Julianna Joy On the Making Of “GoldStar”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "GoldStar" and the story it tells?
Goldstar is about a type of friend who constantly makes you feel like you're not good enough. I had a friend like this a couple years ago and though I felt like we had a great friendship, I found out through mutual friends that she actually hated me. She did a lot of things behind my back that I deemed unforgivable and for a long time, I was really torn up over it. If I'm being totally honest, it still kind of hurts now. To start moving forward, I kept sifting through the files of memories and interactions I had with her to figure out what exactly I did wrong to cause someone to act so maliciously towards me. After a lot of reflection, I realized what should've been obvious from the start - which was that her backstabbing of me and her strange hate was a reflection onto her and her character, not on me, hence the lyric in the chorus "You're just as bad as you fear you are."
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for this song to life?
I worked on this song with Dee Lilly, who has been one of my main collaborators throughout my career. Dee is incredible at capturing exactly what I'm looking for. I, as well as my co-writer Jenna Shorey came in with the intent to write a fun and dark pop song that had an edge. We pulled up "Seaside Rendevous" by Queen in our first session which is totally the opposite of what our intended sound was but Dee heard the elements we were searching for and the song progressed from there. We had probably 3-4 sessions in total over the span of 2 years to finish this song and brought in my touring guitarist, Cole Brightbill in to play the final bass and guitar parts.
What impact do you hope "GoldStar" will have on your audience?
I think envy and self-awareness are both topics that are rarely touched upon in pop music. One thing as a songwriter that I try to do often is to try to write about uncomfortable topics as much as I can. I know it may sound confusing but I hope that my audience finds comfort in the anger I express in this. Anger for me is always the first step to uncovering feelings that are more serious, and I hope that it helps my fans begin to uncover things they were unaware of.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Music has always been the most important thing in my life. I feel like it was what I was put on earth for. I don't believe in a higher power but I do believe that my purpose is to be an artist. It feels like something I have to be. I've been writing music since I was 11 and cannot imagine being something else. Songwriting is a form of therapy for me, as it is every songwriter and artist. I try to write for every version of myself, even the parts of myself that I attempt to hide from the world. I think that I write for the 14-year-old version of myself the most out of any perspective I go for. She needed the music I write now. I also had to be her to be able to write the music I write now. I try to honor myself by writing as honestly as possible, even if the vulnerability is suffocating.
What do you find most rewarding about co-writing with others?
I love writing with others because my mind can only go so many different ways when writing on my own. Sometimes I trust that power, sometimes I need the balance. In my opinion, the power of two great songwriters can dominate the power of one because of the pandora's box of directions a song can go. I believe a song should always feel fluid, like a novel. That's why I try to never judge a track with a long list of contributors on a song I love or am impressed by - if that's what it took to get there, I respect the effort and appreciate the genius from everyone involved.
I often write by myself or with one other person for my own music, but I am often a co-writer for other artists and their projects. I love being a co-writer in that situation because I get to practice writing in forms that are not my own and I believe that makes me a better songwriter.
