Julie Roberts – Interview [2004]

Remember when Faith Hill was an unknown? Jump on the Julie Roberts bandwagon now because she’s poised to become the biggest star in country.

How much of an advantage did you have by working at a record label and then getting signed?

I think it was a big advantage in being a new artist because for three years I would learn. I would always ask artists what they were doing when they came into the office. They though it was just a nosy assistant. (Laughs—with the sort of wonderfully infectious laugh that makes you feel comfortable enough to laugh along) I would listen to Luke [Lewis] especially and how he conducted business at the label. I understand the promotion charts, radio tours and marketing plans. It helps me because I know what should be done for me.

I talk to new artists and they have no idea what is happening and it’s a new world and stressful.

Everyday is a new experience for me, but one I expected.

Performing is a lot of fun certainly. It’s the business world that is stressful.

Most people don’t understand the business side. Before I was hired at the label I thought you just mailed your CD to the radio station and they played it. That’s a hard lesson for a new artist. I thought the record labels would just play you but you have to go to them to get them to play it.

How hard is it because your time is in such demand?

The hardest part so far is that I’m a regimented person and like routine, but the music industry you have to be ready to go any time. That is the hardest adjustment not to get up and watch the news and work out before work. I love it though and now I love being in a new place everyday. I can change my habits to sing because this is what I love.

Do you get the feeling that the country world is like a family? I don’t mean you all hang out, but it’s more like a fraternity.

I think for the majority of people I’ve run across, but especially writers. You write with different song writers and it’s awesome. I don’t know every artist because I’m new, but with the artists I have met they are awesome and like family. Billy Currington and I are buddies.

I think Nashville has more songwriters per capita than anyplace in the world.

Maybe. (Laughs) You either move here to write or sing. Nashville is full of them. It’s awesome.

It has to be a really creative atmosphere.

When I first started writing I thought it was weird that you had to make an appointment to write. Sometimes you’ll just go in and have a conversation and a song will come up from that. It’s very creative. I’m sorry if that didn’t answer the question.

Actually it made me think of more questions.

(Julie laughs again and you can’t help but love her laugh)

When you made an appointment and go in, do you have an idea about what you want to write about?

Sometimes I have an idea, but they may not be feeling it that day and then we’ll bounce the idea off each other and sometimes we’ll sit and talk and then go to lunch and talk about ideas. It depends on the day and the situation.

Is it fun, easier, to write with others?

It is fun. The first couple of times I met writers I was scared. I was scared I wouldn’t do well. But you have to go in there and tell them what you want to do. It’s the least stressful parts of my job. You talk about what is in your head and put it to music. It is amazing. (Laughs)

I know you like the blues, what is about the blues that fascinates you?

I just like soul in my music. I like to hear it in all types of music. I do it naturally. You have to sing what you want to sing and play what you want to sing and hopefully you have someone else who is into it when you are writing.

When you went to the record label, did you want to learn or did you think to the future to be a singer?

I came to Nashville to get my education and transferred to Belmont University from the University of South Carolina. The reason I went to school there was because I wanted to be a singer. You had the option to be a singer so I went to Mercury and interned there for two years and then when I graduated I needed a job to pay off my school loan. A receptionist job opened up and I took it. I worked as a receptionist for a year and a half then they moved me to the A&R department for six months and I would answer phones and made appointments then after six months the labels merged and then I worked for the chairman of the label Luke Lewis. I knew in the back of my head I wanted to sing so it was hard to not do that. But I believed in God and my faith so I knew that the door would open. I knew there was nothing else I was supposed to be doing. I started working with Brent Rowan. We’d work at night and he had previous meetings with my boss, Luke, regarding other artists. Luke wanted another meeting to hear other artists—I set up the meeting and everything. Brent asked if it was okay if he played [Luke] something we’ve been working on. So I was proud of it, it was just guitar and vocals. Brent told Luke he was going to play him a few songs from a new girl he had been working with. So he played him the two songs and Luke stopped the CD and asked, “who is she?” He said, I want you to listen to all five and at the end Luke said he wanted to meet her. Brent told him it was his assistant and Luke asked, “what assistant?” Brent said, “Julie.” Luke said, “you’ve got to be kidding me, I didn’t even know she sang.” That’s how it went.

Where there ever friends or family who said, “come on Julie just tell him you are a singer?”

Yes. They’d say, “you work right beside him why don’t you?” They didn’t know how hard it was then. I asked them if they were going to pay my bills when I got fired.

You don’t want the person above you to think you are trying to take advantage.

Uh-Huh. You want them to respect you for what you do. I wanted them to know I work hard. I’ve always had to work hard.

What is the first thing you did when you got signed?

That kind of goes with the rest of the story. Brent left the meeting and he was smiling and calls me. He told me the meeting went great. Luke was going to hand it off to the A&R department and because we worked so close together he didn’t want to cross those vines. So this happened in October of 2002 and then in the beginning of 2003 the A&R department wanted to do a development deal. In January and February we went in and recorded five songs with a full band. The only ones who knew at the label were a few people in the A&R department, Luke, and a few people in the finance department that were paying the finance costs. I was still working for Luke during all this—I was recording at night. So May, 2003, Brent played them the full demos. I was nervous all day. (Laughs) They called me down to the office, Brent was smiling, and Luke said he liked the songs and they wanted me to finish the record. Luke said, “but you can’t tell anybody.” (Laughs) Which was fine with me. I hadn’t told anybody for three years what is another six months? He didn’t want anyone to tell anyone, I could tell my family, but no one at the label because we were going to have a staff retreat and he wanted to tell everyone there. So we went on a staff retreat in July and we were on a boat and he said, “I’m going to play a CD for you from a girl who will be coming out in 2004.” And after he played the CD he said “the girl that is coming out in 2004 is part of our family, it’s Julie Roberts.” Everyone started crying. That was the end of July and I still worked for him until August and quit so I could work on the record. My mom was so excited when I told her; she knew that is what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

That is crazy. You had the dream and you worked really hard to get there—once you got there what becomes the next dream?

To sell millions and millions. I just want to sing and play everywhere. I want to go around the world and be global. I want to reach all the country fans. I love to play live. I want to make many records, hopefully. What I really love is playing live. I like to interact because that is what I liked to do. The next step is to take the music everywhere. And I want to support my family, and my mom.

When you were growing up did you pretend did you pretend you were a country singer?

Uh-Huh. Exactly. I always wanted to be Barbra Mandrell and then when I got older I wanted to be Trisha Yearwood. I never wanted to do anything else. Now I want to be a big me. Not physically big. (Laughs)

Who hasn’t pretended they were someone singing into a flashlight?

Or a hairbrush.

+ Charlie Craine