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

Juliet, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

To have had (and still have!) the support of my parents to pursue a career in the music business is something I consider a tremendous blessing. My mom has always been my biggest fan, and even in my deepest ruts, she has never suggested I hang up the towel. As for my dad, when I told him way back when that I wanted to go to a conservatory of music for my university schooling (UMKC), he was not thrilled. He meant it half-jokingly, but he told me “sopranos are a dime a dozen,” and he is completely right! While he believed in my talent, he also was aware that having talent is a very small step forward on the road to success. I appreciate that in the end, he supported my wish to get my music degrees, but also that he kept me from living in a fantasy bubble where a successful music career magically happens overnight.

I cherish being able to celebrate every success I have with my parents and my incredibly supportive big sis, and that they are also there to listen and offer words of comfort and advice when I need them. The thing with the world I am in is that there’s never an “I have made it now” moment. There are moments of success, and then they are over, and it’s back to the hustle and grind. So while I wish they could all sit back and no longer need to hear about my hard days, I am thankful that they understand that even on those hard days, music remains my greatest love and passion, and I am in it for life.

Juliet, 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?

I began my professional career as a singer on cruise ships. Best first gig ever! Because I had a lot of free time, I started dabbling in songwriting and discovered I loved it, though it certainly took a while to get good at it. I started sending my songs in to music libraries, who eventually started signing them. Some of these libraries would send out briefs for instrumentals, and the cues I submitted started get used on television shows. I found it very exciting to have pieces I produced in my home studio get used on networks from NBC to MTV, and I got hooked on creating production music. I’ve been doing it for over a decade, while also releasing albums as a New Age recording artist, and most recently, running a Vocal Coach reaction channel on YouTube (@youronlinesingingcoach). Lately I am creating fewer instrumentals and more songs, as vocal music has always been my strength, and the instrumental market for sync has become quite oversaturated. This can mean fewer placements, but bigger placements. For example, last year a song of mine called “Arabesque” was used in the film starring Channing Tatum called “Dog,” during a thwarted tantric s*x scene – a really funny moment in the film, by the way. This one placement has been generating more royalties for me than hundreds of my instrumentals airing on reality TV.

One of the most satisfying things about creating songs for film and television is that I get to use different sounds and characteristics with my voice. Whether it’s an ethereal or epic trailer piece, a sassy pop song, or a jazz standard in style, I love to tap into the energy of the song and find the vocal quality and style that works best for it. If I had only been a recording artist, I would have had to limit myself to one sound, one style, one vocal identity. I prefer to explore!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

YES! So many! To begin with, as an independent contractor, I so wish Ramit Sethi’s “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” existed when I was in my 20s, but that book has been tremendously helpful to me. For creators, “The War of Art” and “Turning Pro” by Steven Pressfield are two must-haves – my well-worn copies will never leave my bookshelf! This next one is more about day-to-day music creation, but a fantastic resource on YouTube for instrumental hip hop producers using Logic are the tutorials by @imamusicmogul – his channel is awesome. Lastly, there is a very powerful philosophical quote from Marianne Williamson that I think speaks to anyone in a creative field. It says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” We are all meant to shine, baby. I love that!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. This is one thing I love about being older. There is a clearer focus and greater meaning when you’ve been on the journey longer. On a personal level, I was diagnosed in 2019 with a rare disease called Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis. It occurs in one in 400,000 people, and it affects my ability to breathe, which in turn affects my singing. Singing is no longer taken for granted, and given how much singing means to me, it is simply my goal to sing more. Whether I’m quickly demonstrating a technique in one of my reaction videos, or recording a new album (which I am doing at the moment; look for Breath of Gratitude next year!), I am singing with joy and with gratitude, because the future of my singing voice is unknown, with this disease. However, I am also using my voice figuratively to raise awareness for this disease, and that feels REALLY good. The more awareness, the more hope for a cure or a longer-lasting treatment.

On a broader level, it has become more and more a part of my mission to pay it forward and give back. I love to mentor, speak on panels, and work with people of all ages who are dedicated, passionate, and working hard. While every journey is different, I want to share the things I have learned and the things that have worked for me. I would not be where I am today if people hadn’t done the same for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.julietlyons.com
• Instagram: youronlinesingingcoach
• Facebook: julietlyons.music
• Youtube: youronlinesingingcoach

Image Credits
Robin Sandoval, Shining Rae, Kate Boyd