By: Staff
We’re huge fans of Juliet By Night for so many reasons, and when we heard her latest release, "In This Economy...?", we were eager to dive deeper into the intelligence, creativity, and story behind the song.
Juliet By Night is a provocative artist whose work blends theatrical intensity with a sharp critique of societal norms. Known for weaving storytelling and music with striking clarity, Juliet brings dark, introspective narratives to life, often exploring the complexities of modern survival within capitalism. Her style reflects a unique fusion of electronic beats, orchestral arrangements, and spoken word, combining drama and honesty to engage listeners on both an emotional and intellectual level. Influenced by artists like Raye, she often moves between spoken and sung passages, creating a duality that mirrors the moral ambiguities she explores.
At her core, Juliet By Night is an artist who delves into the complexities of modern society and its impacts on the individual psyche. Her music grapples with themes of moral compromise, economic hardship, and social division, positioning her as both a devil’s advocate and a voice of conscience. Her work serves as both commentary and catharsis, inviting listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about the cost of ambition, isolation, and survival in an unforgiving world.
So to really get our answers, we asked Juliet By Night for an exclusive interview in "The Cage" Music Blog.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview
Hello Juliet By Night, we’re thrilled to have you for this interview! We’ve had a blast diving into your music and exploring your work, and now we’re even more excited to learn more about you, both as an artist, and as a person.
Juliet By Night" is such a powerful name; it's intriguing, intelligent, almost heroic, with this captivating, charismatic edge. Could you share a bit about how you came up with it and what it means to you personally?
Thank you! So Juliet is obviously not my actual name (I’m Vietnamese, come on), but it is derived from the name I go by when I’m in the U.S., so it’s not that big a leap. I like the idea of keeping daily-life-me and music-me separate, like Batman or Hannah Montana. I am [REDACTED LEGAL NAME] by day, and I am Juliet By Night.
Keeping it separate also helps me overcome the self-inhibitions and become this larger-than-life character. I’m telling you, you need to be able to switch gears into performance mode when you’re at a show and four of your co-workers are in the crowd watching you shake your ass in a sparkly dress. You have to be like: I am no longer [REDACTED LEGAL NAME], I’m Juliet By Night, I don’t know these people, nor I do have to look them in the eye tomorrow morning by the water cooler and act like nothing’s changed.
This song has such a haunting, devil-on-your-shoulder kind of vibe. When you’re writing, do you think of yourself as a storyteller, a character, or something else entirely?
I envision myself as someone who’s gone down the dark path of ruthless apathy, who’s gained a lot out of it, trying to lure a struggling youth into this lifestyle. Imagine Joker trying to convince a would-be apprentice that the only way to succeed is to burn Gotham or something.
The song starts with these dark, goading whispers, what effect did you want them to have on listeners right from the beginning?
First of all I want the same thing as every musician with their intro: I want people to not press “Skip.” I want to get straight to the point and I want to be catchy. Secondly, after the listener decides to stay, I want them to feel unsettled. I want them to be mistrustful of me, the narrator, who is, after all, giving them some morally objectionable advice.
You touch on themes of friendship, loyalty, and community versus the pressure to survive. How has navigating these choices shaped you, both as an artist and as a person?
Have you ever been unemployed at the same time as a bunch of your friends? Have you ever scoured LinkedIn postings and seeing that people you know also applied for the same job? Have you ever thought: I honestly don’t care if so-and-so stays unemployed for another two months if that means I can get this job now, because I currently have $57 in the bank. Interestingly, living through this kind of experience definitely made me, if not more compassionate, then more understanding: sometimes people are awful because the stress of survival weighs so heavily on their shoulders all the time. As an artist, it made me so, so angry. The original version of this song was just a bunch of non-rhyming, near-incoherent bitching about the state of the job market and the desperation of the working class. It wasn’t very good.
Late-stage Capitalism is missed by the masses, yet you are tackling this by utilizing your creative qualities. When did you first start thinking about writing a song that tackles these struggles and was there a specific moment or experience that inspired it?
I definitely don’t think late-stage capitalism is missed — I think a lot of people, especially working and middle class people, feel its effect. I believe that most of these people would disagree with me on the causes of our shared troubles, that’s all.
I never used to write explicitly political songs. What I usually did instead was to write love songs that serve as a vehicle for larger social criticism. After graduating I, like many of my peers, struggled in a decimated job market. I had a lot of free time on my hands and a big grudge to sort out. It didn’t feel like the right time to write love songs.
