Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Laws.
Julia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started writing music as a little kid. I still remember, and laugh at, the first song I wrote- I must have had an upsetting day because the lyrics depict this girl leaving the house to go buy her mom some milk only to find that when she gets home from the errand, she’s been locked out of the house… so, she runs away. I’m really not sure where this came from. My mom is great. Love you, mom!
My family moved to the Pacific Northwest when I was twelve and writing music became an outlet to deal with living in a new town. I started recording myself playing the piano and singing using the speaker on my headphones. It was rough but I was so stoked on it. The rest isn’t history. I went down a rabbit hole of trying to be a painter, a photographer, a surfer, be in other friend’s projects, you name it. It wasn’t until I moved to San Diego a couple of years after high school and joined the local music rotation that it all really hit me. I had friends in Los Angeles I’d made during my time living in San Diego, and realizing that I was in the wrong city, finally made the move in 2015.
From spending time with other producers, I realized how much I love production and the entire process of writing to releasing. I am always learning about “self” production (will always be learning what this means) and how to portray the style and sound of music that I resonate with as best I can. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best musicians in the game and continue to collaborate with such inspiring people as I keep making music. My project, ‘Ronboy,’ was brought to life with friends and musicians that I love. It’s an awesome ride.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it’s always smooth, you may be doing it wrong. Sharing yourself with others is a vulnerable place to be, one that I’m still working on being fully comfortable with. It’s all too easy to work on something alone and cradle it until you suffocate it by not letting itt out for others to experience. There are a number of songs that I’ve recorded and thoroughly suffocated. I went through a stage of thinking I could do mostly everything on my own- totally wrong. I’m happy I learned the hard way at the start, got my solo selfish ideas out, and now embrace needing and wanting others to bring outside creativity and perspective. I’ve messed up a lot but I’ve also had a lot of joys in the process.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I’m really looking forward to releasing my EP early this year! Ronboy is a DIY indie rock band, heavy on the Seattle melancholy vibes. The songs are rather nostalgic and dreamy, often very personal, and as a listener, I hope to enable people to draw their own emotions from them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite memories as a kid is going on a motorcycle trip with my dad down the coast of Washington for a surf trip. The trip was last minute, the motorcycle’s pillion seat was like sitting on a rock, but we just cruised. We landed in a small village called La Push. My dad rented me a surfboard and this heavy-duty, full-body wetsuit that I could barely walk in, took me to the beach and taught me to surf. We had a blast completely winging it. That trip was one of the first times I realized how great it can be to not have a concrete plan. Go with the flow.
Contact Info:
- Website: ronboymusic.com
- Instagram: @ronboymusic
Image Credit:
Nicol Biesek
John Challinor III
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