We were lucky to catch up with Juliana Omokheyeke recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Juliana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
The first time I realized that I wanted to pursue music professionally was in middle school choir. Every year the choir put on a show with a specific theme called the “Pop Show”. All of the songs performed had to fit the theme. I was in 7th grade and this years theme was “Disney”. My choir group was assigned the song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from the Lion King. I decided last minute that I was going to try out for the solo. I had never gotten my own solo before and only had practice singing in groups at this point. I was so nervous before because we had to sing in front of the entire class. I remember the day of the audition. When it was my turn to sing, something happened. I let go. I started to gain confidence and enjoy the sound of myself. My choir members were also very supportive and were encouraging me the whole time. I ended up getting the solo. That was the first solo I had ever gotten and it gave me the confidence to keep auditioning. I ended up participating in so many school shows and getting many more solos through out my middle school and high school journey. It all started with this audition in the 7th grade. Before this, I only every sang on my own in my room. I knew I loved to sing, but I had not envisioned that I could do this professionally until I got my first solo in middle school.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
My name is Juliana Omokheyeke. I am a singer and songwriter from Houston Texas. I would describe myself as a very animated, fun, and comical person. I love to laugh, travel, and enjoy myself. I started singing at a very young age. I always loved music and performing. I used to come up with dance routines in my living room to all the hit pop songs with my sisters and cousins growing up. I quickly gained a passion for singing and performing in my early childhood. I started to put myself out there and participate in school choir and community theater at the age of 12 years old. I did that all throughout middle and high school. While I was in high school, I started to write my own songs. I learned that I enjoyed songwriting just as much as I loved singing and performing. After high school, I went to Chicago to study music at Columbia College Chicago. While in college I finished my first project. It was 5 song EP titled “Intuition”. This project was all about my journey of finding my own voice. I wanted to emphasize the importance of following your instincts and trusting yourself. This project was very important to me, I had started it in senior year of high school and finished it in my junior year of college. I graduated with a BA in music in 2019. Since then I released another single in 2020 called “You Don’t Even Know”. I wrote this song as a love letter to the younger version of myself. It is a song I wish I had heard when I was a little girl. It explores the topic of beauty and the insecurities people face trying to live up to those standards.
Overall I want my music to remind people that they are not alone. My goal is to create music from my point of view that people can relate to. I want to be vulnerable and express parts of myself that I do not usually share in my music. I am most proud of my persistence and my ability to handle rejection. I have been told no hundreds of times, but I never stopped creating. I never want to get to a point where I stop making music. As long as I am still creating art, I am proud of myself. I think what sets me apart is the normalcy of my artistry. I keep it real. I am learning to present myself how I am instead of how I think people want me to be. I strive to be authentic rather than popular. My social media and music is a safe place where anyone can come and feel welcomed no matter how they look, identify, or how much money they make. If my song can help one person feel better after a rough day, then I have done my job.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I have struggled with my mental health on and off for a few years. In the fall of 2021, I hit an all time low. I had gone through a very rough depression and on top of that I had gotten physically sick. I lost 30 pounds in the span of two months. Getting up everyday was a struggle and I was constantly in pain. During that time my grandmother had also passed away. I was dealing with so many traumatic things at the same time. I wanted to give up. I had writers block and could not finish a song no matter how hard I tried. The one thing I still had through all of that was my voice. Music and singing helped me through that dark time. I despised the way my life had turned out at that time, but I could never hate music. I questioned if I would ever get better and get back on track with my goals and dreams. A year has passed by and I am no longer sick. My writers block is gone and I am creating again. I still morn the life I thought I would have at this age and my Grandmother, but at the same time I am learning to forge a new path. I am redefining what it means to be accomplished and I am not placing any shame or blame onto myself. I have the ability to bounce back from the most devastating situations. For that I will always be grateful.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to see your vision come to life! It is so satisfying to listen to a song that you wrote or watch a music video that you created. I released my first music video in 2019, it was for “Me & My Girls” the first track on my album “Intuition”. I had a vision for that video for an entire year before I was able to execute it. I was the executive producer for the project. It was extremely stressful, but worth it in the end. I was able to collaborate with other creatives and my best friends to create something bigger than myself. Being able to create something (a song, a music video, or a film) that will outlive you and an entire generation is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Julianaomokheyeke
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianaomokheyeke/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julianaomo97
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/julianaomo97
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/THEJOSHOW25
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@julianaomokheyeke
Image Credit:
Photos wearing a nude dress – @shaunhayes
Photos wearing a white long sleeved cropped t-shirt, black leggings, and blue boots – @chollette
Photos wearing a bright pink top – @churchill.morris
Cartoon drawing of me/ you don’t even know cover art – honeybee @honeey_beeby