"Running" for more with Julia Duclos

Julia Duclos is Malaysia’s current rising star, capturing listeners with her enticing vocals. A new gem among Malaysian artists brings a future R&B vibe to the music scene with well produced singles, lyrics written through the lens of a woman discovering the sensuality of life. We sat down and spoke to the young singer about her journey on creating her upcoming EP. When asked what she wanted listeners to take away from her recently released single(s) both “Further” and “Running”, she shed light on women empowerment and its importance.

”We shouldn’t be bothered by what other people think of us because at the end of the day we live our lives solely for us. Growing up in an Asian country, we deal a lot with those things whether if it’s coming from our elders or our peers, we’re always pressured to be a certain type of way”.

Expressing our individual personality stems from our own identity and path became paramount to the young singer. Such embodiment of an unapologetic female who freely explores the realms of sexuality and the sensual side of life could be felt from her new single “Running”.

Recorded and produced in Stockholm, Sweden, by Pontus Petersson and Maia Wright of The Kennel AB – the studio responsible for producing songs for numerous top artists were the guiding light behind her  soon to be released EP. Julia shared with us what went down during the progress of the recording, in which she said prior to flying over, they mapped out what the EP would sound like. In Sweden, she worked on the production of the music including all the writing of the lyrics. Julia expressed her gratitude as she was able to mix in her ideas with people who’ve been in the industry for years, noting the overall experience was enlightening.

There are 4 songs from her new EP that are still under wraps. She stated there is a certain theme running through the entire EP. As Julia thinks back, she notes that writing lyrics were never strategically planned but more of a natural process. Looking back at her musical style before and after recording her new music, she took a moment and said to us -

“Very different, when I started putting out music on Instagram; lots of indie songs. Coming into this, I decided to challenge myself and try something different. I wanted to grow as a writer and a musician. The only way to do it is to dive into something you’ve never tried before. Because I was in such good hands in Sweden, I felt really comfortable diving into it. It’s totally different but a good different.”

Julia recently performed as the opening act for BAZZI. She said the experience taught her to be entertaining in addition to being a singer. Ready to expand herself with bigger shows, she is open to the field of dancing in order to step up her game. Her music while intoxicating, she also pulls the audience in visually with her music videos. This could be seen in “Further”, a song touching on ”long distance”. The beach was repeatedly shown as explained, “I think showcasing the ocean was a great way to show depth, the distance.” In her music video “Running” embodying a different genre allows her to put in a contemporary dance choreography to a pop song. This portrayed physically, adding a layer of raw emotion. Do check out her new single “Running”  & “Further” on streaming platforms and music video right here!