Q&A: Denise Julia on the Fearlessness of R&B, Taking Inspiration From Fans and Upcoming Music
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY GIGI KANG ☆
Photo by Sam Balaban
“EVEN THE DIFFICULT MOMENTS—If I can learn from it, write about it and create something that resonates with other people, then I’ve become a better artist because of it,” says R&B artist Denise Julia.
Following Chapter 1 (2023) and Chapter 2 (2024) of her highly loved album Sweet Nothings, Denise is entering a new phase of her career. With a silky voice and a commitment to honest lyricism, the Filipina singer/songwriter has been releasing a series of singles that are all about authentic expressions of love.
In classic R&B fashion, Denise’s portrayal of love encompasses all that comes with it—not just the joy, but also the heartache, resilience and sometimes moving on.
“R&B is such an emotionally fearless genre,” she describes. “It’s yearning; it’s standing outside in the rain with a boom box behind you; it’s kneeling on the pavement and begging; it’s putting your whole heart on the line and meaning every word that you sing. I think that’s why I’ve connected with it.”
In addition to new music, Denise recently relocated to New York City from the Philippines. Over our Zoom call, she shows me her NYC-inspired tattoo; her genuine enthusiasm for this next chapter is clear. With fresh ideas, an inspiring environment and an upgraded support system through her recent signing with EMPIRE, Denise’s upcoming music is something to look forward to.
Be sure to check out Denise Julia’s latest single “LOVE AGAIN” and read our full conversation with her below.
Photo by Sam Balaban
LUNA: What did you learn from the experience of releasing and performing Sweet Nothings that you’re taking into your next chapter?
DENISE JULIA: I started writing when I was 13, and I think my career had different eras. There was the first wave of virality that came earlier in my career where I was doing TikToks and trying to find my audience. The second era was Sweet Nothings; that’s when I circled back to my inner child who started when she was 13. I was healing my inner child somehow and I started writing about my experiences again.
What I learned from that era was the importance of staying connected to the reason I fell in love with music in the first place. It reminded me that the most meaningful music comes from a place of being honest. By that point, I had grown so much, so the stories were different. They were more complex and intense, but the intention was coming from that original passion.
What I’m taking from that chapter onto the next is my ability to find beauty in every experience. Even the difficult moments—turning it into something meaningful. If I can learn from it, write about it and create something that resonates with other people, then I’ve become a better artist because of it.
LUNA: What about the upcoming music excites you most?
JULIA: What excites me most is how much I grew while making it. For most of my career, when I was in the Philippines, I was used to carrying a lot of the creative weight myself. I would write, co-produce, vocal arrange and shape these records from start to finish. I came from a process where the creative vision felt very personal because as someone who started with a makeshift mic to record—handkerchief-covered earphones—and a half-broken laptop to make beats, I truthfully didn’t even know there was another way to make music. I thought you had to build everything yourself.
Whenever I worked with other producers or engineers, I was still very hands-on in leading the direction and guiding the end product of the song. That independence taught me so much about who I am as an artist. But having since moved to the States and making music here for the first time, I experienced collaboration at the next level. I had the opportunity to work with producers, engineers, and writers who helped create some of the music that I grew up loving, including people who worked with Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Those are not people you get to work with every day.
The biggest lesson wasn’t just learning from legends; it was learning to trust other people and the creative process. They really pushed me creatively. They challenged my instincts in the best way and helped me discover ideas that I would never have found on my own. I’m excited for the fans to hear the results of all that work.
LUNA: What would you say are the traits of a good collaborator?
JULIA: I would say having intuitive people in the room makes the best collaborators. The sessions that left a mark on me are the ones where people take the time to connect first. They understand the energy in the room, they can tell when something’s not quite right and they’re not afraid to speak up and ask questions. A good collaborator is someone who has trust and is open with communication and is honest about what’s working and what’s not. That’s usually when the best records come to life.
LUNA: R&B is a very heart-on-your-sleeve genre, especially in expressions of love. What has working in the genre taught you about expressing yourself?
JULIA: It has taught me to stop holding back. R&B is such an emotionally fearless genre. It’s yearning; it’s standing outside in the rain with a boom box behind you; it’s kneeling on the pavement and begging; it’s putting your whole heart on the line and meaning every word that you sing. I think that’s why I’ve connected with it.
As Filipinos, we have our own culture of romance and music. We have a tradition called Kundiman. When you’re pursuing someone, you sing Kundiman songs and wait outside of the house with guitars and backup singers. That’s how you court someone back home and there’s a parallel sense in that with R&B. More than anything, the genre taught me that if I feel something, I should say it with my chest and go for it.
LUNA: You take a lot of inspiration from the 90s and 2000s. Do you remember the first time a song or artist from that time made a great impact on you?
JULIA: All I remember from my childhood is sitting in front of MTV instead of playing outside with the other kids. I love “Beautiful Liar” by Beyoncé and Shakira. I would wrap myself in a blanket, turn it into a wraparound dress and try to bellydance like them. Another song that got revived in more recent times is “So Into You” by Tamia. I was so obsessed with that music video. I think those were some of my earliest memories of wanting to be an entertainer. I don’t even remember wanting to have music as my career. I just understood the feeling of wanting to be Beyoncé (laughs). She could sing, she could dance, she could perform, she could command an entire audience, so even as a child I could feel that she was the one who inspired me to take up this career.
The first concert that I ever went to was Beyoncé, both in the Philippines and in America. When I moved here, my manager took me to her concert. It was a 360° moment. It was amazing.
LUNA: The way you speak about and interact with your supporters is very sweet; it’s obvious there’s a lot of mutual love. What significance do they hold in your day-to-day life?
JULIA: My fans mean everything to me. They’ve become such a constant part of my daily life. We have a very unique relationship. They’ll DM me about their relationships and rant. Their bad days, their wins, all of those things—sometimes it feels like I’m their best friend and we’re growing up together.
There was a point in my life where I was struggling a lot personally. It was probably one of the most difficult times of my life. What kept me going was knowing there were people who showed up for me every single day with kindness and love. I never take my supporters for granted. We’ve built a community around the music and they’ve helped me through some of the hardest times of my life.
LUNA: Do you take inspiration from that relationship? Does it influence your creativity?
JULIA: Oh, yes. Like I said, I had eras in my career. [During] the first era, I was listening to my friends talk about their love lives. It was natural for me to take from people’s experiences. Now that I’ve opened up this portal with my supporters, I get to hear more and more stories that I never would have heard before. Sometimes I’m like, “It would be nice to write a song about this,” and I end up doing that.
