Life after The Voice
Julian Simonsz is well-known name in Sri Lanka. Last year when he auditioned for The Voice and was chosen to be among the top 24 – a lot of us were excited to see a Sri Lankan in an international contest. A year later, he hasn’t stopped working on his dream. His newly released EP featuring songs like ‘I Do It For You’ and ‘Get Home To You’ has been gaining international recognition everywhere. Back in Sri Lanka for the YES FM Home Grown Awards and to deliver a special announcement to all his Sri Lankan fans, we catch up with Julian about life after The Voice.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
My family is from Sri Lanka and I was born in Australia. My grandparents were so musical, they met through music and they brought this to our family so for me I’ve always grown up with music. I always wanted to pursue music but it wasn’t until I started to make beats, build a YouTube profile and completed my Bachelors in Audio Engineering that it became more serious for me. And then The Voice happened! Something that a lot of people might not know about me is that I actually used to be really really shy!! For so many years I couldn’t even have anyone look at me while I was singing, they had to turn around or be in another room! I’ve come a long way since then.
You just won Best Male Award at the Yes FM Home Grown (Congratulations!) – How does that feel?
Thank you!!! Wow it was a pretty amazing feeling! There were some incredible artists in that category so I was literally lost for words. Especially coming from Australia, having a fan base here is such a good feeling, knowing that the nation is behind me is pretty amazing. Yes FM has always supported home grown talent and given artists from all over the world a chance to be part of the Sri Lankan music scene so to be honoured with this award from an expert panel of judges was overwhelming. I’m still on a high after it!!
So you are in Sri Lanka for a show, tell us a little bit about that? What can we expect?
Actually I have just announced that I will be back on February 27th to do my Julian Simonsz - One Night Only show. I’m so thrilled to announce that I’ll be bringing my band with me all the way from Australia and it’s going to be a massive show! I just really wanted to do something for my fans here and finally perform a show live for them. The venues and production here in Sri Lanka is pretty amazing and I’m so pumped to bring all that to you in my show. You can expect to hear a lot of new music as well as a mix of influential covers that I grew up listening to and there will also be some twists on some of my favourite tracks. I can’t wait to do it here!
How’s it like being back in Sri Lanka? Is this your first trip back after your wedding here?
I love being here!! It’s such a beautiful country with so much to see and do and travelling around is always awesome. Even the little things like getting around in a three wheeler, eating kottu and meeting the people have been great. This is the first time back after the wedding and luckily we did a lot of sightseeing then. Hopefully this time around I’ll be able to squeeze in a bit of travel even though the schedule is so busy!
Walk us through your journey on The Voice and what it’s been like after it?
It was surreal! From the blind audition, to working with will.i.am to the whole television experience it was really incredible. I learnt a lot about myself as an artist and about the industry, and for the first time I had an opportunity to get my music out to the masses. A lot of doors opened for me with the exposure from the show and was the launching pad for me to do what I’m doing now. Life afterwards has been busy but I’m so grateful for it. I’ve managed to perform at some of the biggest venues in Australia, release my own music, do a tour and now I’m finally here in Sri Lanka!! So the journey is continuing.
What do you think is the biggest strength you gained from being in The Voice?
For me as an individual the biggest strength I gained was drive. I always had the ambition and dream but seeing how success comes from hard work just made me want to work even harder. In general though the biggest strength from the show was the exposure it provided. Being on a show like that gave me a platform to get my name and music out there. Parts of it come together because of the drive. If it wasn’t for that I probably wouldn’t be here now in Sri Lanka chatting to you and coming back for a show!
So you chose to be mentored by will.i.am! How was that?
I chose will.i.am because out of all the coaches he is a producer and an entrepreneur as well and that really inspired me. He is a pretty amazing guy, also very fun to be around and very technology savvy. Working with will.i.am was the opportunity of a lifetime. He made me learn a lot about myself as an artist and gave me some important advice on how to improve my performances. To just be around someone who I admired so much was pretty amazing.
So you’ve released your first EP – how nervous were you and how was the reaction?
To be honest I actually wasn’t nervous at all! If anything I was excited to get my music out there. It was the moment I had been waiting for such a long time so I guess my excitement to get my music out there conquered the nerves. The reaction was pretty phenomenal. It was surreal to see the EP at number 16 on the Australian iTunes chart next to the likes of some of the biggest names in the industry! There was a lot of support from regional radio stations and walking around shopping centers and hearing my song played was pretty amazing! It also led to the ‘Get Home’ Tour in Australia which was such a great experience. And now I can’t wait to bring it all to Sri Lanka.
What would you say is your favourite song out of the EP?
My favourite song has to be ‘Get Home To You’ which is currently in the Yes FM Home Grown chart. It’s upbeat, a bit sexier than what I’m used to but it’s got this funky beat that gets toes tapping! It was a bit of a challenge at first with the harmonies and musically it really pushed my boundaries so it was a proud moment to see it all come together. I really wanted a song that people could enjoy listening to but also something that would make them get up and dance.
Who has been the biggest strength throughout your journey?
To be honest the biggest strength would have to be my family. Having my wife and mum behind me from the start really gave me the push and encouragement I needed. Going forward, the rest of the family has been so supportive no matter what the outcome and that has been a great strength. And now being here in Sri Lanka having my family here to show the same support has been such a blessing.
Your wife is also your manager – how has that been?
For me it’s worked out perfectly! There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and she somehow just manages to make it all work. She’s also brutally honest about my performances, my music, even my styling which is really important. We work really well as a team. She’s always believed in me and my music so that itself has made me work harder. Knowing that I’ve got someone who’s working just as hard for me as I am, makes it pretty special. She always has my best interest in mind and always gives her all. I’m sure that a lot of this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for her.
What’s next for you?
While I’m here I’ll be doing a lot of promo for my February show, performing at the SLIM awards and I will be doing a special fan meet and greet at Ozo on Feb 6th! Then when I head back to Australia it will be the busy festive season with a lot of gigs and then the highlight of the start of next year will be coming back here for my big show.
A lot of musicians in Sri Lanka are always looking to make their debut into the music industry – both locally and internationally – anything you can say to them?
Get your music out there! Any way you can. Let people hear what you’re doing. There are so many ways to reach the public these days with all these music platforms and social media, use whatever is available to you, but also be smart about it. And most importantly have a strong support network and stay true to yourself as an artist.
Interviewed by Panchali Illankoon
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