This week’s artist spotlight focuses on singer/songwriter Julia Jones, who has written several songs about the hit MTV supernatural drama, Teen Wolf.
The Artist’s Spotlight is a Hypable weekly feature that will focus on someone who has caught our attention for fandom-related art, whether it be drawings, songs, crafts, or more! Every week you can expect a new talented artist we think you should be aware of!
This week, we’re talking to Julia Jones, who’s a 19-year-old from the Netherlands. She’s a self-confessed Tumblr addict who loves superheroes and watching television. Julia also loves to dye her hair, and is currently sporting a mix of blue and turquoise.
When asked about music, Julia says, “Music has always been a big part of my life. I used to love doing anything related to karaoke and wanted to be on Idols (the dutch variant of American Idol) since I was a little kid. It wasn’t my main focus, though. I’ve always been more into drawing, but singing and writing has become a huge part of my life as well, recently. I got a keyboard on my 16th birthday, but it kind of gathered dust until about two years ago.”
Hypable: What made you decide to write and perform songs about your favorite shows or movies?
Julia Jones: I actually started doing it when I just started out on Tumblr. I used to be a huge Glee fan, so anything music related was always something I and the other fans could enjoy. I made a song then, called “Little Numbers,” which was basically the first fandom song I’d ever seriously written. My friends and complete strangers liked it enough to motivate me to keep going. I get inspiration from TV shows and movies because I feel like the stories the characters tell mean something. I feel connected to them and want to express what they feel or what they leave unspoken in songs. It’s actually all kinds of cheesy, but I feel like it brings me closer to them somehow.
What inspired the song “Lose Your Mind”?
“Lose Your Mind” was kind of a fluke. I was sitting at home behind my keyboard, messing around and writing a song to get out my feelings. I’d gone through a pretty awful break-up a couple of weeks before I wrote it and was trying to use my sadness in a positive way, I guess? But as I was writing, the promos for Teen Wolf season 3B started appearing on my computer. I was so hyped and happy (but also scared) because of them that I rewrote the lyrics and made them fit Teen Wolf. The rest is history :)
How crazy was it that MTV wanted to use it in a spotlight!?
It was insane. There are no other words for it. I was completely surprised that MTV wanted to use it in any way because I figured that the recording was pretty bad and that, being only a mediocre piano player, it was never going to work out. But it did.
How has your life changed since being featured by MTV?
It hasn’t actually changed a lot. I’m working a lot more on music since it happened, but I’m still focusing on school. It’s strange, though, receiving messages from people saying they were extremely moved by “Lose Your Mind,” or any of my other songs, or that they bought it or just loved it in general. It’s surreal that I touched people’s hearts with a song I made on a Monday night in my bedroom with an old Singstar microphone.
Can you talk a little bit about one of your other Teen Wolf songs, “Time to Heal”?
“Time to Heal” is my most recent song. It’s once again about the characters on Teen Wolf, only this time it’s post-season, instead of pre-season, like “Lose Your Mind.” The song describes what they’ve been through this season and how hard it was, but that they have to keep on going even if life gets them down. I made it to cheer myself up after what happened with Allison and tried to channel a little of how the characters must’ve been feeling at the end of the season.
What about “To the End of the Line”?
“To the End of the Line” is kind of a funny story. I went to the cinema with one of my best friends, to see the new Captain America movie and the line, “I’m with you, to the end of the line” struck a chord with me. It perfectly described the friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the movie. I actually muttered that I was going to make a song about it, while the movie was still rolling. My friend encouraged me to do it, so I went home and I did. “To the End of the Line” is the result of that.
What projects or songs are you working on next?
I’ve been working, on and off for about a year, on something that should eventually become a Teen Wolf musical, but as school is taking up a lot of my time, I don’t really get to sit down and write it. I have a couple of unreleased songs for it, but it’s a slow going process. I’m taking a year off from school, though, starting in September. So maybe, who knows? I might just be able to completely write it in that time. Other than that, I’m just going to continue writing and singing my heart out because of TV shows and movies. Maybe books.
What direction would you like to go in with your music?
Music is mostly a way for me to channel emotions and for others to enjoy. I never thought my music would get any kind of attention and I wasn’t planning on becoming a true recording artist, but I’m young. Maybe in a few years. As to technical stuff: I’d like to work with different instruments in the future. Channel some Lorde and add a nice beat, or add a violin in some of my songs. I do want to continue writing songs for fandom, though, because there’s just so much material to work with there; characters to relate to, stories to be told.
You can find Julia on Tumblr, where she shares both her music and her artwork (which is just as amazing as her songs).
You can also see her art on DeviantART, and even buy it on Society6. Meanwhile, “Lose Your Mind” and a few other songs are on her BandCamp page.
Last but not least, be sure to follow Julia on Twitter and chat with her about her amazing art! It’s always great to see a fan making something that gets recognized by the original creators.