're talking about creating a full-time fanbase. It kind of took patience and self-awareness [for me] to realize, ‘Hey, maybe [my music] isn't at the level yet for them to receive it.’ So I just kept my head down and kept working,” he shares. “Over the last three years, we've seen substantial growth. Now there is an R&B scene [in Bakersfield], and it took people like myself to just keep pushing and continuing to navigate through the industry, making connections but also bringing those connections back home.”
Luckily, Julius was able to make some of those lasting connections early on; one of the first people he worked with was producer Bizness Boi, who at the time had a few accolades under his belt on 6lack’s debut album, “Free”, and with PARTYNEXTDOOR, one of Julius’s favorite artists. He has stayed deeply rooted in all of these early influences throughout the years, allowing them to remain shaping his sound to this day.
His first project of the year “Girls Luv Kehlani” (produced by Lako Beats) feels like an ode to them all. It came about at a time when Julius was experiencing writer’s block, and its development was pretty meta.
“I just remember coming home listening to a Kehlani album, then [going] on TikTok and seeing all of her fan pages. I was like ‘Damn. Girls really do love Kehlani,’” he recalls with a laugh (thank you, algorithm). From there Julius played around with the idea, eventually finding the melody and pulling inspiration from the vocal pitching of Reuben Aziz’s “Find You”.
The entirety of the track is spent trying to convince the fictional club hater to trust that he’d do anything for her, despite her hesitation to open up for love. The song’s chorus makes a niche reference to “Hate the Club” that makes the said Kehlani girls feel seen:
Look I know girls love Kehlani
I know why you hate the Club Shawty
Can’t be turning up with anybody
And you can’t fake the vibe for anybody
Ness Julius released two versions of “Girls Luv Kehlani”, one standard, danceable version, and a moodier “Broken Luv” edition. Sonically, the standard version is upbeat and energetic, with vocal and production stylings that would appeal to fans of PARTYNEXTDOOR, Blxst, and Ty Dolla $ign. It took about six months for Lako and Julius to polish and rearrange the original demo before Julius realized the standard version alone didn’t fully showcase his ability to create an ambiance with his vocals.
“‘Broken Luv’ was a risk for the simple fact that it isn’t your casual R&B song,” he shared of its conception, “I was really trying to create a whole atmosphere around it.” The extra two months spent on the alternate version paid off in the release, giving the song a completely different depth while feeding this generation’s obsession with slowing and reverbing beloved songs.
“Girls Luv Kehlani” is just one of many projects that showcase the thought and effort that Julius puts into his craft. The artist is extremely hands-on every step of the way, lending not only his skill not only to the vocals, but to the production, visuals, and most importantly, the songwriting. When noting Post Malone and Travis Scott as artists who inspire him, he surprisingly acknowledges the more Pop-Soul-centered Adele.
“What a lot of people don’t notice about me is that I’m really big on songwriting,” he mentions of her influence on his lyricism. “Very early on, I was paying attention to the songwriters like the James Fauntleroys, the Samphas, those kinds of guys [who went] unnoticed because they were writers. Those were the people I was paying attention to. Early on, I wasn't concerned about my image; I was more concerned about crafting and honing in on itself. I was really, really paying attention to [their] branches, hooks, and verses, just figuring out how to structure a song properly.”
Julius, like a deeply rooted tree, has honed in all of the skills and support system necessary to make a successful artist; over the years he has “developed the mental fortitude” to keep pushing through this industry and it has borne us the fruit of his music. The rest of the year is looking open to fate for him as he slows down, intending to release a handful of singles to hold fans over for an album-in-progress.
“At this stage of my career, I'm kind of just trying to build my fan base…and just really hone in on a niche,” he explains, mentioning an upcoming Bakersfield show in June for his local community, though the rest of his schedule is open to whatever the season brings.
Ness Julius shares his final thought on why you should tune into his humble art and great energy this summer, local or not:
“You can almost get a sense of who I am as a person. I try to stay true to myself, really authentic,” Julius chimes. “It gives people a chance to be early to an artist and to see the evolution; in my group chat with my fans, I let them see every part— the raw, the ugly, the beautiful, every single aspect— and be a part of the journey. I feel like people will respect that and love [that] they can relate to a person. I don't try to be anybody that I'm not.”
