New York, the city of dreams, has birthed some of the most captivating and talented musicians of our time. Although Julia Wolf (aka WOLF) only started releasing music from her bedroom in Queens at the end of 2019, she’s quickly gaining a passionate fanbase that’s ready to support at any given time.
The singer/songwriter is all about authenticity, and with her newest EP release Girls in Purgatory, she opens up about heartbreak, falling in love, and everything in between. WOLF’s creativity shines throughout the cohesive project.
We caught up with WOLF to chat all about the EP and more.
What was the creation process like for the EP? I know you worked with Jackson Foote. What was that experience like?
My experiences working with Jackson have always been so effortless. For most of the EP, the songs all started here in my bedroom in Queens. I’d come up with the lyrics first then start figuring out the flow and melody together afterwards. I was sending a cappella voice memos to Jackson with a beat I’d hit on a table and melody to the lyrics I had down, sometimes just a verse and/or chorus, sometimes a full song. Then Jackson would take that and produce around it, completely capturing the mood of each song perfectly. I was able to be in the studio for most of them, which is always the best, allowing me to be a part of it. He’s incredible at taking the time to understand where I’m coming from and contribute lyrically as well, which is something I never really let people do before him. But he gets it, and it works.
What made you want to title the EP Girls in Purgatory? What inspired you to write that track?
The name perfectly describes how I’m constantly feeling. Growing up as shy as I did, it was always engrained in me to put others before myself, making sure I didn’t do anything that would cause confrontation or step on any toes. I did what I could to stay out of the way. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how crucial it is to live life for yourself! Doing what’s best for you should be the top priority. The song itself was about a time where I felt I was in my own purgatory, unsure which road to take. I was in a pretty toxic relationship that I put up with for much longer than I should have, because I couldn’t find it in me to put myself first. But once I finally did it lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I called it “girls” specifically because I know so many can relate to the experiences I talk about.
The two interludes are so creative. What was the idea behind that concept?
I love injecting as much personality into the music as possible! At the end of the day, the main goal is to be relatable in the hopes of helping someone else. Both interludes showcase my younger sister Cameron; she’s the Rory to my Lorelai and I simply couldn’t do life without her. The first is a snippet of her freaking out and screaming, “How would any hot person want me when they could have Gigi Hadid PAPA.” The second is her and I saying our little goodnight routine that we’ve done since we were kids, which is where the name WOLF comes from (she used to have an imaginary pet wolf and would say goodnight to both of us). I put these in so people could get to know us better and understand how important my family is to me!
How did you come up with the idea for the EP cover art? What was your creative process for it?
Like most things, it happens in my bedroom. I came up with the idea first, wanting something that would showcase the world I live in simultaneously being my own purgatory. Once I planned it out in my head I grabbed my tripod and took self-timer photos in my room in the different angles I needed. Normally I’d grab Cami to come and take them but she was in a Zoom and I was feeling the inspiration so just did it myself. Then I threw them into Photoshop and started working till I got the final product!
What are you excited for fans to experience with this EP?
I’m SO excited for them to finally have a collection of songs all at once and not have to wait a month in between for new releases. I’m excited for them to hear the cohesiveness and feel like they aren’t the only ones going through similar situations that I talk about within the tracks. Every song is a piece of me, and the more I share, the more I feel connected to them as well, which is all I could really hope for.
Besides music, you have your own clothing line. What inspired you to start it? What has that experience been like?
The clothing line was really inspired by my want to create a world outside of the music. I want a visual aspect as well that people can connect to and express themselves with! Clothing has always helped me show people who I am when my words sometimes fail me so this next drop is going to be centered around doing just that. I seriously can’t wait for everyone to see it!
I know you co-produce your music, so who else would you love to work with on that side of things?
I think now I leave a lot of the production to Jackson and give my input while in the room, but it’s true before meeting him I was producing all my own records! I’d say the duo I would absolutely love to work with would be Daytrip. Their beats are undeniable smashes every single time, and they’ve created a very distinct sound for themselves that you can pick out right away, which is something I’ve always found inspiring.
What is one thing people may not know about you?
I think since doing music full time I’ve really grown out of a lot of the shyness I carried with me from high school to just a few years ago. Like when I tell people I used to eat lunch alone every day, they straight up don’t believe me. But it’s true, and I can’t stress enough how afraid I used to be of simple conversation, making eye contact, or just coughing in class!! But I try to make my audience as aware of it as possible so they can see they aren’t the only ones going through the emotions that come with that, and that I know exactly what it feels like.
What’s next for you? What are you most looking forward to?
Up next are my first ever headlining LIVE SHOWS! There aren’t words to describe how excited I am to be face to face with the fans that have supported me and helped bring my dreams of doing music to fruition. There’s going to be a lot of content coming up for songs on the EP as well, music videos and BTS galore as well as brand new clothing pieces for the clothing line. There is so much on the way and I’m just counting down the days until I can finally share it!