We had the pleasure of interviewing Julian Guba, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: How long did it take you to create “I Don’t Work For You”?
GUBA: “I Don’t Work For You” took about one and a half months to create, if I were to exclude the melody and instrumental ideas, which I had about a year ago. Throughout the process, the song went through several iterations, each sounding vastly different from the others. Eventually, I settled on blending acoustic-driven bass lines with electronic sounds. It did take some time to get the mix just right, but I’m genuinely happy with the final outcome!
Q: What inspired it?
GUBA: Last year, during my previous job, there were instances when we collaborated with another company.
One particular incident stands out in my memory. Unfortunately, that day, there was a miscommunication regarding the correct time and location for me to be present, and this message did not reach one of my higher-ups who was in charge of my timetable. It happened to be a day when I had already put in 5 hours of work at the office, and I was just about to take a one-hour break to grab a meal before joining the other company. Suddenly, I received an urgent and rather angry phone call from someone insisting that I needed to get a taxi and rush to the location immediately.
This unexpected situation left me with no time to eat, and I had to continue working for an additional 5 hours straight.
Needless to say, I was quite frustrated at the time, haha. This experience, along with dealing with some insincere friends who seemed to demand a lot of my time, was what inspired “I Don’t Work For You”.
Q: Ouch. That sucks. What did you enjoy the most about making this song and making music in general?
GUBA: Whenever I am working on a song, I get completely obsessed with it. It’s like my passion takes over, and I’ll spend days on end waking up, diving into the music, taking the occasional toilet break, and then going back to work until I’m ready to sleep. It’s a clear sign to me that music is my true calling, and I could happily do this forever without ever getting bored! Specifically with ‘I Don’t Work For You,’ I’d say the most enjoyable part was the significant learning curve I experienced while producing and mixing it.
Being a completely self-made artist, I handle everything – from producing and mixing to singing and writing my music.
And the best part is that I never stop learning throughout the process. With this song, I discovered how simplicity and minimalism in production can lead to much better-sounding music. Realizing this has motivated me a lot and I am eager to produce even more songs. In fact, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m currently working on my debut album!
Q: What do you do to get your creative juices flowing when you feel stuck while creating a song?
GUBA: Listening to other songs. But not just listening to saved songs that you know and love, but checking out new songs by artists you don’t even know can be really inspiring! It’s what I do whenever my creativity feels like it hit rock bottom.
Q: In what way(s), do you think your sound has evolved since you started making music?
GUBA: My sound has evolved so much since I released my first few songs. As I already mentioned, with each new release, I keep learning more about music creation, and that’s what really keeps me going! My focus has always been on electronic sounds, but as I’ve matured as an artist and gained more confidence, I’ve been eager to take risks and experiment with different genres. It’s been an exciting journey, and I believe all these experiences have added that extra touch of professionalism to my music.
Q: Did you always know you would become a musician? At what point did you reach this realization/conclusion?.
GUBA: As a child, when everyone around me was enthusiastically talking about their future plans and what they wanted to be, I always felt a bit uncertain. I knew deep down that I wanted something significant, but at such a young age, it seemed like an unreachable, distant dream. However, when I was like 11 years old I coincidentally found my parents watching Eurovision, and I saw Loreen winning with her song ‘Euphoria’. Soon after, I remember my brother asking me about my future aspirations, and without hesitation, I blurted out, “A singer.”
From that moment on, I started dreaming about representing Austria in Eurovision, releasing songs for my hypothetical millions of fans, and going on world tours. Of course, I’m well aware that I still have a long journey ahead before reaching those milestones, but these dreams drive me forward!
Interviewed by Zoey King
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