Juliet Callahan – Venom

By starrymag | October 17, 2022

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I would describe my vocal sound as edgy, melodic, swingy, airy, soft with a mysterious quality, my lyricism as raw, emotional, unfiltered, open-minded and the instrumental side as alternative pop-rock with a combination of tram drums, metal chord progressions, with some experimental synth melodies thrown into the mix depending on the vibe of the track. I can’t particularly say if I fit one genre, but I would say I make music off of how I feel and put it out there. I feel like a lot of girls go through the same things I do but with no one to reach out to, so if I can give one girl like me three minutes to feel like they can have someone to talk to that’s more than enough for me.

Q) Who are your biggest musical influences?

A) Lil Peep, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lana Del Ray to name a few.

Q) Talk about the story behind your latest single “Venom.”

A) I believe everyone goes through different stages of personal growth in their early 20s when transitioning into adult life and I think “Venom” embodies what I have learned from building new connections with people whom I spent a lot of time with and invested my energy into. “Venom” is also about a collective of experiences and emotions I went through building my own sense of self/identity while trying to find those ride or die types of friends in a new city (LA). It is about self-empowerment and learning to be okay with being alone if that’s what you need at the moment, rather than relying on people to fill a void. Sometimes you are better off alone than surrounded by people who make you question their loyalty. I can be too trusting in people at times so this song is about learning from feeling betrayed by people who I have felt close to. Those experiences have taught me to love myself enough to break away from those kinds of relationships and to forgive myself for being vulnerable to the wrong people. It has also made me realize what a real relationship and what a real friendship is. It is about feeling the emotions that result from a sense of betrayal, accepting them, and then letting go. You can only change from within, you can’t change other people or expect a different outcome from their actions. I learned not to blame others for their actions or to try and control something that is beyond my reach which has given me a sense of peace within. It is up to you to do what is best for yourself instead of focusing on what could have been. It is okay to feel angry and sad because that is better than tucking those emotions away and letting them manifest within you. This song is about letting yourself feel both the good and bad emotions in order to move on and grow as a person.

Q) The lyrics to “Venom” are steeped in rage and sadness. Did you find catharsis in the creation of this song?

A) “Venom” was not written in a current state of rage and sadness rather it was written in a state of calamity. I had already gone through the motions of feeling rage and sadness long before I wrote this song. I think of this song as more of a reflection on the past. This song was very cathartic to me as I was able to look back on certain memories, say yes I went through a lot by trusting the wrong people but look at how far I’ve come from that. Learning from my mistakes made me so much stronger in the end. This song in its creation is a subtle reminder to myself and to all those who listen that if you’ve been through a toxic relationship whether it’s friends, family or significant others that you will get through it but to never forget the way it made you feel. I was able to look at it as a lesson and with an acceptance of the outcome. Being able to process and accept negative emotions, then later on reflect on them can be one of the most cathartic feelings of all.

Q) “Venom” is an amalgamation of musical styles and tonally unique artistic choices. Talk about your process when it comes to creating such eclectic and effective melodies.

A) Funny enough, my unique tone is what comes most naturally to me. My mind works in funny ways where I think it subconsciously takes many different bits and pieces of my favorite tonalities from the different artists I listen to, stores them away and then brings them to life in my own way when I get on the mic. Sometimes I’ll try and channel a whole different persona while on the mic which can spark a completely different melodic approach to the song. It’s the same way with my writing where I’ll read something, remember a phrase in general conversation that invokes an internal dialogue, or I’ll get inspired visually by observing my surroundings which in turn sparks a new perspective with my approach to writing. I have a very creative mind and it has a way of sneakily giving me ideas at random. Sometimes I’ll have to quickly act on the idea and make sure to get it down before I forget about it whether I record the melody on voice memos or jot down some lyrics on my iPhone notes. When I’m really in my zone I channel into whatever emotion or feeling that keeps resurfacing in my mind.

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from “Venom?”

