JVLIA
There’s a voice that vibrates between silences and unspoken truths, between the courage to begin again and the tenderness of someone who’s learned to live with emptiness. That voice belongs to JVLIA, born Giulia de Gregorio, a Calabrian artist from the class of ’94 who’s made music her refuge.
After a journey filled with experimentation, punk-rock, and introspection, she returns with a new single - a further step in her ever-evolving path.
She spoke to us about the meaning behind these new steps - steps that move through identity, transformation, and the choice to expose oneself without filters.
JVLIA shot by Sara Di Pancrazio, courtesy of press office.
Have you ever been afraid that if you stood still, no one would find you anymore? Or maybe, that by stopping, you might finally find yourself?
“Yeah, both actually. I went through a long phase where, despite doing a lot, I still felt stuck. Everything stayed sealed within my little bubble, and that only fed my anxiety. I had this feeling -irrational, maybe- that everyone else was out there building their lives, while I was falling behind. Eventually I got disillusioned, I gave it all up. And it was right there, in the quiet and in surrender, that I started to find myself again. I realized music was a part of me - a fire that, no matter what, never went out”.
Do you ever write something that scares you because of how exposed you are in your music? Do you keep it or tear it up?
“Talking about my vulnerabilities is the thing that defines me the most - it’s what represents me, so no, it doesn’t scare me at all. Actually, I almost feel a sense of pride when I manage to find raw words or images that strip me completely bare. What I’ve noticed, though, is that sometimes people feel uncomfortable listening to certain things. It happened with a song I wrote a while ago and played live - the feedback I got made it clear that for some, it was a bit too much. The way I see it, I probably hit some raw nerves - ones they didn’t want touched, or weren’t ready to feel vibrating”.
There’s a part of the 16-year-old JVLIA that still walks with you today - the JVLIA who used to write in English, who played in bands, who was punk.
“Absolutely. People say it, and I say it too - I still carry that punk soul inside me, the rebel teenager comes out especially in certain moments. And it’s a part of me I deeply love, because it reminds me of who I was and why I started”.
VAGO is the title of one of your latest tracks, but it also feels like a state of mind - a constant search, a chase. Do you feel more like you’re traveling or arriving, right now?
“Always traveling. You should never feel like you’ve ‘arrived’ - it’s like slowly switching off. I want to keep growing, evolving, changing a thousand more times. ‘VAGO’ is my first milestone, but for me, every finish line is just the start of something new”.
Bend & Break has been called “the sonic autopsy of an evaporated dream”. What kind of dream (or nightmare) were you trying to tell?
“The dream is music. A dream I believed in so deeply, but one that, for a long time, no one believed in with me. When I said I wanted to do this for a living, I was never taken seriously.
‘You can’t live off music’, ‘You need a backup plan’, ‘Don’t bet everything on something so uncertain’ - I heard those things for years.
‘Bend & Break’ is a conversation with that dream - the one that, at some point, seemed to vanish, leaving me alone. It’s the story of an apparent surrender, one I had to accept in order to survive - but also of the deep need to get back up and try again, in my own way”.
The track feels like a sharp blade hidden beneath a layer of tenderness - and it seems to reject any sense of victimhood. Was that a conscious choice, to push back against the all-too-passive narratives of pain?
“Definitely. That was a very deliberate choice. I never seek victimhood - on the contrary, I’m present and active in my pain. I embrace it, dissect it, I want to hit rock bottom because I believe that’s the only way to rise again - or at least, to learn how to live with it. I’m deeply emotional, but I also have a strong rational side that pushes me to understand what’s blocking me - so I can untangle it and move forward”.
After VAGO, Bend & Break raises the bar. How is your artistic vision evolving? Will you keep this strong, raw identity that’s starting to lean toward a new kind of sound?
“My artistic vision evolves as I do - and that’s its most fascinating mystery. I don’t want to box myself in; I’d rather let the creative process lead me. One thing’s for sure: my identity stays strong, fierce, and real. And paradoxically, the more I move forward, the more I feel drawn back to my roots - to the raw, dirty, visceral sounds of the rock that shaped me”.
A journey of next steps that look toward the future - but already feel solid.
“Right now, I’m in the studio working on my first EP - so I’d say the best is yet to come. I’m beyond excited and I can’t wait for you to hear it. It’s the perfect blend of who I am today and who I’ve been, between the clarity I’ve gained and the fire I’ve always carried with me”.
