From Toronto to Los Angeles, the Pop/R&B Singer/Songwriter Julia Carlucci releases a passionate and soulful single titled, "As I Am."
Growing up in a Hispanic/Italian household led Julia to groove away with genres like Salsa, Merengue, R&B, and soul. Rounding out her music taste to give her this cultured and dynamic flair, Julia Carlucci's recent single "As I Am" gives listeners a tour of her vast talent.
Singing a sound message of being in love with someone who makes her a better person, Julia Carlucci brings such a passionate and positive message with this ballad and delivers her heavenly vocals for us to bask in.
"As I Am" opens with serene acoustic guitar picking and distant electric guitar. The soft instrumentals give such a calm and lush atmosphere, perfectly meeting the melodic piano that soothes the soul. Julia Carlucci's vocals are a breath of fresh air, as well as her beautiful lyrical message. She sings balladic lyrics like, "you say you're happiest when you take me as I am." A soft bassline and added keys create depth to the song around the midway point and give it this incredibly soulful aspect.
Julia Carlucci's vocals genuinely aren't something to miss, the overall passion she delivers on "As I Am" is not only refreshing, but it gives the listener a sense of optimism towards love.
Hello Julia and welcome to BuzzMusic. Why did you want to write such a heartfelt and passionate ballad with "As I Am"? Did anything, in particular, spark your inspiration for the single?
When you’ve been with someone for a long time, you get to a point where the real hard work begins. The human experience messes everyone up and it’s hard enough as an individual to navigate your own life and work through your own trauma. When you come together with someone, you’re also dealing with their baggage too and that can be really hard. Love is about choosing someone every single day and I wanted to write about that uncomfortable yet fulfilling experience of evolving with someone you love.
What was your creative process like regarding the song's instrumentals? They're incredibly delicate yet groovy, did you feel that the instrumentals reflected your passionate lyricism?
I started writing this song on the piano and when I brought it into the session with my co-writers, one of them started playing it on guitar. Playing it on guitar created a vulnerability that complimented the lyrics beautifully and I fell in love with the song even more. My producers didn’t want it to be a typical ballad and when they showed me the drum groove I freaked out. I thought it was so different and gave the song some edge.
What can you say about the differences or similarities between the Toronto music scene and Los Angeles'? Have they both contributed to your overall sound and style?
Toronto and LA keep you hungry but in different ways. There are equally talented people in both cities but since LA is geographically larger, for everyone amazing musician in Toronto, there’s ten in LA. However, I find that Toronto (and Canada in general) has always been viewed as America’s younger sibling who’s trying to prove themselves. That motivation is powerful. We’re finally in a place where Toronto is getting the attention it deserves in the industry and I think that will just continue to grow with all of the talent coming out of the city. I’ve been lucky to collaborate with people from both cities and my music has only benefitted from their cultural influences.
Your debut EP is set to release next year, might we see "As I Am" on the project? What themes do you bring to the table within the EP?
“As I Am” will definitely be on the EP. The project is about my relationships with the people closest to me now but also the people who used to be closest to me. As cliche as it might sound it’s also about my relationship with myself. The process of making this album brought a lot of self-discovery and I think that’s reflected in each song.
What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020?
To be honest, it’s been very difficult to be inspired throughout 2020. Putting out this music has been the one thing I’ve had to look forward to and distract myself from, which has been a blessing. But I can say that despite all of the darkness that we’ve seen and felt in 2020, I think many of us have awakened to what’s truly important in life, and to me, that’s incredibly inspiring.