Q&A: Zuli Jr Explores A Technological Indie-pop Soundscape With “Stop It God”
STRIKING A CHORD WITH ANYONE IN OUR CURRENT LANDSCAPE — Zuli Jr is an indie-pop and R&B conceptual gem. His sophomore record Stop It God sees the artist develop and flourish as a musician, lyricist, and creative mind. Following his 2017 debut, On Human Freakout Mountain — which caught the eye of critics and earned him the title of “Artist You Need To Know” from Rolling Stone — his latest offering presents a direction that could not have been anticipated. Stop It God depicts the omni-presence of something that could be dismissed as mundane or innocuous at best: technology. The album explores how one navigates everyday life alongside a fictional AI named Daisy, which is reminiscent of our commonplace “Siri,” “Alexa,” or the Google assistant. The album is an examination in finding human connection and the role that the technological plays in the realistic, and where the line truly is drawn between those seemingly separate realms.
With all the layers of meaning and the enveloping world-building, Stop It God is an incredibly lucid project that is teeming with strong contenders for your spring playlists. “Blue Sky'' is a laid-back R&B-infused indie-pop track that oozes summery warmth, while combining the glitchy electronic elements that ground the song in Zuli Jr’s conceptual world. “Two” is a dreamy and entrancing portrait of his vocal agility and production skill. The album also features short interludes that immerse you further into the world of Stop It God, including “Daily Routine,” “Felt Dreaming,” and “Daisy.”
In an interview with Zuli, we got to understand more about the artist, their new record and see what the future holds for him.
LUNA: Has it become a bit busier as you’ve started making music in the last few years, or has it been pretty much the same?
ZULI: Oh, I think it's been more busy, and I think it's just been more accessible and exciting in ways … For certain times, I was playing live so much where it [felt] more so of the mentality [that I was] really pushing a show and things like that. I feel like right now it's more so just focusing on the creative [side] and just taking that head-on and making as much stuff as you can. So I think I think it's been better, honestly, in a lot of ways, and [I’ve had] more opportunity to do so.
LUNA: I've been wondering for people who love to do music and who are performers — how has it been to not perform for a whole year?
ZULI: It's interesting because I would say that performance for me was my first love, and I would say in some ways the reason I got into it all. I come from a theatre background, and I always loved that. But I think it tested a lot of things and [questioned] mainly just like the core of, “Why are you doing this?” And for me, I love the creative aspect. Making a song is the biggest rush I feel. Like when you're putting a lot of energy into something, it's coming together in a way that's exciting. That trumps all — that's the best feeling ever. So, it put that all into perspective in a great way.
LUNA: So why Stop It God? I don't want to take away the mystery behind the album and its art, but if you'd like to explain that for your very-soon-to-be big standom, please do.
ZULI: I look at the album title as kind of a statement to myself. In a way, I think it could come with a lot of different meanings, and that was the reason I like the title because I think you can kind of take it any way you want. But for me, I think, with being on the path that I'm on and in our current state with social media, we're more reflective than ever now. I feel like our perception is so scattered and there are so many opinions and so many ways to look at yourself that it was kind of a way of letting go. And kind of taking yourself off that pedestal; not taking yourself as seriously, maybe, or not being as self-centred or worried about only you and thinking you're the center of the world, which I think is easy in a lot of ways — especially now in COVID when this is all we have.
LUNA: It was overall a very immersive experience, with the really short tracks in between — it sounded very Radiohead. Is that one of your influences, especially Ok Computer?
ZULI: That's an interesting one because I love Radiohead and I've loved them for years. I don't know if I would say that Radiohead is like a massive influence in terms of the sonic [sound], and in certain ways — just [from] a very musical standpoint. I feel like a lot of what I do is very major and a little more classic-sounding in a way. But I was very aware of (obviously) Ok Computer, and I think there were a lot of things from that kind of standpoint — more so just making the album a little more cinematic and just tying [together] all the themes and metaphors and stuff. I mean, they're the best there ever was, so definitely definitely an influence, but not the only one.
LUNA: Who are your main influences specifically for this project?
ZULI: There were a lot, honestly. [With] cetracks like “How To Feel,'' I feel like I was really big into The 1975 and things like that. I was really interested in that take on pop music, and I feel like that was a big thing — where it was like … I've always loved pop music, but getting into them kind of really allowed me to feel like I can embrace this more: this is part of who I am. I would say the R&B powerhouses like Frank Ocean and SZA gave me more confidence in the vulnerable side of really letting it out. King Krule from England was also another one. I love spoken word a lot, and when people are really directing that kind of way. And for me, that was a big method that allowed me to really get to the heart of what I wanted to say, without needing to worry about the structure of a song or any of that.
LUNA: For people who are going to be listening to Stop It God, what is one thing that you want them to go into the album thinking and understanding about you as an artist?
ZULI: Ooh, that's a good one. That's an interesting one, because I feel like through this whole process of making this album and now releasing it, it's been a very interesting trajectory of my personal wellbeing and mental state and things like that — where I feel like I was in such a difficult time, and I was really wrestling with my emotions and stuff when I was making the album. But through the [release] of it, I feel like I've started to become more and more like myself again in a way, and just more open. So I would say the album is a very introspective listen — as you were saying — but I would hope that people just kind of, you know, listen to some of the stories and what I'm talking about, and hopefully they don't make the same mistake and maybe just learn to let go a little bit more and be present more and not be afraid to show different sides of [themselves].
Because I think — at least on the album — it shows a very philosophical kind of side and really [asks] some bigger questions, which I think is very much a part of who I am. But I also think another big part of who I am is just being a nice person and just, like, you know, having fun and being a little goofy. And I think through this process of making this album, I've learned to get back to that side of me more. And I think now more than ever — especially in this interesting time we live in — I think people need to learn that and hopefully this album [will] at least be the gateway for somebody.
LUNA: Okay, last question: Do you plan on making music throughout the rest of the year?
ZULI: Oh, ah … that's actually interesting that you say that. So, yeah, I'm planning on it. It's funny, too, because I feel like the album is more, like, I always say, “It's like a nighttime album.” Obviously, there's some sunny production and things like that, but I think from start to finish, it's a little bit more — I don't know, like I said — introspective; whatever you wanna call it. Right now, since things are starting to move along with COVID and stuff, I've got this undeniable energy that’s in my music right now. And the plan is, this summer, to start working on a few singles, maybe start putting some stuff out in a couple of months to come. So yeah, new music is on the way. I feel like, as I said, it's hitting its stride and ready to just take it home.
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