A) I want my listeners, whether they can relate to the song or not, to take away that it is okay to feel angry, sad, or hurt from whatever may be weighing on your mind at the moment as facing these emotions can be the obstacle you need to overcome in order to move on and heal from the situation. The suppression of unresolved feelings can be the most suffocating feeling and I hope that because I am open and vulnerable with my lyricism that my listeners can in turn treat themselves the same way and be open with themselves. It is okay to feel.

Q) Which elements of your music do you hope fans connect to most?

A) I want my music to give my fans goosebumps when they listen to it or to have some type of memory associated with it. I want my fans to connect to the raw emotion in my music whether it be an upbeat or more somber song. Making music started out as my personal outlet and gradually came to me as a release and I hope that I can give people the same outlet I had but on the other end of the scope. It was eye opening for me to see that people felt the same way regardless of age, background, etc. and that was more than enough of a reason for me to continue making music and to keep trying to help.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you write the melodies before lyrics, or vice versa?

A) My writing definitely varies depending on the song and what the message or vibe of it is. However, I usually will go on the mic a few times and record melodies mixed in with a few words (kind of like a melodic freestyle stream of consciousness) while paying close to the general theme my mind keeps drifting to while recording. After I have done a few takes of the melodies I will identify my chorus/hook and then structure the verse and pre-chorus melodies around that. Once the melody structure is comped together, I will decide on a main theme/message and build the song around that.

Q) How involved are you in the production of your music?

A) I started learning production on Logic Pro X fall of 2021 and once I got confident in my beats, I would start to bring them into sessions. My production idea is how Venom came about being created; however, I wanted a more experienced producer’s input so I brought it into a session where he could help me fully execute the idea. I made this beat in the winter of 2021 before I had the knowledge I have now, and I have a habit of jumping from different song ideas until I feel like “this is the one” so I worked on a bunch of other demos and then came back to it in the spring. Because production is still fairly new to me, this is the first song I have out that I had worked on the beat instead of just giving my input to my producer. I have two more songs ready for release where I brought in an instrumental melody to be the bassline of the track and had my producer execute it from there as well. With all that said, my future plans are to be much more heavily involved in the production and engineering of my music and I’ve been working on some projects I started at my home studio setup that I’m pretty excited to share with my listeners. Since September of 2021 I have learned 3 DAWS: Logic Pro X, Ableton Live and Pro Tools and now that I have enough knowledge I plan to be fully involved with the production/engineering of my music.

Q) You’ve released two singles this year. Are fans able to expect an EP or album release in the near future?

A) I have not decided an exact date; however, I definitely plan to release an EP at some point in 2023.

Q) Is there a musical genre you haven’t performed yet that you’d like to?

A) I definitely want to explore a more upbeat electronic, feel-good type of dance song leaning more towards an alternative/hyper pop sound. I have some ideas I already started on that are in that lane and I am excited to change up the vibe. I want to release a fun song that people can dance and get hyped up to.

Q) What music are you currently listening to? What do you like about it?

A) I tend to listen to a lot of different musical genres. Recently I got back into Katy Perry who was one of my absolute idols as a kid, which had kind of slipped from my mind until recently. I got really inspired by her album Teenage Dream That album has a lot of gems I hadn’t listened to in years and reminded me of how much of a musical genius she is. I really admire that she explored so many different vibes and genres within that one album. Another album I’ve been listening to a lot lately is Limp Bizkit’s 2021 album Chocolate Starfish. I also got back into Stevie Wonder recently. As you can see I jump from a lot of different genres and musical eras.

Q) You’re a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with fans through platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook?

A) Social media gives me the chance to show my fans/followers my everyday life, inner thoughts and my personality beyond the tracks I release. It also gives me the chance to connect and chat with fans which I love, see their reactions to new music I release and take their suggestions or comments and turn it into more inspiration.

Q) What would you like to say to anyone who is a fan and follower of your work?

A) I would like to say thank you so much for sticking by me and supporting my work. Your words of encouragement keep me driven and focused, and it means the world to me that my fans can connect to my art. Knowing you all can relate to my music makes me feel complete. You all are amazing, kind, unique and special people. Thanks for having my best interest at heart and for spreading the love. Your support means the world to me.