Julia Wheaton hopes her song “Lovin’ You” will receive the nod for best Brazilian composition award in November
Julia Wheaton hopes her song “Lovin’ You” will receive the nod for best Brazilian composition award in November
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By Gabriel Castilho / The Hubbard School
Voting members of the Latin Academy's 25th Grammy Award shortlisted Twin Cities-based American-Brazilian singer Julia Wheaton for best Brazilian composition, “Lovin’ You,” Wheaton's bilingual song was released on June 8, 2023 on Pacific Records.
I sat down with Julia and her mother/manager Adriana Wheaton on their house's deck for a wide-ranging conversation about music, inspiration and emotions revolving around the nomination. Julia's brother/music producer Lukaz Wheaton joined, later in the conversation.
Q: (Tell me about yourself)?
Julia Wheaton: I’m 20 years old, I am a musical artist. I’ve been making music for six years, ever since I was 14 years old. My parents are from Brazil and I actually started making music in Brazil, in Portuguese. Now I’m making music here in the United States, still going to Brazil to go to the studios and record. But yeah, just transitioning between both countries and having a lot of fun doing it.
Q: How did you get into music?
Wheaton: I first started singing, actually, with the movie Frozen. I started singing “Let it Go” all over the house and my parents were like, “hm, she has a good voice, we could put her in voice lessons.”
Q: Growing up, who was your favorite singer?
Wheaton: I would have to say Whitney Houston.
Q: Which song?
Julia Wheaton: They are all so good, but my favorite is “Run to You” of “The Bodyguards” soundtrack.
Q: What’s your favorite sport?
Wheaton: I love gymnastics. I used to actually be a gymnast when I was younger, before I did music! I was pretty good at it. I reached a competitive level at a young age and it was just a lot of work and took a lot out of me and I was really young.
Q: What was your favorite (gymnastic) exercise?
Wheaton: I love the bars. It’s amazing!
Q: What do you feel people should know about you?
Wheaton: I care a lot about the music that I make. I care a lot about, just people in general, and the relationships we have with each other. I’m very in touch with my emotional self and the way I express that is through music. I hope that people know that you can achieve your dreams. You know, look at me, I’m trying, I’m working on it, it’s my dream.
Q: Who do you want to be?
Wheaton: I want to be Julia Wheaton, fully me. I want to be someone who’s inspiring, who’s vulnerable and honest, and I hope that the songs I create, that people can resonate with them. … I think we tend to feel alone in a lot of our experiences and music is a way to cope with that. So I hope that the people who can listen to it can just relate to it, not feel alone, and in turn I won’t feel alone either.
Julia Wheaton (center left) works on her song “Lovin’ You” at Pacific Records in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on Dec. 22, 2022, with (from left to right) Augusto Nogueira, Luccas Nunes, Eliza Wheaton, Pedro Said and Lukaz Wheaton. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIANA WHEATON
About the song, “Lovin’ You”
Q: Can you talk a little bit about “Lovin’ You”?
Wheaton: Ok, yes! So, like I said, that was the first song I got to really take the reins on. I co-wrote it with Luccas Nunes and my sister Eliza Wheaton, and it was the first time in a while that I got to be there in person to produce the song, like, create it right from the start in the studio, so that was super special. My brother was there too, he’s the one who figured out the chords. Pedro Said was there, like, he was on the computer, putting in the drums, so it was just super special, the song, since the beginning.
Q: What happened to the song? I want to hear it from your words.
Wheaton: So, the song has been out for almost two years? I think, oh my goodness, or a year? A year! Feels like two years, I’ve been working a lot. So, (last year) my brother Lukaz, my sister Eliza and I, we all went to Spain to the Latin Grammys. When I was there I could have never imagined that what has happened now with “Lovin’ You” was going to happen. It was honestly such a dream to be there and get to see people like Shakira live, Peso Pluma, it was crazy!
