Julian Guba
...is a singer and songwriter from Austria who blends pop, dance, and electronic genres into his distinctive and captivating sound. He grew up in Vienna with a love for music and started playing the guitar when he was 11 years old. He has been making a name for himself in the music industry with his skill, commitment, and enthusiasm for music. His fans around the world connect with his original sound and authentic lyrics, and he keeps delivering fresh and exciting music.
What's the story of the person behind the artist Julian Guba?
I actually started to experiment with music production at the young age of 11. Music has always been my greatest passion, and back then, my biggest aspiration was to be like Lady Gaga. Fast-forward 11 years, and I believe I've evolved into one of the most authentic artists in 21st-century pop music. Every single piece of my musical creations, from production and mixing to mastering, writing, singing, and even the album art and music videos, is all done by me.
And to be honest, all I ever wanted was to create music that I would personally enjoy listening to, riding the metro into the city. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that people resonate with my music just as much as I do!
What are some of the main influences or inspirations for your music?
Lady Gaga was actually my first major idol, both in terms of music and image. But when it came to truly pursuing music creation, Alan Walker became my true inspiration. And as I gained more confidence in my own singing abilities, it was Billie Eilish who truly captivated me with her vocal style and production techniques. There's a lot of musical influence from those three artists that can be found in my own songs!
How do you balance your artistic vision with the expectations of your audience or the industry?
As I mentioned earlier, my main focus is simply creating music that resonates with my own personal taste. I have a deep passion for pop culture, so naturally, my artistic vision aligns with what's relevant in the pop music scene! Even though pop has always been my favorite genre, I love spicing things up by incorporating elements from other genres. And sometimes I just throw random unconventional ideas into my music, stuff I just came to think of! I like to think this gives my music a sort of edginess that my audience resonates with.
What are some of the challenges or rewards of being an independent artist?
Although I really enjoy being in full control of my own projects, there is one major downside that comes with it - the big amount of work a team of people would have to do, all for only yourself. At times, the workload becomes so overwhelming, that you get lost in one tiny task.
Then you start to overthink everything you’ve created until this point until you eventually abandon the entire project. Technically, there is no pressure, and I am not wasting anyone’s time if I don’t finish a particular song and decide to work on another. However, that’s a toxic mindset in my opinion, as it will just delay my future releases.
The greatest reward though is that I don’t have to make any compromises. When it comes to the sound I want to create, I have complete control over it, and it’s entirely up to me if I would like to consider the feedback of others.
How do you approach writing lyrics for your songs?
While writing lyrics is important, it’s not my top priority when it comes to my creative process of creating a new song. I usually start by producing a rough beat and then humming random melodies to it. I tend to put a lot of emotion and feeling into the instrumental already, so that usually leads my lyrics to go into the same direction. This is where I often draw inspiration from my personal experiences, things that I am going through at the moment.
Then, I focus on finding words that match the rhythm of the melody I’ve created. Only after this do I start actually writing something down. I dedicate a significant amount of time to making my lyrics special. I start out with basic ideas and refine them until they sound clever. Although sometimes they just serve the purpose of maintaining a smooth flow throughout the track.
What are some of the tools or techniques that you use to produce your music?
I produce in FL Studio, mainly using Sylenth1 and Serum for generating synthesizers. Lately, I’ve upgraded my microphone from a Shure SM7B to a Neumann TLM 102, which has enhanced the quality of my vocal recordings a lot. I route my microphones as well as my acoustic and electric guitars into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface.
When it comes to crafting instrumentals, I enjoy trying to replicate sounds that I have heard and like through my musical lens, simply as a free time hobby to strengthen my production skills! However, in the process, I get inspired by something, I change a couple of things around, and suddenly, I have a track with a completely unexpectedly different and unique vibe.
How do you cope with the pressure or stress of being a musician?
As a musician, the biggest source of stress for me right now is time. There are moments when I feel like time is slipping away, and I need to hustle harder and harder to have my career take off even more. Thankfully, I have the privilege of still being able to live with my parents, who support me in pursuing my dream of being a full-time musician.
However, despite the occasional stress, I don’t really feel the need to find coping mechanisms. I simply show up and do the work because, at the end of the day, this is my job!
What are some of the goals or dreams that you have as an artist?
One of my biggest goals would be to perform at Eurovision and represent Austria someday! It’s always been a childhood dream of mine, and I feel like I could do a fantastic job. I could probably even do all of my performance’s stage design myself, haha.
Apart from that, I want to be able to do what I love for a living. I’m already on the right path, and I am beyond grateful for everybody who is supporting me along the way - my family, my fans and every person who streams my music - thank you!
