Queer, Brazilian musician and third-year University of Ottawa psychology student Julzzz is coming in hot to the local music scene. Singles such as “unlike,” “Pink Plant” and their most recent hit, “1212,” have garnered thousands of listens on Spotify.
Blending fresh production with silky smooth vocals, Julzzz aims to provide a distinct spin on nostalgic R&B that delights ears. Since moving to Ottawa from Brazil, they’ve performed at SAW, the Rainbow Bistro and more.
The Charlatan sat down with Julzz to discuss identity, songwriting, inspiration and more.
The Charlatan (TC): How did you first fall in love with music?
Julzzz (J): Pretty sure it was my family, my parents. My grandma is a big part of it, too. I remember being a kid and she used to play the piano. I would just be in her house pressing the random loop samples that were on the piano and just like, dancing.
My grandma also owns a little art shop. She sells a bunch of different things, like paintings and jewelry. So it’s very artistic in that sense. I’ve always been inspired by her.
TC: How do your connections to Brazil, Peru and queerness inform your creative process?
J: When I first moved here, I started going to local shows and meeting others. I still wasn’t performing at the time, but I was meeting local artists and stuff like that, especially queer artists. I witnessed how well they could showcase their queerness.
For me, I always kind of felt held back because Latin America can be very sexist and very homophobic. And so it was very inspiring to be able to say I’m a queer artist. But I’ve also had a different experience as a queer person, so I can explore it here freely and I’m allowed to talk about it.
TC: What role does music play in understanding your identity?
J: It encompasses everything that I do. I journal a lot, so I notice that whenever I do my morning journaling, half the time I end up rhyming stuff. It just naturally comes to me and I’m often flowing. Sometimes, it’s writing for myself. But it’s interesting how my brain never stops. Music also keeps me connected to my parents because they are far away and my dad is the one who taught me to play the guitar. I’ve started taking guitar lessons with him online.
TC: What is it like balancing your music career and university schoolwork?
J: That’s crazy you ask because I just quit my job. I quit it because I got the opportunity to work a lot on music full-time. Being a freelancer, I do jingles and ads for companies’ training videos. A lot of my income comes from that as well as from performing and releasing music. Going into my third year, I’ve finally started to take the classes that I’m actually interested in, and I find balance by mixing music and school. For example, last week I wrote a sociology paper on Latin music and cultural appropriation. Mixing the two keeps it interesting.
TC: Can you describe your experience in the Ottawa music scene?
J: It’s been really great, honestly. In comparison, scenes like Montreal or Toronto are already super established, so getting into them as a newcomer is so hard. But in Ottawa, I feel like everybody’s here to support each other. Every concert, every show that I go to, I see friends either performing, in the crowd or taking pictures. Everybody’s doing everything for everybody.
It’s really inspiring to see because we’re trying to build a community and we’re actively trying to be nice people to each other. It’s been a really good experience and I’m so grateful for everybody that I’ve worked with. Honestly, I might have had one bad show in the whole scene, but every single other show that I’ve done has been fantastic.
TC: What are you looking forward to right now?
J: Right now, I’m excited to write, and to have free time to organize where I want to go. I’m currently working on my first EP, and it’s essentially about navigating early adulthood. When I was 17, I felt like I knew everything and then I became an adult and I was like, ‘Oh, no, I actually don’t know anything.’ It’s about that, and about navigating life, experiences, love and work. Just adulthood. And I’m excited to finally have the time to sit in my room and not feel like I’m overworking myself.
TC: Is there anything we haven’t touched on yet that you’d like to comment on?
J: I used to be so intimidated about progressing and learning, and now I’ve switched my mindset. Instead of being afraid, I’m just curious. And that’s something that I’ve recently learned: in order to learn and grow, you have to be curious.
Julzzz can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and Tidal.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image by Rory Creelman.
