Recently, London-based Austrian singer-songwriter and visual artist Julia Romana shared her new single ‘Blood Be Fluid’, a scintillating release that gave us all a brilliant glimpse into her upcoming EP of the same name.
Inspired by the cult classic film Suspiria and Twin Peaks, the single came complete with a captivating music video directed by Laura Manners, choreographed by Weronika Szczerek, and featuring dancers Puisy Luong and Kajsa Sundström alongside Julia. Filled with lots of red and yellow hues, Julia’s performance is hypnotizing, sensual and captivating.
To help celebrate the new single, we were lucky enough to score an exclusive interview with Julia, which you can read in full below.
Julia, it’s wonderful to meet you. Let’s take it all right back, where did you first start making music?
“I started recording voice memos on my first mobile phone when I was about 7 or 8 years old. Putting song ideas down felt kind of addictive so I never stopped. To this day I still use my phone’s trusty voice note function when I’m abroad and don’t have a mic to hand.”
Your sound is so wonderfully unique,how would you describe it to those who haven’t yet had a chance to hear your music?
“Ethereal, bit of alternative pop, electronic, folky, many harmonies. I wanna make more alt rock inspired tracks. My latest song is an alt rock spoken word track which I really enjoyed recording.”
What influences most define your music?
“Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Lana Del Rey, and FKA Twigs”
When it comes to a song like 'Blood Be Fluid', how does the songwriting process start, and what is the most important part of it?
What is your songwriting process? How does it all come together?
"I love to have a loop of simple beat or melody elements playing as I sink into a new song idea. After making a demo at home I send things over to my producer and friend Veronika Hanl. The album wouldn’t have been possible without her and her composing/producing knowledge. She’s a master of her craft and I love to get constructive criticism from her when it comes to the length of a song, whether it sounds too boring, whether it needs a different instrument. It’s great to work together as a little team."
"The feeling has to be right. I always write from personal experience. So it’s important to me that a song feels raw and intimate."
Can you tell us a bit more about your new EP?
'Blood Be Fluid' is an EP consisting of eight tracks. Style wise it’s a bit of a praline box. But the underlying theme is female empowerment. Finding your own voice, not apologising for being you. The project started three years ago before Covid times and I’m really happy to share it this September! Many of the songs were written in my bedroom in the middle of lockdown which made the writing process very self reflective. For me writing them felt like an attempt to heal.
Do you have a moment that has stood out the most when creating the new EP?
"Creating my latest single ‘Blood Be Fluid’ was such a great experience. We record only live instruments for this and it just felt like such a cool collaborative project. Working on the music videos for the album also felt really empowering. Both were directed and edited by my extremely talented friend Laura Manners. Weronika Szczerek did the choreos for both of the videos. I never really danced in my other videos before so it felt really good to get out of my comfort zone and feel stronger than ever."
What would your dream collaboration be?
"Thom Yorke would be great but you shouldn’t meet your idols I guess.
I’d love to work with Tommy Genesis. She seems really versatile and creative with her approach to making music. Solange would be cool as well."
One last question before you go, what advice would you give to band’s who are looking to make it big?
"I feel like the music business sadly is a business and the most important things to have are connections and a certain amount of money. Otherwise there’s a slim chance of “making it big”. I also think “big” is in the eye of the beholder. Not every musician wants to be in the spotlight all the time. I feel like being famous seems very stressful and hard to handle for human beings. Of course I hope for my music to reach some people and bring them joy in some way, but I’m not sure about making it big to be honest."
Making music from a young age, Julia has honed her craft into what it is today, which is both innovative and exciting. Having collaborated with artists such as Duckwrth, G.L.A.M and Alex Mali, this has allowed Julia to find her voice in music whilst creating her own distinctive sound and path.
Her name EP, 'Blood Be Fluid', will be released on September 8th this year.
Connect with Julia Romana,
