We chat to singer Julia Church
We chat to the singer about living abroad, her hot new track and working with Paul McCartney
She’s a sought-after vocalist thanks to her soulful sound. We caught up with the multi-talented 24-year-old, who’s based in the UK.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your new track, Cups and Balloons. I wrote it with an incredible Swedish artist called Eeva. We wanted to write something that took a more emotional spin on the classic hangover demons of the night before. Waking up next to that person who you know isn’t good for you. It’s about the harmful decisions we can make when we’re vulnerable.
You’ve worked with Goldfish on a couple of hit tracks. How did your collaboration come about? I was introduced to Dom (Peters) and
Dave (Poole) in 2015. My manager at the time made the introduction and placed me in a two-day session with the guys. In those two days we recorded and created both tracks (Everything is Changing has been in the works for six years!).
Who else would you like to work with? Disclosure, Black Coffee, Samthing Soweto and SG Lewis.
You’re also an accomplished pianist. Are you self-taught? Yes. Piano has always been something I wanted to explore and understand myself and I loved that process.
Why did you move to the UK? To attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2015, which was a dream for me, although London was always the end-goal. The best thing about London is how electric it feels with creativity and talent and art. I love the easy access to incredible venues, performances and collaborations with other artists.
Have you met any famous musos in London? A few! I was selected for a one-on-one songwriting session with Paul McCartney in my third year of university, which was a career highlight. I’ve been lucky enough to have chats with Nile Rodgers, Tom Odell, Lianne La Havas and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Which singers inspire you? From a songwriting perspective, Joni Mitchell and Lana del Ray – two women from totally different eras who tell such poignant stories through their songs.
What’s been the biggest challenge in your career? Finding balance. Turning a lifelong hobby and passion into a business has kind of confused things in my head and made it hard to find the balance between making it a career, and also letting music continue to feed me creatively and emotionally. Also, being my own worst critic. I’m a perfectionist by nature.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? It’s so hard to think about the future right now but hopefully I’ll be doing some epic shows around the world. I miss performing so much. Also, I hope to still be writing as much as I do now, for myself and for other people, and to have some albums and – naturally – a No 1 under my belt. S