In this interview, we sit down with July of JulyWantsMore to explore the emotions and experiences behind his music, particularly his track “No Matter How.” From creative growth and vulnerability to the realities of being an independent artist, July opens up about what drives him, what challenges him, and what continues to bring him back to music time and time again.

July: Hello The Chord Chat, this is July from JulyWantsMore, and I’m the singer of JulyWantsMore

TCC Emily: Thankyou for joining us! Your song “No Matter How” feels incredibly personal and reflective, what emotions or experiences helped shape the project the most?

July: I think the song came from a pretty tired place to be honest, but it wasn’t like “I’m done. I’m quitting” it was more like “damn I’m tired cause I care about this so much” so music is kinda weird for me, it stresses me out, it makes me doubt myself, but somehow it’s the only thing I come back to every time. I guess the song came from that. Exhaustion, loneliness, and still having love for it. It’s basically me saying “this hurts but I’m still here”.

TCC Holly: You mentioned you wanted this feature to focus on where you are creatively right now, how would you describe this coming chapter of yourself as an artist?

July: I think right now I’m trying to be more honest, before I was probably trying to prove myself a lot, I can write songs, I can produce, but now it feels less about proving something and more about showing what’s actually going on inside of me.

TCC Emily: Was there a particular moment during the making of “No Matter How” where the direction of the project suddenly became clear to you?

July: I think it clicked when I stopped trying to make the songs sound cool. At first I was thinking of like production, arrangement, all that music stuff. How do I make it sound improve, but then I was like wait, what am I actually trying to say? And the answer was really simple, no matter how much it hurts I still come back to music. Once I had that, the song made sense and it didn’t need to be fancy, it just needed to feel true.

TCC Holly: Your music feels very emotionally honest, do you ever find it difficult to be vulnerable in your song writing?

July: Yeah for sure. It’s definitely scary sometimes but honestly I think it’s harder for me to not be vulnerable. When I hide too much the song just feels fake to me. I don’t think every lyric has to be super real, it doesn’t have to be like “here’s my diary” but it had to come from a real place. So sometimes I do think “am I saying too much?” Or “are people going to take this the wrong way?” But usually the uncomfortable part is the part that makes the song actually mean something. So I try not to run away from being too much.

TCC Emily: How has your relationship with music changed since you first started releasing music?

July: That’s a very hard question cause I just started releasing music, but when I first started releasing music it felt more like a dream, it was exciting it was romantic I was very happy that I could put something out into the world. Now it feels way more real. Not like a dream. By real I mean still beautiful but it’s also really stressful. There’s money, deadlines, promotion, emails, content, shows and everything. All the stuff people don’t really see. So my relationship with music is much less innocent now but I still love it and it’s also deeper so it’s not just something I admire anymore, it’s something I fight with, depend on and keep choosing.

TCC Holly: Are there any artists, films, books or every day experiences that have heavily influenced this era?

July: Musically, yeah, there are definitely artists I look up to. I think The 1975 is like one of my favourite artists and Justin Bieber as a vocalist, I really admire him, Michael Jackson, and a lot of modern indie rock stuff. I like music that feels stylish but also kinda emotional and stable underneath. But honestly this era was also shaped by everyday life. Walking around Seoul at night, practicing, working, being broke sometimes. Trying to keep the band moving, feeling like I belong nowhere and belong here, I don’t know how to put it into words but all those feelings are a part of it, so it wasn’t only inspiring art, it was more like life kept throwing things at me so I just turned that into something I would say is beautiful.

TCC Emily: When listeners finish listening to “No Matter How” what feeling or message do you hope stays with them?

July: That’s a very hard question I’ve never thought about. I hope they feel less lonely, I hope they feel less alone. I think the song is saying “everything is fine because not everything is fine” and I didn’t want to force a fake happy ending. To me it’s more like “yeah it hurts but I’m still here. I’m still coming back to music.” So I think a lot of people understand that feeling. Maybe it’s about music, maybe it’s about work, love, life, whatever they’re passionate about. So if someone hears it and feels like “okay someone gets it”, that would mean a lot.

