Where she comes from, it’s perpetually cold, gloomy, and rainy. So she took it upon herself to turn United Kingdom’s temperature up a little with her warm vocals.
Julie Thompson already knew what she was in for even at a young age – she started singing, writing songs, and playing the piano when she was only 14 years old. The music industry was her dream, and she made it come true when she moved to London in an attempt to pursue what she truly loved.
Some people make the wrong career hoices in life, but not Julie, no siree. Her leap of faith landed her right smack in the middle of a production for London producer James Holden’s “Nothing”. The track found it way into an impressive pile of compilations such as:
- Global Underground (mixed by Deep Dish)
- Politics of Dancing (mixed by Paul van Dyk)
- Gatecrasher Immortal (mixed by Matt Hardwick)
- Spundae (mixed by Ferry Corsten)
- Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance
Just to name a few.
She then, she has toured around Europe and South East Asia to perform in numerous gigs and festivals. The exposure allowed Julie to fall right into (then No.1) DJ Tiësto‘s radar, who approached her for a collaboration. The track “Do You Feel Me” became one of the tracks in one of Tiësto’s highly successful albums, “Elements of Life”:
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To add on to her already impressive CV, Julie was then asked to join Tiësto’s “Elements of Life” world tour to sing before hundreds of thousands of people. While on tour, she teamed up again with Tiësto to write and record “Somewhere Inside”.
Needless to say, that track made it to the very strict selection of tracks for Tiësto’s “In Search Of Sunrise: Volume 6” and even received a full single release on Black Hole Recordings.
Her future was set in stone.
And now, Julie Thompson is coming to Malaysia for the very first time to perform alongside Richard Thompson and Dash Berlin at Music Conference Asia 2012!
While partygoers are prepared to have their minds blown away in a few days, Global Sound Masters takes her aside for an exclusive interview:
Hello Julie. Could you share with us how did you start your career?
“I started my career at 15 playing singer songwriter clubs in London as a pianist/vocalist. Back then I wanted to be Kate Bush! From there I went to Paul McCartney’s music college in Liverpool where I spent 3 years writing songs and recording in the studios on site. I then moved to London and became a session singer for pop writers until I managed to convince some of them to co-write with me. When I got my first ‘cut’ I signed my first publishing deal initially to write songs for other artists but around that same time I ended up collaborating with James Holden (Holden & Thompson ‘Nothing’). That release opened up the world of dance music and soon I had many producers approaching me asking to do collaborations. The rest is history!”
What was the biggest highlight of your career so far?
“The highlight of my career is being involved in the Tiesto Elements Of Life tour. Going from playing 1000 capacity clubs to 25,000 capacity arenas was amazing. The other highlight was making my first album for Black Hole Recordings. I had always dreamed of making my own artist album.”
We love “Diamond in the Sky”! How was it like working in the studio with Richard Durand?
“It was great working with Richard. Normally with collaborations a producer sends me a track I write the top line and send back the files. This time I flew to Amsterdam and we worked together from scratch in the studio. I like working like that as u jam around and write the song first. The track comes later. It’s more of the pop way of working which is what I prefer.”
Who are your music idols?
“I have many idols. I love great songwriters. Jimmy Webb is one of my favourite writers. True artists like Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Ian Brown.”
Mind sharing with us what you are working on at the moment?
“I’m currently working on my new album. All the songs are already written although as I’m working with different producers on each track, with all the finishing touches we’re still a couple of months away from completion which is a bit of a logistical nightmare! I’m also developing some new artists.”
Besides touring and making new music, what do you do during your free time?
“To be honest I don’t have that much free time at the moment. I spend 1 day a week mentoring young musicians which I think is a very important thing to do. I love the cinema and going to gigs, plus relaxing with friends for a drink or two. And occasionally hitting a few golf balls out on the driving range or on a course!”
This would be your first time in Malaysia, what can we expect from your show?
“You can expect lots of energy lots of audience participation – and hopefully lots of fun!”
What would you like to say to your Malaysian fans?
“Thanks so much for your support! Im really looking forward to seeing you all and I hope you enjoy the show!”
We can’t wait to see you too! Peeps, do not attempt to leave the dance floor this Saturday. You’ve been warned.
Credits go to Global Sound Masters for the exclusive interview.
For more information on Julie Thompson, visit her official website or Facebook page. Or stalk her via Twitter!
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