JULIA MICHAELS ON HEARTBREAK, HEALING AND FINDING FREEDOM

FROM CO-WRITING MASSIVE POP HITS for Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter to carving out her own lane as a performer, Julia Michaels has found her sweet spot in music-making — one fueled by lyrical and emotional honesty.

- By NATHALIE TOMADA

Now, she’s taking her artistry to greater — if not, freer — heights with new music released under her own label, GFY Records. Her newest single out is No Heartbreak Killed Me Yet.

Speaking from her home in the U.S., the multiple Diamond and Platinum-certified, Grammy-nominated artist recently sat down for an exclusive Zoom interview with The Philippine STAR to talk about this creative independence.

When asked what inspired her to set up her own label, she said, “I really wanted to put out music, but I didn’t want to be beholden to somebody. After being on a label for so long, I didn’t want to report to anybody, and I didn’t want the opinion of 99, 60-year-old men, you know what I mean?

“I had all these songs that I really loved, and I was like, ‘Alright, I'm just gonna start my own label.’ Luckily, I have this incredible team that believes in it, and it’s been really fun. I’m so grateful every day.”

Here are more excerpts from the one-on-one wherein she also talked about how songwriting healed her after heartbreak and the possibility of finally meeting her Filipino fans in person.

How do you feel knowing that the Philippines is one of your top streaming markets globally and second in Southeast Asia?

“That's so beautiful — for a country I’ve never been to, for them to be such die-hard streamers is incredible. Thank you so, so, so much!”

Do you get messages from your Filipino fans?

“I don’t get a lot of messages from my Filipino fans. I think if I was on Twitter, I probably would get a lot more. But I know we've been talking about a way to come and see everybody. Touring as an independent artist can be kind of expensive, so figuring out how to get people around the world is gonna be a unique thing. But they’re definitely always at the forefront of my mind. I really am just so grateful that after all this time, they have been so unconditional.”