Julia Rizik Talks Debut EP, Growing Up In Arizona And Her Love For Music

Drawn to perform at an early age, Scottsdale, Arizona native Julia Rizik signed up for a spot on a local open mic night when she was 11 years old. Although she had to overcome considerable stage fright in order to drag herself to the stage, she left it absolutely transformed when she left it. She knew right then and there that she wanted to turn her love of music into a career.

Julia Rizik first found success as a country and western musician, working with some of the top songwriters in Nashville and securing a Fender endorsement at just 14 years of age. By the time she was 17, she was playing at Stagecoach, Country Thunder, and other massive country music festivals.

Despite Julia Rizik’s mastery of the genre, country and western simply couldn’t contain her creative impulses as she continued to evolve as a musician. While playing to large crowds on the country circuit, she began to write pop songs and produce them as demos in her free time.

Informed by a love of many musical styles, Julia Rizik ultimately realized that her immediate future lies in an alternative R&B -pop sound. To make her sonic transition complete, she even relocated physically, moving from the country mecca of Nashville to the pop mecca of Los Angeles. 

No matter what type of music she adopts, Julia Rizik is a talented singer-songwriter. She is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, piano, and banjo among others. In fact, she can play the guitar and piano at the same time!

Released on March 26, Julia Rizik’s new EP is a distinct departure for the artist in terms of subject matter and tone as well as musical genre. Titled Self-Destructive, this album reflects the ugliness of the times of pandemic in which it was written.

Over the course of its five songs, Julia Rizik uses her own prolonged romantic breakup as a way to examine both the healing and the toxic nature of relationships. Debuted in advance of the album release date, the single “Human” examines the power of infatuation to distort reality, while the title track “Self-Destructive” touches upon some the darker aspects of love.

Describing the sound of her new EP as “indie-pop and alternative R&B,” Julia Rizik regards her move away from country and western as simply “following her heart.” If anything, the shift makes perfect sense in light of her unique personal drive.

“I’m not scared of anything,” says Julia Rizik. “I have a wild soul. I always have since I was born. Sometimes it throws people off at first, but I’m not going to stop loving myself because of that.”