ART IS WHEN SOMEONE
IS EXPRESSING THEMSELVES,
THROUGH A FORM OUTSIDE
THEIR OWN SELF.
ART IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY
ARTIST AND PERSON.
I DON'T FEEL AT LIBERTY
TO DEFINE WHAT A PERSON
MAY CALL ART
FOR THEIR OWN ART.
J U L I A
Julia Willinger Is The VP Of A&R Records And Publishing at Mom + Pop Music. She Also Co-Founded The Blue Rider label With Hannah Overton.
N E W Y O R K C I T Y
What is your morning ritual?
If i work out, then it's a spin class or working out with a trainer.
If I don't, I walk to work and stop at Eataly for a coffee.
Who are the people you interact with the most?
My boss Goldie and my best friend Brit.
Why New York?
Where else?
What is your hustle?
Finding stuff early, being proactive about what I love, going to shows locally … never not working?
What do you love to talk about?
Bands, trends, and lately - the war on drugs.
What is art to you?
Art is when someone is expressing themselves through a form outside their own self. Art is different for every artist and person. I don't feel at liberty to define what a person may call art for their own art.
My personal art is when I am drawing or writing.
What lesson did you learn the hard way?
Change is much harder before you make the change. In fact, change is usually amazing.
Favourite career memory?
Any moment when I see a band I have worked with develop to the point where they are shining and doing what they love, and then being able to watch them in their element or hear their song in a cafe.
What advice would you give yourself 12 months ago?
Never give up on your dream, and even though your dream may not be what you thought it was, it will all turn out for the best.
Who do you consider a mentor in your life?
Besides my parents, who have both taught me to follow my dreams and are living beautiful lives, my two mentors for work include Maureen Kenny and Brian Beck. Maureen showed me and told me to pursue being an A&R. I hope to follow in her footsteps. Brian Beck was one of my first bosses and he has helped guide my career ever since.
Which music do you listen to at home?
I listen to a lot of hip hop. Lately, Disclosure and Kanye.
Neil Young and the classics are always easy bets.
If you could provoke change in any area of the music business, what would it be?
Improving record sales so that artists can spend money making their art, and those who work in music can continue to do so effectively.
Tell me about an aspiration that you are still heading towards?
I am excited to be able to sign bands that I believe in and to help foster their career. I would love to learn how to produce on a technical level.
If you could go for a beer - with anyone (alive) whom you have yet to encounter, who would it be?
Rick Rubin.
In your life right now, what is one thing that baffles you?
Imagine dragons.
Describe which are your favourite shoes from your wardrobe?
My vintage torn up Frye boots, they have become my second skin.
Photography by Isaac Rosenthal
www.momandpopmusic.com
www.blueridermusic.com