Meet Rising Artist Julian Lamadrid
New York-based artist Julian Lamadrid is an emerging talent that should have your attention. Born and raised in Dubai, the singer-songwriter recalls his earliest music memory at the age of five, listening to Elvis Presley. When he was 18-years-old, he made the move to “the city that never sleeps”, enrolling in the film school at New York University. While pursuing his education in cinema, Lamadrid used his spare time to hone in on his musical craft, writing, and creating material on the side. Citing Iggy Pop and Pink Floyd as musical influences, and Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy as his film influences, Julian has created a unique and mesmerizing style and sound. With the release of his new project Mala Noche, the 21-year-old musician is showing no signs of slowing down.
We were able to chat with Julian Lamadrid about everything from his new project, incorporating his love for film in his videos and more…
What do you want fans to take away after watching the accompanying visual?
I want them to see me for the unstable individual that I truly am. It’s a one-take video that emphasizes every lyric and word with a volatile and violent performance. You see me crescendo in emotion as I fall out of frame, only to return, mouth stitched shut, forcing out every syllable despite the pain. The video itself cost around $20 to make, shot wit my best friend’s camera up against a simple white wall. It’s not the most daring or elaborate production, and yet it happens to be one of my favourite pieces I’ve directed. It’s ultimately a performance piece, a break from all the hyper-stylization of my other films.
Why did you title your new project Mala Noche?
It’s called Mala Noche because every song on the record has been made to listen to on a bad night. It’s a conceptual record, meant to accompany the solitude the evening can bring with it, as well as the beauty.
You wrote and produced the entire thing, was it challenging juggling different creative hats for the project?
Writing, producing, directing, and ultimately executing all the creative aspects surrounding the project is something that comes rather natural to me. I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to my art, and I’m proud of it. Thankfully I was able to work with two brilliant producers, Laiko and Chedda, at Shifted recording right here in Brooklyn, who took me in and really helped shape the sound of the record from my early demos. Overall the production of the music is as important to me as anything else; in fact, it might be the most important factor in the musical process. I need to make sure that there is a personal touch to everything I do, and therefore I must be in able to shape the music in its entirety.
What’s your earliest music memory?
Shaking my leg like a madman at the age of five to Elvis Presley.
Which artist(s) do you look towards for inspiration?
There are so many artists that inspire me every day, but currently, I am inspired by the works of Daft Punk, Vincent Gallo, Egon Schiele, and Patty Smith, to name a few. But honestly, the list is endless when it comes to inspiration.
Do you try and incorporate your interest in film into your music and videos?
It would be impossible to direct a music video and not incorporate elements of the films that have inspired me. My video for Red Car, for example, is a total homage to a beautiful classic shot from cinema, the front-facing car angle, which you can see from movies as recent as Phantom Thread to La Haine (1995). Myself and my cinematographer West Webb are constantly looking for creative to pay homage to our favourite shots from cinema. Neon could be seen as a nod to Nicolas Winding Refn, who utilises heavily saturated and contrasting colours.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
Daft Punk or Vincent Gallo.
What type of impact do you want your music to have?
If some kid, 100 years from now, is sitting late at night alone in his bedroom and happens to stumble upon one of my songs, and for a moment, he feels.
Make sure to check out Julian Lamadrid new video for his track Moment from his project Mala Noche below…
