Inventive and whimsically lustrous artist, Juran, delves into the influences and dreams that paint her vivid music.
New Zealand singer/songwriter, Juran, leaps into the stories that sculpt her smooth, hypnotic sound.
Coming from the release of Wish U Well, Juran holds nothing back in revealing the dreams and influences of her work and manifesting the new music to come.
HAPPY: Hello Juran! Where do you find yourself today?
JURAN: Hello! I am currently living on Marrarrpa Land, Baniyala (Blue Mud Bay) in North East Arnhem Land.
HAPPY: Congratulations on the release of your single Wish U Well! Tell us a bit about the track..
JURAN: Thank you! It was a super fun song to make, and not something that I usually write about – usually my songs are about the divine feminine or dedicated to someone/something in my life. However, this song is about lust and sexual obsession, so to find myself writing about feelings so personal was a little out of the ordinary. When it was finally released I didn’t think about the fact that people are actually going to listen to the lyrics, it kinda freaked me out! Especially people like my brothers, my dad or uncles, ugh the embarrassment! [laughs] But I’m still so proud of how it came to be and how it still carries the sultry flair my other songs possess.
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HAPPY: Your sound in this single is beautifully soulful and R&B, what made you steer in that direction?
JURAN: I think we always were destined to steer our sound in this direction naturally. We’ve always said I am a reggae/soul singer, but the truth is that the music is the real reggae element and I am just a singer. I believe that my vocals suit any genre and no matter which direction our music goes in I’d be able to slot myself into it. Plus the band and myself all come from different genre backgrounds, so it was just destiny really.
HAPPY: The music video for Wish U Well is stunning! What was your vision for it?
JURAN: We were in conversation about the visuals for so long, and the crew and I came together to plan multiple times without any real outcomes, so we just decided to set a date and see what happens. We played around with lighting and on the night when I was doing my makeup, Aris got the camera out and started filming, saying that the shot looked “sick” , so we played around with it, but because I was stoned I started drawing on my face for a laugh!
Turns out it was awesome and we stuck with it! It fit the lyrics with the idea that I was ‘obsessing over someone’ to the point where I was going a little crazy! The end part was the only planned shot with the band and the crowd, which was filmed at Hanfest in Nhulunbuy.
HAPPY: Most of your work is centred around real life experiences, how do you translate those moments into songs?
JURAN: I am an extremely emotional person and I suppose most musicians are. When I am truly passionate about something it will generally come out creatively. Belle was written about a friend that tragically lost her life on the MH17 flight – I had recurring dreams for a while of her and I even heard the guitar riff in my dreams… I know that’s super strange but after I wrote that song the dreams stopped.
Sometimes I feel like the songs literally fall onto the page when I am in that ‘flow state’ and I really can’t explain how it comes out. It just happens. I just cannot force it. However if that flow state presents itself at 3am in the morning I have to get up and record it before it is lost!
HAPPY: What have you been listening to recently?
JURAN: A lot of SZA, Snoh Aalegra, Maeta, Raveena and recently Tiana Khasi. A lot of female neo-soul artists, so I guess most of my newer music is being influenced by these artists and their sound.
HAPPY: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
JURAN: If I could make the industry an easier industry to get into I would. It is really difficult, not going to lie. There aren’t many helpful programs out there that will get us to our desired destinations. And if there are, they cost money – money that we need to live on because all of us are broke [laughs].
HAPPY: What can we expect in the future for your music!
JURAN: You can expect to see a lot more of me on your screens and hearing my voice in your ears because there’s only one direction I’m going and that’s up. I’m not here to waste time. I’m here to succeed. I’m here to win. I’m focussed and I have my sights set for greatness!
We are releasing a couple more songs this year, playing at Darwin Festival and we are manifesting BIGSOUND and heaps more live gigs! We are looking at touring next year too! Like I said, nowhere to go but UP for us!
HAPPY: Amazing news, can’t wait! Cheers Juran.
JURAN: Cheers!
