Julian Moon’s guide to finding your siren song
Have you ever thought about what your inner siren song might be? You don’t have to read a book or download a podcast to learn it. Lucky for us, singer/songstress Julian Moon is here to teach us how to find it.
After being made to fit inside a little bitty box of just one side of her personality with her first album “Good Girl,” Julian — or “Moon” — as most of her friends call her, is back with a song full of mystical Greek mythology and the sexy style of a bohemian princess goddess.
The name of the EP is “Pomegranate Seeds,” and everything on it “reflects a popular greek myth and how that relates to coming of age, finding your truth and the grandiose within the day-to-day moments of life,” Moon says.
The first single is called “Siren Song,” and brings all the Lana Del Rey vibes into your ears. Moon says the song is about “the release of the wild nature within a woman as she goes head to head with the prudent and patriarchal society she’s been born into.”
Many of the songs surround particularly the myth of Persephone, which is all about the transformation from “a young, naive girl to a queen who is able to traverse between the living and the dead,” she adds. Which really, probably sounds like your everyday struggle if you are female… since you know, we’re all queens up in here.
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But don’t let the magical mystique of it all drive you away — even if you don’t know the meaning of any of the lyrics, the tune has a chanty glorious chorus of layered harmonies that you can sing along with louder than T. Swift’s 1989.
And bonus round, Moon’s former job was as stylist, helping other ladies find that inner siren — just like she’s finally finding for herself. Take a peek at her Q&A below and cop those bohemian princess style tips, and don’t forget to listen to the song here.
Your previous incarnation of songs was a little bit more folk-sounding — how do you think you’ve changed with these new songs?
I think with any art form, there are many periods of drastic evolution. With my previous album “Good Girl” I pulled a lot of inspiration from my day to day life (coffee shops, habitual heartbreakers, drunken one night stands, empty bank accounts) but you can only write so many hilarious songs about being broke before it gets annoying — I really had to start digging deep for newer ideas and that’s when I started to find inspiration in archetypal stories; specifically Greek mythology.
Your image was also a little bit more Zoey Deschanel — who we love, but this new version of you is very bohemian and sexy — what made you decide to lean into this style of fashion?
Over the past couple years there’s been this big internal shift inside of me — a maturing of sorts — and I wanted my exterior to match how I felt internally. Although I adore fit and flare dresses and bold colors and prints, when I put those clothes on, it didn’t feel like me anymore. I went through a few different phases before I found myself again in beautifully embroidered maxi dresses, with revealing details (low necklines, high side slits etc.) — a fun mix of sensuality and regality — basically princess-mode 24/7.
Dress by OTT @ottdubai
The music itself is also a lil more sophisticated and has some cool kinda hip hop dusty drums under it — what inspired the change sonically?
Since my well of inspiration changed, I think it was natural for the sonics and song-structure to shift too. When I first started writing music, my biggest inspirations were Jason Mraz, Lily Allen and Tristan Pettyman. Throughout the years I began feeling very drawn to the likes of Lana Del Rey, Hozier and Rihanna. The production of their music all had this sexy weight to them, and with “Pomegranate Seeds” I wanted to bring that weight into it.
Do you think this set of songs is an example of “art imitating life” in that you’ve grown into being more of a woman and finding your sexiness?
As a young adult I was very afraid of my sensuality and my body. It felt dangerous and I was afraid if I showed that side of me, people wouldn’t take me seriously. It was by reading and analyzing these myths that I found the courage to embrace my power, voice and sensual self.
Is it true since your last album you took up pole dancing? How has that helped you find your “Siren Song” in life?
Yes, midway through making ‘Good Girl’ I started pole dancing — initially as a way to get fit since I hated going to the gym, but it quickly became an obsession. It really helped me unlock a part of myself that I had been afraid to explore: my body as a sensual being. I had always feared that it would make me seem weak or shallow but in accessing that part of me, I found more strength and wisdom than I ever thought possible.
What is the story behind “Siren Song”? How did you come up with the lyrics?
This song is a culmination of a lot of ideas that I had been trying to flush out for years. I had recently finished reading “Women Who Run With Wolves” by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, as well as “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, when the words finally fell into place. In essence, the song is the release of the wild-nature within a woman as she goes head to head with the prudent, and patriarchal society she’s been born into.
What is your most favorite/meaningful lyric in this song?
Each lyric was carefully written but I think: “they say I’ve got a serpent’s tongue, and a body like a loaded gun, you wanna tame me, you wanna make me forget where I come from” is my favorite line right now because it’s a perfect description for how I felt growing up in our society as a woman.
If you could take any advice on finding happiness or love from Persephone, what would you say her greatest lessons are?
One of the biggest lessons I took from this myth is that to become more rooted in your truth, you have to be brave enough to explore and even come to love the darkest parts of yourself. Persephone is literally the queen of balance, the yin and yang, the symbol of the life/death/life cycle. It took her awhile, but when she finally embraced everything about herself and her circumstances, she was given the freedom to roam the living and the dead at will.
If you could give us advice on being true to yourself, and feeling sexy in your own skin — what would you say?
Honesty. You’ve gotta be honest with yourself. For me, personally, I had so many layers of what I thought I should want, what I thought was sexy, and what I thought I should wear that I completely lost who the real me was long ago. It took a long time to uncover the truth of who I am (I’m still uncovering lots of pieces), but it doesn’t stop at the uncovering. Then, you’ve got to look at those pieces for what they are, and embrace them with as little judgement as possible. Nothing is sexier than authenticity.
What are your favorite bohemian style fashion trends?
I can’t get enough of embroidery and long sleeved maxi dresses. Every time I slip one of those types of dresses on it just feels magical. I also love to pair them with edgy booties to add an element of bad-assery.
Dress by OTT @ottdubai
Any favorite bohemian princess brands?
I am obsessed with For Love and Lemons clothing. Their dresses are beyond beautiful, delicate yet edgy. I also adore Free People as well as Ecote.
The album art is a tarot card and very magical seeming. What is the story behind it?
I got to collaborate with this amazing branding and media content developing company Neon Soapbox. We talked about all the things I’ve been into lately and at some point my slightly hippy/alternative childhood got brought up and how I like to read Tarot cards from time to time. The founders of the company then created a whole concept surrounding Tarot which felt like the perfect visual for this EP.
What’s next after this single?
So much magic and awesomeness! We’re releasing the EP in its entirety in the near future! Woooohooo! I’m so excited for everyone to hear it!
For More on Julian Moon
Photos by Kevin Ipalari @hislaboratory
Makeup and Hair by Ana Herrera @Tubellezza
Art Direction by Neon Soapbox @NeonSoapbox
Dresses by OTT @ottdubai and Necklaces by Dori Csengeri @dori_csengeri
