Juliet Lloyd Talks New Single, Debut UK Tour And More

US-based singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd released her latest album ‘Carnival’ in 2024 and will release her new single ‘Wild Again’ on 16th May 2025 before her debut UK Tour in July. We asked her about the new single, tour and more: 

When did you begin songwriting?

I started writing songs fairly late in life – I was in my early 20s when I wrote my first song. I grew up taking formal lessons on piano and trumpet and performing in ensembles throughout secondary school and college. I didn’t want to stop performing music after college, and all the artists that I really admired wrote their own music. So I thought, that’s what I’ll do — I’ll write my own songs. I didn’t have a lot of life experience to write about at first, so a lot of my early songs are what I “thought” a song should sound like as opposed to really being based in truth or vulnerability.

What is your earliest musical memory?

One of my earliest musical memories – and probably what made it click for me that you could play pop songs on the piano – was listening to “Lost In Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson and teaching myself to play it by ear on piano. At the time I had probably been taking classical piano lessons for about a year or so, but there was something about the chords in that song’s intro that I was so drawn to and wanted to figure out how to make those sounds myself.

You released your latest album ‘Carnival’ last year. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Carnival was a long time in the making! I took about 10 years off from writing and performing, and coming back after that I had released a 5-song EP in 2022. But the songs on Carnival were a huge artistic evolution for me in that they draw on material and experiences from across the past 20+ years – things that I’ve been reluctant or afraid to say out loud to myself or anyone else. And we recorded it over a period of about 18 months, so the project even evolved as we were recording it. There is a song on the album (Call Your Wife) that was written and recorded after we released the first single from the album (Pretty) – and in fact was a direct response to an interaction I had after releasing that song. So Carnival is definitely the product of time. I recently heard my favorite poet Maggie Smith (the other Maggie Smith!) say something to the effect of – giving something creative more time seldomly makes it worse. I’d say that’s true of this album. Giving myself the time to process the experiences behind these songs, and taking our time recording them, definitely added up to a better artistic product.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I worked with Todd Wright on this album, and recorded it at his studio in Hamilton, VA (outside of Washington, DC). I met Todd because we both have dachshunds / sausage dogs, and it was an instant friendship. He helped write some of the songs on the album and really pushed the boundaries on the sounds. I 100 percent credit him with crafting the vibe of this album.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

The most memorable story is a sad one…because we are both dachshund people, I got to bring my senior dog Herbert to all of our recording sessions. He’d lay on the couch next to me while we worked on all the songs, and occasionally growl at Todd’s dogs. We had to say goodbye to Herbert a few months before completing the album, but I feel like he’s what brought us together to work on it.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

We used a blend of both organic instruments (acoustic guitars, real drums and bass, etc.) and synthesizers and loops. What I love about the production is that Todd very rightly recognized that all of my songs have a darkness to them (even if they are upbeat on the surface) and so we tried to lean into that in the instrumentation choices and production. I love the way all the songs have unexpected “ear candy” that just pops out. I pulled out my trumpet for the first time in probably 15 years and played it on a couple of songs — and the slightly out of tune, busted sound of someone who hasn’t played in a long time was perfect for the dark and slightly weird vibe we were going for.

One of your tracks is your new single ‘Wild Again’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

After releasing a full album like Carnival, of course you think about what’s next…for me, I’ve found that my writing has been much more externally inspired as of late than directly inspired by my own relationships or experiences the way the album was. It’s a nice break, actually. Wild Again was inspired by a podcast called “The Good Whale,” chronicling the real life efforts to return the whale from “Free Willy” to the wild. It was fascinating and frustrating and heartbreaking, and at one point in one of the episodes someone says that they’re trying to “train him to be wild again.’ That struck me as so absurd, and that’s what I wanted to explore in the song.

Was it a difficult album to write?

Yes and no – in some ways, Carnival was super easy to write. Songs like “Sorry Now” came out in an afternoon. But that’s because I had been struggling with the emotions behind that song for a few years. So while the subject matter was difficult to finally process and write about once I was ready, the songs themselves came out relatively fully formed.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest: Probably “Motorcycle & Tattoo Sleeve” – it’s the album closer and pokes fun at the ways we all change ourselves for whatever relationship we’re in. Maybe it’s not fully happy, but at least it’s content.

