by pankhuri bhutani
photo by sophie alexandrou
Hailing from the South Australian wine region of McLaren Vale, 23-year-old singer and songwriter Juliet Oliver first discovered country music through watching Hannah Montana as an 11-year-old. This led to her parents gifting her a guitar, and so Juliet began teaching herself via YouTube. Like many young country artists her age, it was Taylor Swift who pulled her in to the genre, which guided Juliet to begin crafting songs about her experiences as a young teenager.
Recently releasing her brand new single “I Do It To Myself,” Juliet shares a personal aspect of her life that only a few have the ability and confidence to share with the world. After coming to an unfortunate realization of unrequited love, Juliet penned down a track filled with heartfelt lyrics.
We recently had a chat with the lovely Juliet in order to discuss the process behind her latest release, as well as talk about some insights into her music journey.
Hi there, Juliet. Thank you for joining us on Unclear! How is 2021 treating you so far?
Juliet: “Thank you for connecting with me! 2021 has been challenging for all of us musicians, however I have been trying to make the most of it by writing and recording as much music as I can!”
You just released your incredible new single “I Do It To Myself.” Congratulations on that! How is this anticipation period going for you? Feeling nervous or excited?
J: “A mixture of both, actually! It’s always a little nerve-wracking putting your heart and soul on a platter and hoping that people like it. This song is so deeply personal and honest, and that is both scary AND exciting to be able share with others! The lead up to a release is always a very busy but fun time, but I am just so excited to see what listeners think of the song, and I hope they can find some shared comfort from my experience.”
Kindly walk us through the creative process of the track. How was the experience like working on the song?
J: “‘I Do It To Myself ‘ is a diary entry that I’m lucky enough to be able to share through music. I wrote the song early one morning after coming home from a guy’s house who had been stringing me along for quite some time. I sat on my bedroom floor with my guitar, and the song wrote itself in 30 minutes.
I think we all meet one person, at least once in our lives, who we know is really bad for us but we want them all the same. Despite knowing there were a line of girls behind me, who were all carbon copies of me, waiting to take my place when he decided to cycle onto the next, I couldn’t let go. Like smoking or drinking, he was something I just couldn’t quit even though he was so bad for me… and so, ‘I Do It To Myself ‘ was born. I took it into the studio, and my producer Jethro really brought the song to life instrumentally.”
What message would you like your listeners to take away from this track?
J: “I think the main takeaway would be it’s ok to make mistakes in relationships, it’s ok to not be able to let go of something that you know is bad for you, we’re all human and it’s ok.
A lyric that I live by is ‘if you never bleed, you’re never going to grow’ from Taylor Swift. I really applied that message to this situation. Learning from unhealthy relationships is an important lesson in life that we all go through, and I hope listeners can find some shared comfort from my experience.”
This track was created from a very personal and touching experience of yours. Were there any challenges involved in expressing such a personal aspect of your artistic side while writing this song?
J: “I write what I live. It’s my way of healing and expressing myself, it always has been. I think the most important element in the craft of song writing is being able to honestly recount an experience or a story through your own voice. It’s therapy for me. Through song is how I’ve always managed my emotions and heartache; this instance was no different. When writing the song, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, this will be my next single.’ It was purely a way for me to express what I was going through in that moment. I think that this organic process is what made this a great song, so in short; no, there were no challenged that I was faced with since I was writing my pure and honest emotions.”
When it comes to creation of music, do you require a specific setting to work in or does any environment work for you?
J: “I believe my best songs are those that were written just like ‘I Do It To Myself’ was; alone, on my bedroom floor with my guitar.
For me, the process is different for every song. I try to be as honest as I can be when I write and I try to write in the heat of the moment when the emotions are at their strongest. Once I hear a melody or a lyric in my head, I have to get it down immediately. I think listeners connect on a deeper level when they can feel your raw emotions and sincerity.”
Who are the top three artists on your music playlist right now? Is there anyone on your radar who you would love to collaborate with in the future?
J: “Amy Winehouse, Stevie Nicks, and Taylor Swift are for sure my top three of all time!
There are so many great artists coming out of South Australia right now, it’s so hard to pick! We have so much talent here and so much diversity. I am very lucky to be working alongside my producer Jethro, who is equally as talented as an artist in his own right as he is a producer of other artists music. I’m very lucky to be able to collaborate with him, and be able to continue to do so in the future.”
What’s next for you, Juliet? Any plans for the rest of the year 2021?
J: “I am always writing, and I am in the studio at least once a week. I hope to keep releasing music and making new friends and followers in the process. I am very lucky where I live in the McLaren Vale wine region, we have so many awesome venues who always support us local musicians. I play solo gigs every single weekend. I am also in a Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band (I play Stevie Nicks, of course) and we play shows around SA every month. Follow my socials to see where I’m playing — I’d love to meet you!”
Lastly, is there anything that you wish to convey to your fans reading this interview right now?
J: “Life is beautiful, painful, and wonderful all at once. I hope we can all continue to connect and find comfort in this shared experience through art and music. I’d love for you to listen to ‘I Do It To Myself’ — I hope you can relate and connect with my experience.”