We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julien Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julien, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Ever since I was three years old, I’ve known I wanted to be in front of people. Growing up, I always loved to sing everywhere I went no matter the time or place, and eventually, that turned into making my own music, making podcasts, acting and hosting events and shows.

I love the process of learning how to make something artistic “click” somehow. The countless takes are full of stages of irritability, but also a sense of enjoyment, fulfillment and relief. Those “awe” moments keep the process going for me, and it makes everything all the more worthwhile once I can perform, distribute and have it seen or heard by even just one person. The infinite amounts of facial expressions full of emotion are just so satisfying to see every time.

All of that became my motivation to pursue creative entertainment professionally, and it becomes my main drive to make money while doing this. I still do not make a lot of money at all, but without this motivation, I can’t go through these slow monetary seasons to eventually make the big bucks. I don’t do any of this for the money though, which makes it even easier to go through all of the hoops and hollahs that come with these creative profession pathways. I’m just blessed to be able to create and have people who like my music, podcasting and more.

Julien, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My entertainment name is “Juelz”, and I’m a singer/entertainer from Milwaukee, WI. I make music, podcasts and overall entertain people through multiple different mediums. My purpose in life is to connect people to emotion, music, faith, information, networks, etc. through entertainment and more, and I want to inspire people of all shapes, sizes and ages to think beyond the surface about the big and little things in life.

My music revolves around chill, R&B and melodic rap vibe that reflects my unique perspective on life, mental health and more. I have an 8-song album out on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and many other streaming platforms called “Time Will Tell” that does reflects who I am as a person and as an artist. It’s truly an immersive, insightful experience that has the listeners thinking about their own lives as well as vibing to the vibrant, melodic beats that help the songs flow smoothly from one track to another.

My podcast, “The Versatility Podcast” revolves around me talking about my perspective while interviewing different people in my network that have unique opinions to bring to the table regarding culture, news, entertainment and more. We tackle a multitude of different topics and dissect the truth beyond the facts that lie in front of us. With over 37 episodes now, the podcast has quite the range from people with high-valuing opinions in sports, news, entertainment and more. It’s quite the experience.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

What we do as creatives, is not easy. Many of us are constantly undervalued, under-appreciated and not given enough help or love for what we do. In order to best support us creatives, you must share that post. Share that song. Share that video. That soundbite. That reel. Just because you don’t like their music, acting or artistic gift, doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Be considerate s though that was one of your friends trying to make it to the next level.

Being a creative is already underpaid universally, so just be considerate of our time and pay. Many of us do this for the love of it, but sometimes that’s not enough because creating takes so much time to do, so that’s why donations, sponsorships and more mean so much to us. We are running a business just like anyone or anything else you pay for, but we just really love what we do.

Don’t take our talent for granted because that one spark of you helping that artist can connect someone to something they may have been waiting their whole life to see. Tell that artist, no matter how big or small, that they made an impact on you. That would mean the world to them and keep them going, trust me.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had to pivot really hard during the pandemic by changing my major to multimedia journalism in college in order to be closer to the entertainment industry. I was unhappy and had a panic attack because I was not happy with what I was majoring in prior(English), so I had to make a change and revamp what my future looked like.

This led me to start my podcast, “The Versatility Podcast”, in January 2021, and eventually led me to meet so many people at my university and more who helped shape and mold me along my journey. Because of that decision, there was a trickle-down effect that led to me having my first ever music video done for my song “Runnin'”(on the “Time Will Tell” album) through a class that was happening in my school’s building.

We have to take chances whether big or small in order to have the career we want to have because they all are intertwined into the true destiny that I believe God has for me in the long run in His ultimate plan.

Because of that decision, now I am an HBCU college graduate from the illustrious Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Multimedia Journalism and I graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors. I’ll now be bringing my talents to Los Angelos, CA as I will be a Disney Intern there, and I plan to continue my personal projects as I make more money to use on them, and eventually, I’ll be in front of hundreds, thousands and even millions of people while on-air on tv, radio & podcasting mediums, in-person at events, concerts, etc. and whatever else comes my way.

I have a calling to be in front of people and make an impact on so many, and that comes with a lot of pivots that are soon to come, but through my faith in God, my personal skills and my experiences, I know that I’ll be ready for whatever comes my way!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/jujuelz.ent
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juelz_is/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julien.johnson.501
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-j-286652111/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/juelz_is
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/Tsle3XHQhKw

Image Credits
Image Credits: Black Alfalfa Productions- Cole Hite (Photo 1) D2 Productions- Damon DeBose (Photos 2-6)