Angriest: Call Your Wife. This was a direct response to someone saying that an earlier song I had released (Pretty) wasn’t being “fair” to the person in the song. I disagreed with that sentiment, and how it was delivered (via anonymous text in the middle of the night). So I channeled that anger into a pretty cathartic song.

Most reflective: The title track, Carnival, is pretty reflective – when I wrote it, I originally thought I was writing about a literal carnival, but it turns out it’s actually about me, and anyone who’s ever had an experience that you want to remember a certain way, even if it’s not quite the way you actually experienced it. What do we choose to remember, and how is that different from how someone else might remember the same experience?

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I hope that someone feels like they belong when they hear my music – that they can see themselves in the lyrics and feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

And, I hope that me sharing my stories can inspire someone else to do something – share their own stories, have a tough conversation, have the courage to try something new, connect (or disconnect) with someone, etc.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I am a piano player first and foremost and my go-to instruments have always been Yamahas. At home, I have a baby grand in my dining room, and on the road, I’ve always played Yamaha digital pianos. My current model is the MX88 but I likely won’t bring that with me on this tour because it’s larger than what I want to bring on the plane!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

My true hometown is a little town outside of Rochester, NY, called Bloomfield. Five words are: safe, multigenerational, unassuming, quaint, and homogenous.

It’s definitely what you picture when someone says ‘small town USA.’

How do you look after your voice?

I’ve been extremely fortunate not to have any health issues with my voice, even when playing 175 shows a year that are often 3+ hours of singing. (I don’t do that anymore!) I don’t really do anything special or avoid any foods/drinks, other than I had to stop eating ice cream a few years ago because it was giving me acid reflux. I’m also lucky that my partner is a vocal coach, so he always reminds me if I need to take it easy or do a cool-down after a show.

Who designed the album artwork?

I worked with two amazing creatives for the artwork, and they really set the tone for all the visuals. One is a photographer in Nashville named Anna Haas, and she really creative directed all the photos that brought to life the “Carnival” theme without being super on-the-nose. And the second was an illustrator and designer based in Richmond, VA named Harry Slater. He designed individual tarot cards to go along with each song on the album, and I love the way he captured the characters and vibe in ways that were equal parts whimsical and slightly unhinged.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

I actually started working on this a few years ago – I love historical fiction, especially WWII fiction. There’s an English author named Jennifer Ryan who lives in the States now, and her novel “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” struck me as being such a natural fit for a musical adaptation. It’s about a women’s-only choir during WWII, so there’s tons of opportunities for music naturally built in, and tons of interesting characters and relationships that make for good dramatic and comedic songs. Maybe someday I’ll finish it!

You will be embarking on your debut UK Tour in July 2025. How are you feeling about the tour? Will you be touring solo or with other musicians?

I’m so excited about coming over in July. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time – one, because I’ve never been and I’ve heard amazing things about live music in the UK and how much it’s appreciated; and two – because I have friends and former bandmates from almost 20 years ago who live there and I’ll get to reunite with for the tour. I’m traveling with my partner Steve from the US on guitar, and for most of the dates we’ll be joined by Manchester native Dan Graham on drums, and for some we’ll be joined by Sven Atteron on bass (he’s now based near Penzance). We were classmates at Berklee College of Music back in the day and haven’t played together since maybe 2007/8-ish.

Do you have any sightseeing plans whilst you are over in the UK?

I plan to see as much as we possibly can while we’re there. Our routing has only given us a couple of days officially off, but I’m hoping we’ll get to each city early enough in the day to have time to see all the sights. I love history, I love food (and am a HUGE Bake Off fan), and am endlessly fascinated by new places. If anyone has recommendations in your cities, please let me know!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My influences vary a lot, from old school soul/R&B/Motown, to Lilith Fair and Laurel Canyon singer/songwriters, to 90s R&B and ‘divas’ (think Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston), to modern Americana and roots music. I’m a little all over the map. I just checked, and the last few artists that I’ve played a lot on Spotify are Madison Cunningham, Maggie Rogers, Kacey Musgraves, Lake Street Dive, and Chappell Roan.

What makes Juliet Lloyd happy and what makes you unhappy?

Happy: making music!
Unhappy: worrying about making money by making music! (and also – the state of American politics and that we’ve unleashed an incompetent tyrant into the world makes me deeply unhappy, if I can go there)