Julia Michaels was the mastermind behind pretty much all your favorite songs before she stepped into the spotlight with her smash debut single Issues this year. The 23-year-old songwriter penned a variety of iconic hits, such as Justin Bieber's 'Sorry', Demi Lovato's 'Fire Starter', and Fifth Harmony's 'Miss Movin' On', before taking center stage. Now that she's not only writing her own songs, but performing them as well, Julia is more vulnerable than ever.
Julia opened up to Maxwell about the process behind her emotionally honest mini-album Nervous System, revealing that it's more personal than anybody could have ever imagined. "I'm incredibly transparent on this record," the pop-star revealed, telling Maxwell that Nervous System is actually inspired by a previous three-year relationship. Writing the album was really cathartic for Julia, especially because when she was only writing the songs she didn't have to worry about performing them. Once she was done writing them, she didn't have to think about them anymore. "I'm opening that wound every time I sing it," Julia confessed. "It's great because it's helping me move on and cope.”
Another hurdle Julia had to overcome in this new phase of her blossoming music career is dealing with her stage fright. Despite her apparent bubbly confidence, the singer-songwriter revealed that she's actually terrified of performing. Even though singing in front of a live audience scares her, Julia is dead set on doing the best she can in spite of it. She told Maxwell that she's "still excited to experience live performances," as well as seeing how her music impacts her fans in real life.
She'll be taking the stage at our iHeartFestival next month, so you know we're excited to see her perform, too. Thanks for stopping by, Julia! See you in Vegas!