When Julia Minkin caught our ears on Groover with her dreamy synth pop single, “Clouds,” earlier this year, we were thrilled to hear she announced her debut album, Not Ready, shortly after our introduction to her music. As a French- and English-speaking outlet, we were immediately sold on her background, including her collaboration with the French pop band Kid Francescoli, whose music is featured in Emily in Paris, and on her solo music, which draws on influences from “French touch” to 80s pop. Minkin’s music is not to be defined or labeled as one style; you hear “Clouds” and picture a golden hour festival set with the likes of The Naked and Famous, followed by an MGMT-inspired title track “Not Ready.” Her musical background also ranges from jazz to folk, leaving fans and listeners wondering what will come next with each transition between tracks on the album.
Q&A with Julia Minkin on Debut Album ‘Not Ready’
PDLR: I love the introduction track, “Push My Buttons,” and the more classic vocal take. Did you have any specific influences for the creation of this track? Did you know it would be the intro? It’s a unique contrast to the rest of the album.
Julia Minkin: I didn’t have any specific influences in mind when I wrote “Push My Buttons,” but I’ve spent a lot of time singing jazz, and although this isn’t a jazz tune, it contains some of that sound. Andrew Sudhibhasilp, my partner and producer for the album, is primarily a jazz musician, and we’ve played together in many different projects, most recently with Chicago jazz saxophonist Greg Wahl. Billie Holiday is my favorite jazz vocalist, and her intonation probably influenced my vocals here. Andrew, who plays guitar on this tune and throughout the album, referenced sixties pop during production. He says he tried and failed to imitate the vocal reverb on “Tous les garçons et les filles,” by Françoise Hardy.
I didn’t know until we had finished the album that this would become the first track. But the song’s trippy intro somehow makes me think of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy spiraling through a tornado and landing in technicolor. I think it’s a cool way to enter into the album, like the sound of a portal opening in time. Also, Not Ready is, in some ways, an album about moving reluctantly towards maturity or acceptance. “Push My Buttons” and “American Fantasy” open the album in a dark place, lyrically, but the later acoustic tracks, “Sunburn” and “Your Own Sweet Way,” signal growth and change.
PDLR: I can totally picture the intro being used in The Wizard of Oz. I’m a big fan of Françoise Hardy and that era of 60s French pop. I was spinning that record this past week. I can easily hear the influences of that sound!
PDLR: What things did you feel needed to be in place before you set out on the project of writing, recording, and releasing your debut album?
Julia Minkin: Oh gosh, tough question. I suppose the biggest problem was finding the right collaborators. More than a decade ago, I wanted my former long-time collaborator Kid Francescoli to produce an album for me, but that never happened; it kept getting pushed back. Because I am primarily a vocalist and songwriter but not a strong instrumentalist (I write my songs using simple piano chords to begin with), I really need to work with other musicians who are invested in putting time into finding the right arrangement and soundscape for my songs. Andrew and I got together back in 2017 when we were still living in Marseille. When the pandemic hit and we were under lockdown together in our apartment, that’s when we started recording my songs. Andrew was new to producing music, but he took to it quickly. We spent years together, off and on, revising the arrangement and production of these songs, really working side by side. It took a lot of patience, commitment, and time. Somewhere in the middle of all that, we bought a house in Chicago, and now we have a little basement studio, where most of the final takes for the record were recorded.
PDLR: Wow, it sounds like this album has been a long time coming, and you were really able to make the final project come together as you envisioned. I think other artists would appreciate hearing about how long these things may take to come to fruition. It’s an amazing skill to acquire music production along the way.
Julia Minkin on Songwriting and Social Media Age
PDLR: If you could go back and experience the writing process for one song on the album, to experience the high and joy of it coming together for the first time, which one would you choose?
Julia Minkin: I don’t know if I can pick one. “Your Own Sweet Way” came very fluidly and felt good to write, because I poured so much genuine love into it. “Not Ready” was the most fun to create collaboratively; Andrew and I really built that song together, piece by piece. I feel most proud of the lyrics of “Sleeping Bear Dunes.”
PDLR: In “Not Ready,” you address the themes and ideas of modern society, dissociation, and the pressure of the social media age for artists. How has the evolution of technology and social media shaped you as an artist? How do you deal with social media burnout?
Julia Minkin: How do I deal with social media burnout? Not a clue. I’m in the midst of it right now. I’m honestly sort of an extreme introvert; I often find myself surprised by my own commitment to continue performing. If I could get off social media entirely and still promote my music enough to get people out to shows, I think I probably would. It is so stupidly time-consuming. I’m in an MFA program for Fiction Writing (a lot of work!), so it feels like a nuisance to have to post regularly. Paying for Meta ads has helped with ticket sales and allowed me to step back from posting as often, but I feel ethically conflicted about it. And I feel ethically conflicted about feeding the toxic social media machine that makes it so hard for us all to focus on deep, healthy work. Some artists are really good at handling the social media side of things, and kudos to them. I’m not. The silver lining is that, by staying active on social media, I have made some genuinely rewarding connections with other local Chicago artists and press.
Julia Minkin on Finding Her Zen
PDLR: I think it’s often difficult for indie artists to separate themselves from the noise and everything that’s being fed to them today. Do you have any rituals that help you stay grounded or inspired when writing new music?
Julia Minkin: I don’t have rituals, but I love to read, mostly literary fiction. Reading always takes me out of myself and my circling thoughts and inspires me. Going for solitary walks is also important to me year-round, even in winter. Keeps me sane and clears my head. When I can, I schedule social media and news blackouts; sometimes I even remove the messenger apps from my phone. Recently, I’ve started keeping a little notebook in my purse to jot down ideas as they come to me. Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory is a great place to find peace and inspiration. I leave there feeling like I’ve spent an hour in a spa run by ferns. For songwriting, I find it important to spend quality time listening to other people’s music. So when I find a new album I really like, I go for walks listening to it a lot, or sometimes I lie on the floor in my office and listen.
PDLR: I love going on walks or runs and spending time with new albums! I think reconnecting with nature is always the best medicine, and it allows you to breathe and appreciate art for what it is without added distractions.
PDLR: If you could choose one song from the album to be featured on a TV series or film, which would you choose? What kind of series or film?
Julia Minkin: “Clouds” would be a great movie soundtrack song. It was inspired by the soundtrack of Drive. I can also picture it in a Xavier Dolan movie, or something involving a lot of driving or flying scenes. Because “Push My Buttons” has such cheeky, evocative lyrics, I think it would work well in a scene about a toxic relationship. I see an aging cabaret performer in a sequined dress removing her makeup in the mirror. But I don’t have any specific show in mind. A reviewer said of “Not Ready,” “The effortlessly chic, slightly blasé quality of the vocals flowing over the kitsch beat makes me imagine someone performing this in full glam as the apocalypse unfolds behind them. Magical” (Musicngear). Love this image. So perhaps “Not Ready” would be a good soundtrack choice as well.
Julia is set to tour the East Coast next month, starting in Pittsburgh and working her way through D.C., Philly, and NYC.
