Julia Bhatt's debut album it is what it is will be released independently on July 20, 2022. The lead single off the album, the jangly indie pop ‘Cotton Candy,’ is out now.
From September 2019 to early March 2020, Julia was in a whirlwind of life-changes: she released her first three singles (’Tall,’ ‘Marco’ and ‘I'm Cool’), turned eighteen and graduated high school. Just as she was really getting started with the announcement of her first ever tour however, the pandemic brought everything to a standstill. Holed up in Miami and states away from her mentor and producer Elliot Jacobson (Ingrid Michaelson, Elle King, Vérité) in New York City, she started to write songs on software, Ableton Live, rather than on the guitar - a whole new creative experience for her. Proving that while the world was in quarantine, she could not be contained. In a creative burst of energy, she's released the singles ‘Miami’ and ‘Bird Girl’ as well as her debut EP 2 steps back since March 2020. The first music to come from this new approach to making music were her 2021 singles ‘1:30′ and ‘Hair Salon Vibes’ both of which will be included on the debut album.
We had a chat with Julia all about ‘Cotton Candy’, it is what it is, her creative process and more. Read the Q&A below.
Hi Julia! How are you? What does a typical day look like for you at the moment?
“I just quit my restaurant social media job in favor of working a more consistent schedule since I have this album coming out so four out of seven days I work as a hostess for a little pizza restaurant. Other days, I sleep as much as I can, buy stupid mystery toys at Walgreens, clean the house. Normal stuff.”
You've recently released your new single 'Cotton Candy.’ What can you tell us about the track and what do you hope listeners take away from the song?
“It’s a super upbeat track about being loved and cherished. I hope people feel nice when they listen. That’s the goal. This is one of my more lyrically-chill songs, to be honest, so it’s mostly about the vibes, if you will.”
'Cotton Candy' and your previous two singles are taken from your upcoming debut album. What can you tell us about the record?
“It’s definitely a mix of everything. It’s been a while in the making so it’s got stuff I wrote when I was 15/16 and then there’s stuff I wrote a few months ago. Some were written on the guitar, some were tracks my producer sent that we morphed into songs. It’s truly a grab bag, but I feel like that’s what my music style is.”
What is your songwriting/creative process like? I understand you switched from writing/creating songs on guitar to Ableton Live during the pandemic? What do you enjoy the most about it and what do you find most challenging?
“I think it’s definitely more simple for lyric writing. You already have the music so for me, I just kinda start singing and see what happens. However, that means that whatever flows out has to match the music as if they were written together. Sometimes that messes me up. I have a track that I love but I felt I could never get right. It won’t be on the album; which is frustrating for my producer I'm sure, but it just doesn’t feel right.”
Finally, what else is next for you? Any shows coming up?
“Working on shows! Covid is still going strong unfortunately so I’m trying to be safe and keep listeners safe. I do live in Florida though. A bit of a contradiction. I hope to have some soon. Mostly just excited for the album!! We’ve got a decent chunk of time before it comes out so promo! lol”
Julia Bhatt Music · Cotton Candy
Photo credit: Shervin Lainez