Toward the end of the song you say:
“If I could (x3) / I mean I probably would (chuckle) but no promises ya know “
This was probably the most impactful and deep lyric that we have heard in a very long time. We interpreted this as a depiction of humanities faults and our promises to good behavior, but also how we might not follow through. It’s SUCH A POWERFUL and reality based message that spun our brains in a circle. How can you describe your incredible thought process and message behind this statement?
That’s so nice of you to say! At that point in the song, the narrator has already admitted that their advice to succeed in life is not morally sound, and they’re trying to make an argument that HAD they had the financial ability to “live a straight and narrow life,” they would. But they believe that everything they have done is morally justified. I’m on Twitter a lot, and I’ve seen some convoluted discourse on the privilege of carrying out an act of charity: that being good relies on being rich, first. This argument completely disregards the efforts of community organizers, volunteers and local activists, many of whom are not affluent or even comfortable. Lack of wealth isn’t fun in the slightest, but what’s truly devastating to individuals is lack of robust social support, whether from their community or from the government.
Back to the song, the point I’m making here is that selfishness is seductive. Apathy is easy. If you think that they are your only way forward, your worldview will collapse around that belief, and given any advantage you are going to act the same: selfishly and apathetically. It also happens to be the worldview that our current economic model encourages. When a community arrives at the point where everybody holds this worldview, it will become true: when everybody around you is out for themselves, it makes sense that you should only look out for yourself, no matter how much money you have.
It’s interesting that you drew inspiration from the Vietnamese short story Chí Phèo. What was it about that story that spoke to you, and how did you incorporate it into your music?
Chí Phèo by Nam Cao follows Chí Phèo, who’s a drunk, an ex-convict, and a petty criminal ostracized from society. One of his most famous quotes goes: “I want to be a good person. Who would allow me to be a good person?” It’s a self-pitying but understandable perspective that my song’s narrator also holds. As I’ve mentioned above: this perspective becomes reality when everyone in a community allows it to.
Where do you begin the production of your music and what instruments do you use as the foundation? Who is involved with the engineering and mix / mastering process of the song?
The song is produced by SOI, who was also the producer for the last 2 projects. We’ve been looking to Raye’s live music as inspiration for some time: a mix of modern electronic sound and classic orchestra. We have some extremely talented musicians and arrangers on the piano and violin — Timmy, Melopatt, and Hồ Nguyên. They really made the song what it is.
Your songs often seem to have this theatrical edge. How important is it to you to keep a sense of drama in your music, and where does that come from?
The theatricality is very important, because I want them to be fun to perform as well. I like what Chappell Roan has to say on this, when she started switching up her music styles to be more pop: sad indie songs are a bummer to perform, and they bum out your audience. I’m trying to rile them up and maybe have a good time together. That’s where all of this comes from — desire to have fun, to be extra, to become larger-than-life. Me being a musical theater nerd might also be a contributing factor.
Is there a particular line in “In This Economy…?” that means the most to you, or that you think listeners should pay special attention to?
“Morality’s a hobby for the one percent” — I’ve seen some people quote this in their stories and stuff. Only thing I want them to understand is that it does not represent my belief, more like what late-stage capitalism wants us to believe.
In what ways does “In This Economy…?” connect to or differ from other music you’ve released? How has your sound or approach changed over time?
I would say this is the first song released on my own that I’ve tried speaking/rapping. I really hope it’s not cringe because the first time I listened to the initial voice memo I had a full-body shudder, the bad kind. I’m not sure how to feel about my speaking voice yet.
For someone who’s never experienced your live performances, how would you describe the vibe and energy of a Juliet By Night show? What can they expect to feel or see when they’re in the crowd?
I think a good show is a group effort between the entertainer, the crowd, and the venue. The best gig I’ve had so far was when the organizer just let everyone in for free, with curating a good experience as the highest priority. The crowd was game to sing along and dance instead of awkwardly looking around. As for my part I always act extra with my crazy uncomfortable outfits, weird unfiltered comments, and random roasts at some poor audience member’s expense — if you’ve read this far down the interview you’ve known by now that I talk a lot.
If you had to describe the message of “In This Economy…?” to someone in one sentence, what would you say?
I don’t know if I’d try to summarize complicated socioeconomic dynamics into one sentence, that’s out of my ability. Maybe, “Do you want to see how laissez faire capitalism can turn you into a complete sociopath?”
Juliet By Night, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
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We’re happy to have shared Juliet By Night’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Juliet By Night on Spotify & YouTube.
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