Julia Michaels spoke to Billboard about her progression as a songwriter and revealed that Inner Monologue Part 2 is coming “pretty damn soon” at American Express’ “5-Day Weekend” experience Thursday evening (May 30).
The event — which took place at The Beekman Hotel in New York — walked guests through five lavish days of vacation that showed off the benefits of being an Amex platinum card member, with the final “day” featuring Michaels giving an intimate performance at The Beekman’s Alley Cat Amateur Theatre lounge.
The blossoming pop star sang five of the six songs from her latest EP, Inner Monologue Part 1, and previewed an unreleased song about falling for the wrong guys. Michaels previously shared some of the track’s lyrics in a Twitter post back in February.
“I like guys with big lips that treat me like shit/ That only want my hips when it’s convenient for them/ People I can fix that leave when they’re good again,” Michaels sings on the song’s chorus. “I keep falling for boys/ And mistaking them for men.”
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Michaels has been collaborating with and penning hits for global superstars like Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato since she was just a teenager but it wasn’t until she dropped her solo single “Issues” — a song she says was “too personal to give away” — in 2017 that she found herself thrust into the spotlight.
And while the 25-year-old is now conquering stadiums and selling out her own headlining shows, Michaels tells Billboard it’s been a difficult adjustment at times, especially while dealing with her anxiety and stage fright.
“For the first year, I was having panic attacks, I was hiding in hallways, I was running away, people could barely find me,” Michaels says. “[As a songwriter] you don’t see the photoshoots and the interviews and the flying all the time and the being away from everyone and everything you love.”
Since jumpstarting her solo career, the Grammy-nominated artist says her songwriting process has changed to be more “internal.” While she enjoys collaborating when writing for others, she’s found it’s often easiest to express her own thoughts and feelings while writing alone.
January’s Inner Monologue Part 1 has been heralded as Michaels’ most personal work thus far, with “What A Time” reflecting on the end of a relationship and “Anxiety” candidly detailing Michaels’ experiences with anxiety and depression. Michaels says opening up about her mental health has been therapeutic for her and she hopes to resonate with people sharing similar struggles.
“Ever since I went to therapy, I’ve realized how much strength there is in talking about the things that you go through and how much weight it takes off your body,” Michaels explains. “Everyone gets nervous or anxious or whatever. But to the people that have severe panic attacks like I do, I really want them to know that I’ve got their back.”