TCC Holly: Looking back at your early work, even though it’s still in the early stages, what do you think has evolved the most about your artistry?

July: I think my identity got clearer. Before I was trying a lot of different things and I think I had to try things to figure out what actually felt like me, but now with Julywantsmore more I feel like the work is becoming a lot more specific for me. The sound, the visuals, the lyrics, the live show, they’re starting to feel like they’re from the same place. I’m still learning obviously cause I just started. But now I’m less interested in just making a good song. I’m more interested in building a world around the songs.

TCC Emily: What does creativity look like for you outside of music?

July: For me, creativity is kind of everywhere, it’s not just sitting down and writing a song. It’s the visuals, the live shows, the clothes, the captions, the way we talk as a band, the way we present ourselves. I also feel like I’m always collecting things without realising it, a random conversation, a weird feeling, walking home after a show, feeling lonely, feeling jealous, feeling excited, all those kind of emotions. It can come back later as a song or a visual idea, so even when I’m not writing I guess a part of me is still writing.

TCC Holly: As an independent artists, what have been the biggest challenges and the most rewarding moments so far?

July: The biggest challenges that you have to be 10 people at once. What I mean by that is you’re also an artist but you also have to manage your schedule, you gotta be the content person, you gotta be the email person, you gotta do your budget, you gotta be your creative director, everything. Sometimes even your own therapist. There’s so many things you’ve gotta handle and sometimes I’m like “I just wanna make music” there are so many things I have to deal with so it’s harsh. But the rewarding moments are very real. When some new people find our music and come to our show, when I see them really enjoying it it’s indescribable, I don’t know how to put it in words. The feeling of it is out of this world.

TCC Emily: Is there a lyric from no matter how that feels especially meaningful to you personally.

July: I think the phrase “no matter how” itself means the most to me, that’s now I do music. That’s how I can keep pushing myself. It’s not trying too hard but it carries the whole feeling of the song. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how tired I get, how uncertain everything feels, I still come back to this. So “no matter how” itself carries a lot of meaning.

TCC Holly: Your music is resonated deeply with listeners online, what has fan support meant to you this era?

July: It means a lot, especially because we’re still building everything ourselves. We don’t have any financial support from a third party so when you’re independent sometimes it feels like you’re posting into the void. You make the song, you make the video, you upload the content, and you’re like “is anyone even seeing this?” So when people actually respond it makes the whole thing feel real. Even one comment can change my mood for a day or two, honestly. It reminds me that my music is not just staying in my room anymore, it’s actually reaching people.

TCC Emily: Finally, what is something about Julywantsmore that people don’t fully see through music alone?

July: I think people may not see how many thoughts go into everything. The music can feel like emotions and distinctive, but behind it we’re thinking a lot about the whole work around it. The visuals, the shows, the words, the attitude, the long term identity of the band, we care about all that. And also people probably don’t see how much we are still figuring thjrns out. We’re not some perfectly polished machine. We’re independent, we’re trying, we’re still figuring things out. Honestly I think that’s part of what makes Julywantsmore real. We’re about wanting more. That’s what keeps us moving.

TCC Holly: That was all of our questions thankyou again for joining us it’s been great to talk to you. Before we finish though is there anything you’d like to say to supporters or anybody who could be watching this interview?

July: If you’ve clicked on this, this is JulyWantsMore, we want more! Go listen to our music, it’s gonna be great, we’re gonna be great, we’re gonna be one of the greats! So you’ve found us early! Thankyou for… I really wanna say something impressive… anyways thankyou for having me TCC, it’s been our pleasure, we really enjoyed this time, and I hope we can talk to you again.

Thank you to July for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing such honest insight into his creative process. As JulyWantsMore continues to grow and evolve, it is clear that a strong sense of identity and emotional authenticity remains at the centre of the project. We look forward to following their journey and future releases.

To keep up with JulyWantsMore and future releases, be sure to follow them across all platforms.