I was like, “you know what? One day I’m gonna get here!” And now “Lovin’ You” was indicated for a nomination, which is so crazy. I am so grateful. It’s just very remarkable to me that the hard work that I put into things has payed off, and just the fact that the song that I was really able to take a leap in and do more of my own style has gotten recognition.
Q: Why do you think this song was indicated?
Wheaton: The song? Well, I would like to think that it is because it is the most “me”, you know? Maybe it is, I don’t know! Maybe it is, somewhere out in the universe. But I would say it’s a very good song, the lyrics are great, the melody is super good, and it’s a nice tune to listen to. Why was that the one that was recognized? I don’t think I could tell you exactly, but I think it’s a great song and it deserves to be there.
Q: I know that there’s a video for “Lovin’ You.” Can you talk a little bit about the team that worked on it?
Wheaton: So, Joe Brandmeier was the director of my music video, he’s done a lot of cool things here in Minnesota and nationally as well, so it was super cool getting to work with him. We also had a team. There was a guy flying a drone. … Behind the scenes, actually, my sister, she’s so artistic. She comes up with concepts for videos. So, Joe, he had an idea, she had an idea, and they molded it two together. I love music videos, but I don’t know if I’m as creative to think of the little details that those two could think of.
The Wheaton family
Q: (To Julia's mother, Adriana Wheaton) How was raising Julia?
Adriana Wheaton: She was always a lot of fun. Always into something, but music was always her passion, you could tell that she was very musical.
Q: She has achieved many things already, how do you feel about it?
Adriana: I feel great because I see all the work … that (it) takes to get to where she is going, and what she has already achieved. She's not afraid of it, which I think is amazing. I don’t remember being 14 and having this kind of drive, you know?
Q: How is being a “Mamãenager” (mother/manager)?
Adriana: It’s fun, but I have to keep the calendar going and the bookings, so they get to be artists. I have to make sure that things get done, calendars are filled and bookings and all that.
Q: (To Julia's brother, Lukaz Wheaton) When it comes to working on a Julia song, how does the song start?
Lukaz Wheaton: It can still start with me … With Julia a lot of the songs it just starts off with a chord progression, so I just keep playing it in a loop, and she would start writing it, and we just kind of start building the song from there.
Q: Do you like working with her?
Lukaz: I do really like working with her.
Q: What is her most annoying trait?
Lukaz: I would say her perfectionism. A lot of the time she would do five takes, and I’ll mark "take three" as like, “hm, that’s really good,” but then she’s like, “again, again.” We’ll end up doing forty takes and then take three is still the one that goes up.
Q: How do you feel about her indication for the nomination?
Lukaz: I think it’s crazy, but well-earned too. She’s putting in a lot of work, a lot of hours. What people don't see … People see the shows, the songs and the promotions, but she’s practicing every day and doing voice lessons, and just really diving deep into her craft. So, it’s well-earned, we’re very proud of her.
What’s next for the performer?
Q: (To Julia's) When do you expect that we are going to hear the results of the Latin Grammys nomination?
Julia Wheaton: To be honest? I haven’t looked too much into it because I don’t want to be anxious about it, you know what I mean? But I’m sure it’s in the next couple of months because the Latin Grammys will be in November.
Q: In terms of music, what should we expect?
Wheaton: Rght now I’m working on my first album ever. I went to Floripa (Brazil) to record it last summer. It’s my first project all in English. It is completely “me” and I’m so excited for people to hear it. It really tells a story.
Q: Does it have a name?
Wheaton: It’s called … Wait … Right now, it’s called “What’s Left of Me Now.” That is the name of the album. But, we’re still working on it, if it changes, don’t come for me, ok?
Q: Can you give us a preview of a song from the album?
Wheaton: Not yet.
Julia and her family band, Bloodline, will perform at the Woodbury Days event in Woodbury, MN on August 24, 2024, at 6 p.m.. Formal nominations for the Latin Grammys will be announced on September 17, 2024.
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