We recently connected with Jules Martinez and have shared our conversation below.

Jules, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

In the music business, It’s pretty easy to get labeled. The issue starts when you are a little bit out of the box, and start mixing things that might be confusing for the general audience.

On my end, I was labeled for a while as “The French Man” and all the stereotypes surrounding it, mainly generated by soaps and movies. But then, When I started being a session musician, and play pretty much anything that was given to me, things started to get a little bit more blurry.

For example, I could play Latin Music, and I have a Spanish name, but I’m not a Latino, since I was born in Europe. I can play 80’s Hard-Rock but I don’t consider myself a fan of guitar-driven/instrumental music… And I’m also a songwriter, and I like to use all sorts of instruments (Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Drums pads, Vocals) to reach my creative goals. Suddenly, I’m not that guitar player that can throw a million notes per minute.

When you feel mischaracterized, the only thing that matters is: How much do you enjoy what you’re doing? This transcends everything: Musical Genre, Ethnicity, Social Background… If you are really honest in the way you perform your art, people will follow.

Jules, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Long Story short, I was born in France, started music when I was 16 and never stopped! Did my music education over there, started my first tours/gigs and albums with Death Metal and Rock Bands and then relocated to the United States.

I was then living in Las Vegas for a few years before relocating to Los Angeles. In all my years of music, I’ve done all possible jobs to make a living out of it: Guitar teacher, Band/Recital director, Entertainer for an Italian/American Resort (The Venetian), Live/Studio session musician for songwriters and cover bands in LA, Performing solo acts at weddings/restaurants/private parties, playing Bass Guitar for church services and being an actor for a video game promotional content…

And on top of that, I’m also a songwriter/producer (ish) releasing my music on streaming platforms. I’m currently working on a new album, and I’ve just released a new track called “When I Was Ten”. It gives a good vision of what I’m able to do as a solo producer.

To sum up, I pretty much consider myself a hired gun and a musical composer. And I would say that the only way to get into this business, is to apply… as much as you can for anything you see around that sounds relevant and appealing. Keep you ears and heart open !

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Honesty. Just being unfiltered and truthful to the best of my abilities. Telling a story, that you can’t explain sometimes with words. When an emotion or feeling is haunting you, I believe it’s a call for release. You have to put it out and the aesthetic doesn’t matter much.

It could be Rock, Reggae, Hard Rock, Alternative, or just a simple acoustic guitar with a voice… Pour it out, let it go, and don’t limit yourself with the idea you have of yourself. Let the music drive you.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The human and psychological aspect of this business. To be a good musician and or performer, be a good person first. Be easy to work with. Be kind and humble, It’s as relevant as your many years of practice and skills.

And please, do not, under any circumstance, surround yourself with people that mistreat you/bully you/take advantage of you. Talent and success can sometimes protect people that have the worst behaviors.

Stay truthful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4hn3AObsESMShZlS90Mt56?si=1COxRHkqQ0KCMy3gMkIPSA
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/julesjuliomartinez
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@JulesJulioMartinez
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/julesjuliomartinez

Image Credits

Mauro Villalobos, Joel Cruzada, Nina Cloutour, Tatiana Samano