A prolific writer and performer, Julia Klot hails from Brooklyn, NY as a singer, songwriter, and pianist. Julia Klot's musical manuscript reflects a storied youthful life just beginning. Her original compositions create melodic and intricate piano parts accompanied by her dynamic vocal range that throw it back to singer-songwriters such as Carol King and Elton John.
With her most recent EP, 'Ghost,' Julia Klot places her undeniable knack of pairing lyrical story-telling with striking instrumental arrangements. In the songs that she brilliantly brings forth, she allows harmonious stories of growth, love, loss, and happiness to touch the listeners emotionally.
To commence the collection of the five carefully crafted songs found on 'Ghost,' Julia Klot sends anticipating chills down our spine with the introductory track that also acts as the title track for this project. "Ghost" emits an enticing soundscape of delicate keys creating a sonic whirlwind of emotion to fill your soul. Depicting imagery of past memories flooding her mind, the tantalizing tones sink into our headspace a bit deeper as the arrangement of this melodious composition progresses in an intense liveliness. Julia Klot sprawls her striking vocalization of this track as she exudes various vocal ranges that make up her talents as an artist. Seamlessly fluttering over the prevailing story that catches our inner sentiments, Julia Klot establishes the intriguing hues that are cast out onto this EP.
As we delve into the second song on the tracklist, we are opened to the universe of "Temporary Tattoo." Taking this sonic voyage to a place of deeper resonance, the raw emotion that is offered in this song remains a vulnerable dreamscape of elusive recollections infiltrating your mind. The deluxe lyrical motif of, "My worries are inked on my body, but I hope it's just a temporary tattoo" runs as deep as ink in the skin as Julia Klot reiterates the earnest meaning to her audience. Haunting harmonies approach before the final performance of the chorus sends your heart into overdrive. The authenticity that Julia Klot delves into has us shook to our core.
"Picture in a Frame" slows the tempo down as we welcome ourselves into the open invitation that Julia Klot has set out in this heartfelt ballad. Focusing our attention to the heavenly timbres that she radiates as we get a taste of nostalgia, Julia Klot takes this moment to pay homage to Tom Waits' original version of this song with her inimitable rendition. There is something so breathtaking about the passion that Julia Klot places into this masterpiece. This desire runs profoundly through the depths of Julia Klot as an individual and artist, even if this is your first time tuning into the musical creations she casts out. Pulling us into her warm embrace, we admire the fluent offerings as she conveys a message of love.
"Time to Miss You" adds a buoyant essence to the otherwise melancholic theme of the fourth single on "Ghost." The display of Julia Klot's songwriting techniques jumps out of the speakers as she breaks a piece of her heart off to transmit this beautiful message dripped in luxurious harmonies. Reminiscent of Taylor Swift on the album 1989, Julia Klot truly sparkles bright with the manner in which she exudes her euphonious vocalization. Wrapped in the embodiment of less is more, Julia Klot is singing proof that a deep massage and hunger in the way you move will take you to places that you've never been.
As we reach the final piece on 'Ghost,' Julia Klot takes us to the most intimate sector of her yearning sentiments. Through this sonic expedition that has carried us through innumerable feelings, the ambiance that gently trickles in, "I've Cried for You," implodes upon impact. With a minimalistic approach to the ethereal atmosphere that the instrumentation provides, it gives us a chance to fully take in the lyrical hues of Julia Klot's soul-infused messaging. As we end this EP with a more reflective mindset, Julia Klot has outdone herself in allowing us to feel the music more than it is heard.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Julia Klot! We are loving the sounds that you offer up in, 'Ghost.' Could you please share what the creative process entailed when structuring the tracklist for this EP?
‘Ghost’ very much tells a story in the way that it shows the progression through a relationship. The EP starts off with “ghost” which is about a past love that comes back to haunt you; “temporary tattoo” which is about the anxieties that come along with entering a new relationship, and wondering whether those anxieties are permanent or only temporary; “picture in a frame”, is my rearrangement of the Tom Waits original about unconditional love; “time to miss you” is about being apart from and missing the person you love most; and “I’ve cried for you”, the last song of the EP, talks about a person who you know so we that they push you away. The tracklist for my EP is actually organized in the order that I wrote these songs, and I feel like when I sat down to compose, I unintentionally wove a story that didn’t quite make sense to me until I was thinking about the significance and meaning behind the EP.
A lot of artists have a hard time finding the finishing point when creating such intimate pieces of work. At what point did you know that the project was completely finished?
'Ghost' is very different from any other compilation of work that I’ve done in that it feels much more intimate, vulnerable, and mature. There came a point in the recording process for this EP that I had about 3 of these songs finished composition-wise, and I was feeling stuck because I didn’t want to end the project there-- it felt like an incomplete thought. At the time, I was feeling super inspired by the beautiful simplicity of the song “Picture In A Frame” by Tom Waits, and I wrote my own arrangement to it. I ended up loving the sound I created and I felt it fit very well with the vibe of the EP. Shortly after that, I wrote “I’ve cried for you” and as soon as I finished that song, I knew that it would be the last song of the EP. “I’ve cried for you” feels like a closing track to me because of the experimentalism of the sound and the sincerity of the lyrics. It’s definitely my most vulnerable track on the EP and I felt it was only right to finish off by saying something that felt important to me.
Out of the five songs that you offer listeners, do you have a particular song that resonates with you more than the others on this EP?
I guess I already somewhat answered this in the previous question but “I’ve cried for you” resonates with me the most. I wrote this song about a close friend who I care deeply about. The song addresses this friend saying, “You say you don’t feel pain, I know that’s not true/Don’t you know how many times I’ve cried for you”. A constant throughout this song is the reminder that I’ve cried for this person, that I’ve felt actual pain because I only want the best for them, but that they continue to push me away because I know too much about them. I really tried to reflect the somber tone of this song with the soundscape-- every time I listen back to this song, the synth pad and eerie layered harmonies speak to me in a way that no other instrumentation on this EP does.
In your own words, what does the body of work, ‘Ghost,’ mean to you?
To me, “Ghost” is a vulnerable expression of intimate feelings and anxieties that we tend to usually overthink and hold onto. Instead of holding onto these feelings, I decided to channel them into my music and share them so that other people can feel less alone in their thoughts.
What is the main message that you’re hoping your listeners take away from your music?
A message I would like for listeners to take away after listening to my EP is that it is okay to be sad and to have anxieties that make you question the significance of love and relationships. However, it’s always worth thinking through these anxieties to uncover true feelings/how you really feel about certain situations. Writing this EP helped me think through feelings I didn’t even know I had to deal with, so hopefully, people can relate to what I have to say.