![]() ![]() She maintains an interactive and devoted fan base. In an interview with the New York Times, she spoke about her faith in God, being gay, the grip of addiction, and most importantly, everything getting better. Perhaps more impressive than her escalating musical career is her attitude towards her fans, and the heartfelt transparency concerning issues she’s personally faced. Most recently, she has signed to the artist friendly and institutional Matador Records. Additionally, the young phenom continues to headline sold out shows across the nation and has shared the stage with the likes of Daughter, Band of Horses and Frightened Rabbit-just to name a few. Since, she has appeared on All Songs Considered, made the New York Times “Best Albums of 2015” list, and has appeared at festivals such as Newport Folk Festival & Austin City Limits. ![]() I first came across her playing an intimate NPR Tiny Desk Session, premiering “Funeral Pyre” while it was still untitled. Although she has been on the scene for a short time, the earnest songwriter has already made some notable achievements. when you phrase it in those terms, you recognize that it is unhealthy, that you should not do that, and yet, it is a valid emotion to feel and should be felt and honored.Julien Baker’s self-proclaimed “sad songs” have been making a splash since the release of her 2015, critically acclaimed, debut album Sprained Ankle (6131 Records). There are things that are counterintuitive to reason that a person feels that demand expression, and then when I express them within a song. "When I'm writing, many times there is a tension between the logical and the poetic, emotional brain. I am just blown away by music's elasticity to be the salve that anyone needs." On how writing songs is a process of personal discovery: And so, to hear what people glean or take from the songs and how they respond to it in a really visceral way that may or may not have anything to do with how I intended or imagined the song. "The most precious thing to me about performing music is that you create art, yes, but not in a vacuum. I never imagined any of this happening, and I'm grateful for it." On performing in front of an audience: That was the plan, honestly, to just make music and hand it out to friends and family and have them say, 'Good job!' and be content with that. "You recognize that you're going to have to be a martyr for your passions a little bit and I thought, 'What's more pure than music?' I want to pursue it no matter what kind of temporal recognition I get for that just because I would want to do it anyway. "I feel like I would have put myself into an unfavorable or unhealthy position for this person and maybe recognizing from an outside perspective that that destructivism is a more healthy thing to do than to stay in it for the sort of, romantic, admirable belief that subjecting yourself to this kind of sacrificial, fatuous love would be more of the right thing to do." Why she makes music: And then, are you responsible for permitting that? If you stay, are you responsible for permitting it? And if you leave, are you responsible for not intervening? If you intervene, are you out of your bounds? Everything about the song is figuring out how you should act in your level of responsibility for your own health and to others in the dynamic of a relationship, which is a difficult lesson to learn. "Obviously, drinking gasoline incurs bodily harm on you, but also, being an accessory to that kind of behavior and having to decide - it incurs harm upon you, too. The song takes a deep look at a painful, broken relationship that's doing her more harm than good. The first time I heard it she was performing behind my desk and introduced it, with a smile, as "Sad Song Number 11." Like all other Julien Baker recordings, it's just her and her guitar. ![]() "Funeral Pyre," as the name implies, is a dark tune. ![]() On March 17, Matador will release her new single, along with a vinyl reissue of Sprained Ankle outside the U.S. We came to love Julien Baker when she released Sprained Ankle late in 2015. On this +1 edition of All Songs Considered, we've got a candid conversation with the remarkably talented Julien Baker and play her first song for Matador, called " Funeral Pyre." But this 21-year old guitarist, engineer and songwriter has just signed to the nearly 30-year-old Matador Records, a label known for its wide swath of beloved artists, including Liz Phair, Pavement, Cat Power and Savages. Julien Baker never imagined her sad songs would be loved beyond a small circle of friends. ![]()
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