Newsroom Interview - JUDE YORK

Jude York, a 22-year-old from Toowoomba in regional Queensland, is a multi-talented singer/songwriter that has recently found his way on the radar of not only Australians, but the rest of the world.

Through his versatile lyrics and sounds, Jude York is being recognised for his story-telling abilties that are rare to find nowadays. I was lucky enough to have a chat with Jude this week to catch-up with his busy life and get the inside scoop for our Voyager Members!

• How did you first get into music?

JY: Well, I come from a musical family, my Mom is an opera singer and my Dad is a jingle writer so I have always grown up with it. Originally I was really into opera and musical theatre but when I graduated high school, I really fell in love with songwriting and telling stories and you know, it developed really organically and I realised I was actually quite good at it!

• What did you start doing first? Songwriting, singing, or learning instruments?

JY: I mean I started violin when I was 5 (Laughs) but a few instruments later, I was on to voice and that was probably the one I realized I was best at and I had a voice that people liked to listen to. I worked really hard at it but yeah, the voice was the first thing I could do - It took me a while to see it actually wasn't the most exciting thing about me, I think songwriting is my best thing now but yeah for a long time, it was singing.

• What is something that you’d tell your younger self just starting out with music?

JY: Buckle in, because it’s a marathon, and also to have forgiveness and empathy for yourself. No one really gets to be a Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber, you can’t compare yourself to people who have had that one-in-a-billion opportunity, it takes a lot of steps to make music a full-time thing and there is no rush. It’s about being kind to yourself and enjoying the process

• How was your Eurovision Australia Decides 2022 experience?

JY: It was life-changing. It was perfect, I got to perform and sing one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written, I got to perform it how I wanted and wear what I loved. I met many many cool people and connected to fans who I will cherish forever.

I got on to Aus decides by submitting a song on their portal and I submitted “I Won’t Need to Dream” and got an email it was shortlisted and then, I got accepted!

• I won’t need to dream - tell us a little bit about the creative process/goal for the final product.

JY: Yeah! I wrote it with a good friend of mine Billy Stonecipher. It was really lovely to write because we didn’t have an agenda - We wrote how we were really feeling. We were both talking about how hard it is to be a musician and constantly trying to make our dreams a reality. This song was to encourage and be medicine to us in this toxic world we live in. It started as a piano ballad, very lullaby-esque. Eventually, we decided it needed another section, like a film score moment which is where the strings came in.

• Number 1 tip when performing live?

JY: To just remember you enjoy it, feel the music. At the end of the day, it is storytelling, the best way to tell that story is to sink into the music, and do the practice beforehand but then when you're up there, just enjoy it! I was a lot less concerned about the cameras, I just wanted to focus on the audience.

• Advice for songwriters/producers.

JY: Make time for it, wherever you can. Songwriting and producing is a time-consuming process and sometimes it's hard to justify sitting in a studio for a day, but when you have time to do it, it’s really important to make time for it. Allow yourself to be creative, and don’t hold yourself to external pressures like “It needs to be finished today” or “it needs to be a hit” because good music doesn't come from an environment like that. I have written hundreds and hundreds of songs, but have a solid 30-35 songs that I’m really proud of and I think to be a solid songwriter, that's the minimum!

• 3 essentials to have in your studio.

JY: Coffee, snacks, and my external hard drive filled with my sounds, they are my babies, they are my plugins (laughs). I need my little kit of sounds I'm familiar with!

• What is the importance of having a social media presence as an artist?

JY: The way someone explained it to me was that social media is your label. it's your opportunity to do it your way, even if you don’t have a team, label, or management - it’s free marketing. It's hard and it doesn't feel creative at the time but we do need to rewire our brains to see it as an opportunity. Being in music has never been easy, It's not like it was in the ’90s when you could walk up to a label and be signed - Even if social media can only give you a really small piece of the pie, you still get a piece of the pie.

• Our Voyager Competitions are happening right now, how should the entrants make themselves stand out?

JY: I would say it’s more important to be creative than polished, you can have a song that's a perfect radio hit which is really cool, but there are a lot of songs that could be a radio hit, so I would say, it's more important to show your lyricism and to tell stories people will connect with emotionally. If you're a producer, do something quirky, change the bpm, and throw in some 5 syllable words. Do something that is going to surprise the judges.

Obsessed with Jude York like we are? Stay up to date with all his new projects here:

• FACEBOOK: @itsjudeyork
• INSTAGRAM: @itsjudeyork
• TIK TOK: @itsjudeyork
• TWITTER: @itsjudeyork
• SPOTIFY: Jude York
• LATEST COVER OF "I KISSED A GIRL" ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/A-oLcenzff8

With 💜,

Bella, The Voyager Team

Your Music. To The World.

Voyager is the best way to connect your songs and performances directly with the industry's leaders. With some of the biggest names on our judging panel, as well as cash and industry prizes up for grabs, it's time to submit your music to the fastest growing online music competition platform!