Photo: Shervin Lainez
Let this be your warning: you need Julia Wolf on your playlists ASAP.
The “Gothic Babe Tendencies” singer is a rising star with a distinct voice and poetic lyrics that speak to topics like mental health, coming of age, and the female experience. More than that, she’s living proof that some things are meant to be: she nearly left music behind for good before deciding to keep pursuing her dream. That dream was held close throughout Wolf’s youth, only living and breathing in the form of invisible ink on bedroom walls before she decided to make things real. “Always kinda knew it deep down […] / All those nights, I knew who I was,” she sings on debut album opener “Now.” It makes her first-ever headlining tour that much sweeter — this is an artist who is poised to skyrocket to greater heights at any moment but who came from a place that’s achingly relatable to all aspiring artists.
Her aptly-titled album Good Thing We Stayed follows her journey from being a shy teenager in New York to becoming spooky superstar who’s opened for Fletcher, with a penchant for an 808 beat and a growing fanbase that breathes life into her dreams. Those fans even trust her enough to reveal their deepest, weirdest, and most chaotic secrets via her weekly confession box on Instagram.
We caught up with Wolf just before her tour began—it kicked off on Feb. 10 with a sold-out show in Atlanta—and she explained that she’s bringing that confession box to the live setting to cement her tight relationship with fans in person. Plus, she revealed her plans to bring some spooky energy on tour, along with a potential sidekick of the glittery skin variety. (This is the stage of a killer, Bella!) Over the phone, she’s warm and genuine, sharing her love of Twilight and Drake’s Take Care album, and it’s easy to see why she’s already built such a strong fanbase. She’s even sold out several shows on the tour already, and her raw lyrics paired with addictive hooks make her album one that will withstand time.
Below, find out why Seattle is her most-anticipated city on tour and why emotional ballad “Sad Too Young” is going to be an unexpected focal point during the show!
Keke Magazine: I want to start by asking: How is tour rehearsal going?
Julia Wolf: Tour rehearsal is so fun because some of the songs have different arrangements than they are on the record, so it’s just cool getting to hear them in different ways, and it gets you so hyped for the live shows.
KM: Since you mentioned some of the songs have different arrangements, is there a song that you’re most looking forward to performing that you haven’t done live yet?
JW: Oh my gosh, yes! It’s the one that no one will expect me to say, but for me, it’s “Sad Too Young.” The ending is super extended now, it’s very like, audience participation, and I think it’s gonna be a really fun moment.
KM: Speaking of the setlist, I saw you posted a video where you said you considered mixing things up from city to city, so I was wondering if you’ve nailed down a setlist, or are you going to switch things up?
JW: I have my main one, and I’m trying to cross-reference because people did comment, and I’ve gotten DMs of different cities that they’re going to, so I’m gonna try and switch out a couple songs during those cities, so people don’t see the same show. So yeah, I’m trying!
KM: For the tour setlist, did you put it together in an order that tells a story? How did you approach that?
JW: It’s not chronological at all with the album. The album track listing does tell the story, but for the live show, I just wanted to make sure that I definitely put in some of our day-one bangers that everyone knows. I concentrated more on the energy of each song. I feel like you want it to come in waves – down tempo vs. high energy. I focused on that and mixed up the new and old tracks throughout.
KM: How does it feel to have sold-out shows, too? Congratulations, by the way!
JW: Thank you! I mean, it’s something that’s crazy. It’s hard to wrap your head around it because everything is still just like me in my room, like in Queens, so just to know that people are willing to come out… Like it takes a lot to get someone to come out to a show! It just means so much to me, and I just can’t wait to meet everyone and thank them all.
KM: I know, too, that you’re a horror fan and a Twilight fan because I saw your “Now” freestyle video –– that was iconic that you had the Twilight book in there.
JW: [Laughs] Thank you, thank you. Twilight’s just ingrained in me, you know? We were so young when it came out, like, it’s a part of my life, truly.
KM: Same. I was 13 when it came out.
JW: Yes, I was in eighth grade!
KM: When it comes to the stage, will you be able to bring some spooky vibes to the tour?
JW: Okay, this is something I’m still trying to figure out because it all has to fit in the van and be really easy to transport. I’m thinking of those LED candles that look like real candles… I wanted to stick those everywhere and just keep it spooky. And I am thinking about getting a Twilight poster! My drummer has a Plexiglas [shield], so if I just stick it on the bottom or on the side –– obviously, it won’t block Dan [Kashuck, drummer and music director] — but it would be fun to have Edward there too!
KM: For sure. You should get a cardboard cutout!
JW: You know, the thought crossed my mind! You are not the only one with that idea, but in the van, he might get all bent up.
KM: Okay, if you could have Edward Cullen vs. Draco Malfoy come to your tour, who would you choose?
JW: Oh, there’s no competition. Sorry, Draco! Edward’s my man.
KM: Definitely.
JW: 100%.
KM: I really connected to your album because I also grew up being super shy and quiet, and loved hearing that explored in your songs. I loved the “hourglass in your lungs” lyric! As a performer going on your first headlining tour, does that shyness still affect you? Or do you have an onstage persona, sort of like how Fletcher says there’s a difference between Fletcher and Cari offstage?
JW: For me, I feel like I’m one and the same. I’m always just being myself up there, and it’s really the crowd and their energy and seeing their faces and [hearing them] singing along, and everyone is there for the same reason… It just makes it such a fun experience. There isn’t really time to get scared because we’re all there to hang out and have a good time. Definitely, in the beginning, I was always super nervous, but now, no, it’s kinda just me going up there.
KM: Does it make it easier to sing songs like “Sad Too Young” and be so vulnerable onstage?
JW: I think so because in the beginning, I was always so nervous to put those songs out because I was embarrassed, like, ‘Oh, this feels like too much, I don’t know.’ But then you start getting DMs and comments saying, ‘Please continue doing this; it’s helped me for X, Y, and Z reasons,’ so I’m like, alright then, I’m just gonna be the one who puts it out, you know? And if it helps someone else, then that’s all I can ask for.
KM: Circling back to Fletcher really quickly, will there ever be an official “Get Off My” remix from the TikTok duet she did? Because that was so good!
JW: She crushed it! It’s certainly not forgotten. There are versions of it that exist that are cleaner and better prepared than the TikTok version. We’re definitely working on it.
KM: What inspired the idea to have a confession box at your shows?
JW: It’s something I’ve been doing almost two years now on Instagram every Sunday. I do Sunday confession, and people anonymously write in their confessions, and I give my two cents. I thought it would be so cool to do that in a live setting and make everyone in the room that night feel like they’re a part of something that they can only experience because they were there.
KM: Is there a city that you’re most excited to visit on tour?
JW: Well, as a Twihard, I’m really looking forward to Seattle. Even though I’ve come to find it’s three hours away from Forks, so I can’t even go to Forks! Of course, so excited to go back to Chicago; shout out Chicago. I need to step up my deep dish game. And definitely Portland, Oregon. I’ve always wanted to explore that part of the U.S.
KM: Was there anything else about the tour you’d like to throw out there? Anything special you can reveal?
I definitely want people to be aware of the confession box, for sure. And also, I’m gonna be at the merch table after every set. I want to say hello to everyone! Everyone was asking for meet & greets, but I just don’t think I’m in a position to be charging people to meet me. They’re already coming out! So let everyone know I’ll be at the merch table – we can chill there.
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