At the start of a great journey

Julia Duclos is a young budding singer-songwriter to look out for, writes Syahirah Mokhtazar

SOME of us are lucky to find our passion at a young age and Julia Duclos falls into this category. The affable 23-year-old said she grew up singing along to songs from famous Disney movies such as Alice In Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty and remembered feeling immense joy doing so.

“When I was young I also loved putting on my very own mini concert at home and forced my family to watch. I was probably 7 at the time,” she said with a laugh.

Duclos, who is of French-Chinese and Northern Indian-Persian descent, counts her blessings as she grew up with parents who encouraged her to explore music.

“My father plays the guitar, my mother is great on the piano and my brother was in a band and plays the electric guitar.

“So the music influence is strong in our family. I’m lucky to have parents who are incredibly supportive,” she said.

Duclos built sweet memories with her mum through countless karaoke sessions in the car.

“I remember so vividly singing to Mariah Carey’s hits. If I was ever out of tune, my mother would play the song over and over again until I hit the right notes,” she said.

Scrolling through her Instagram with 10,600 followers, you may just find a video of Julia and her mother picking songs to sing to in the car.

big offer

Fast forward years later when Duclos turned 21, the KL-ite was signed by Sony Music Malaysia.

The offer came at the right time when the psychology student had just graduated from Segi University.

“I didn’t think much about prepping myself to be a public figure. It is important to garner a huge fan base, but I didn’t want to think too much about whether I would be well-received. You can’t please everybody.

“But I want to build my fan base organically. If you do things with good intentions, things will fall into place.

“I never thought I could land such the opportunity at 21! Making a name for yourself in the Malaysian music scene is a struggle especially when there are so many new singers to compete with.

“I’m still working my way up... I have a long way to go but it’s been a great journey so far and I am eager to see what’s in store in the future.

“Hopefully in five years’ time, I will be on par with fellow Malaysian singers who have made it big internationally. I want to make Malaysia proud.” Duclos added that the music industry has grown with diversity.

MUSiC geNre

“I won’t categorise my music into a genre because songs nowadays are mash-ups of many genres but if I were to describe it, perhaps it could be considered as future R&B,” said Duclos.

She has released a new single titled Further. The ethereal, mid-tempo ballad was penned based on her experience and her desire “to live an honest reality, love without hesitation, and create without restrictions”.

It’s a song about two people in love, who grow apart due to distance. However, they begin to learn more about themselves and each other.

“The chorus was inspired by the emotionally stagnant state that I was in with this significant other. Honesty, love and creation are some of the elements I included in the lyrics as I felt they resonated with what both of us truly wanted to strive for in life.”

“I want to be honest about the reality of our lives in every aspect, to be loved and to love without hesitation and limitations, and to create meaningful art and relations with human beings in the most genuine way possible.”

Just like Taylor Swift, are all her songs based on personal experiences? “Well, yes, but not all of them are based on romantic relationships.

Some are platonic.”

I didn’t want to think too much about whether I would be well-received. You can’t please everybody. Julia Duclos