JULIA WOLF: Remaining True to Yourself

We sat down with WOLF (aka Julia Wolf), an indie-pop singer/songwriter from Queens, NY to get her take on how to remain true to yourself and your craft when it is seemingly not the “so called norm”. How does one deal with the naysayers and those that try to put you into a box you know you don’t fit into?

As a young prolific lyricist with a unique and captivating tone she is sailing in the music scene today with sound and flow all her own. WOLF began releasing short freestyles and snippets of her music on social media at the end of 2019. Almost immediately she began garnering heavy buzz from both early adopter fans and industry professionals alike.

She’s serving as an inspiration for others who are looking to carve out their own path. 

How would you describe your music?

Super lyrically driven and honest, pretty much like diary entries. Rap is my favorite genre and I feel like it’s definitely shaped and influenced my sound; I have so much respect for the ability to captivate an audience without melody! But I always put focus on flow and 808s and highlighting significant moments in my life that hopefully others can relate to.

How would you describe your personal style?

I like to say my aesthetic is classic but edgy. I’m very much a skeleton rings and spider tattoos kind of gal. But my wardrobe is made up mostly of timeless pieces that I can hold on to for years, and make unique through accessories. Currently I’m getting super into brooches, I don’t know why more people aren’t wearing them!

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome as an artist?

By far the biggest challenge was finding someone to collaborate with who understood my vision. For years I would hit up producers who either flaked or didn’t understand what I was trying to articulate. It forced me to learn some production, and as I started to shape my songs closer to what I was hearing, I’d send demos to be mixed and get them back completely unrecognizable. I felt entirely defeated and couldn’t understand why something I thought was so simple was so hard to bring to life.  Everyone was trying to change what I wanted to create.

What does being true to yourself and following your own path mean to you?

For me it means following my intuition and not feeling pressure to hop on trends for the sake of doing what's “in”. I want to be myself completely; authenticity is crucial not only in songwriting but life in general!  The music I make would hold no real value to me if it didn’t come from a place of honesty.

What advice would you give to other girls who want to feel heard and use their voice?

To be yourself completely and unapologetically. Straying away from who you are is only doing a disservice to yourself. I say do what makes you feel proud and do so without limitations. Being open with others has been something I’ve struggled with all my life, but the more I continue to share, the freer I feel to express myself.

How do you deal with overcoming societal norms and expectations of you vs. your dreams and aspirations for yourself?

I think this goes hand in hand with the previous question. The only thing I can do is create what feels natural to me and simply be myself. Over time people will catch on and understand who I am and how it’s not going to change. I’m just going to focus on building my brand and catalogue because they are a direct reflection of me as a person.

You recently dropped your fashion line “Girls In Purgatory”. What does that name mean to you?

As someone who more often than not keeps to themselves, I feel like I’m constantly dealing with this internal conflict of being the good guy verse being the bad guy. It’s like I want to put myself first but in the same breath, can feel guilty for doing so. I needed the name to reflect how so many of us feel because it’s usually a struggle that is kept silent. It feels like juggling yourself and your alter ego, which at the end of the day is just an extension of who you are, and what better place to figure it out than in purgatory.

Any last words you’d like to leave us with?

I’m a firm believer of good things coming to those who wait. I think it’s important to see your dreams and aspirations as a marathon not a sprint because it can be easy to feel discouraged when things aren’t immediately working out. It’s all a process and I can’t imagine what my life would be if I had given up back in those days of failed collaboration and miserable studio nights. Just trust your vision and never let the flame die.

PRESS:

"From the start three things become undeniably evident: her voice is amazing, the writing is brilliant, and the production highlights both while absolutely bumping." -www.wefoundnewmusic.com

“Best new artists...”  -www.wearetheguard.com

INSTAGRAM:

@juliawolfnyc

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yvGiZLSWJTPBlZpVbPnEZ?si=tEhLYLPLTeS_hQHxMocoW