When you hear Julian Skiboat you stop and listen. Hailing from San Antonio, the 24 year-old multi instrumentalist and singer-songwriter evokes emotions out of each and every lyric and guitar strum. What’s astonishing is that up until recently, he has made all of his music on his iPhone 5.
Starting out writing music at the age of 18, Julian was a drummer for local pop-punk bands in his hometown. Now the young enchanter has found his own sound. Following the release of his debut EP nice to meet u, which has garnered over one million streams to date, Julian is now unveiling his next slew of singles
Tell us about your story
Instruments were always in my house due to my dad being a touring musician. I was playing drums at a very young age in a church setting. From there I went on to play in a handful of local small acts. I was playing everything from pop punk, jazz, church music, to even country. After a while I decided I wanted to make music of my own so I picked up a guitar around 20 years of age. I started producing little demos and ideas I had on my phone through GarageBand. I’d upload tons of music to soundcloud and just try and see what people liked from me stylistically. After about a year of uploading these demos I had a track “whiskey” actually get decent numbers. From there The Alt:Vision reached out as management and now we’re here. It’s been such a humbling experience and I feel very lucky to be where I’m at now.
What is the favorite song you wrote and why?
Definitely has to be some of the upcoming music. But as far as listening music I’d say either “Flowers” or “Selfish”. “Flowers” because it’s a very personal song about going through rough patches in my relationship. And “Selfish” because it feels so new and fresh. I really had a chance to get out of my comfort zone with “Selfish” and I think that’s super important for any artist to do.
Who are your all time musical icons?
There are so many lol. I’ll narrow it down though, definitely Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Julien Baker, and Jesse Rutherford.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
Kind of a corny response, but just living and taking in your experiences throughout life. I find I’m most inspired when I take a moment to sit down and just self reflect. Focus on my growth, focus on what I could’ve done better in situations, focus on how I make people feel when they’re around me. By the time I’m done thinking of all these things there’s so much on the table to write about.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
Puzzle and a lot of Remi Wolf.
Favorite movie or TV show?
That’s a hard question. I love the movie “Native Son” idk if it’s my favorite but it popped in my mind super quick. And for shows recently I’ve been on a Hunter X Hunter binge.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
I came up with the hook for “Selfish” so long ago actually. But I was stuck. I felt I couldn’t produce the song out the way I truly wanted it to sound. Fast forward like a year almost I had been flown out to LA and had a session with this dope dope dope producer Novodor. Mid session it dawned on me that he would absolutely kill the track so I showed him and he was down. I took the song back home to Texas and had like the longest dry spell of writing. Eventually after some time had passed the whole purpose of the song hit me and I finally finished. I’d never written that way, it was definitely a big learning experience.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post show rituals?
I haven’t really played any shows yet. I started putting music on Spotify and really taking music seriously after covid was going on. I’m sure ill come up with something dumb to do though lol.
What’s the future looking like for you?
The future is bright for sure, lots of new releases, more music videos, experimentation with different sounds etc etc. I think as long as I keep putting the work in, I’ll have nothing to complain about and I’ll be very happy with where I end up.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I don’t really think it’s a who. I think it’s more of just what I saw and liked as a kid. If I had to put in on a person though I love Omar Apollo, Jesse Rutherford, And Zendaya. They’re all super fresh.
What is a moment in your career so far you are proud of?
Releasing music on all major streaming platforms. That’s all I really want out of life. Just to be heard and share what I like with people. I think playing a real show as “Julian Skiboat” will take over that moment though. I can’t wait to share that energy and connect with people.
What advice would you give to a young aspiring artist like you ?
I have no idea lol. I haven’t made it myself yet. But being a stand up, genuine person…and growing with the people around you. The process has taken a lot of trust and patience. But if you love the people you work with then there’s really no problem. Also Tik Tok is a crazy marketing tool for sure. It’s a bit cringe at times, but it really does help.
How would you change the current industry?
Personally I wouldn’t change anything. But my knowledge on the industry is very limited. I’m very lucky to be working with people that really care about me. So it’s been very pleasant.
