Julie Neff’s Powerful Vocals And Harrowing Angelic Production Creates A Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience In “A Lot Left To Learn”
Delicately weaving between difficult emotions and deft vocalizations, Julie Neff delivers an astoundingly emotional performance as she reflects on lost love and perseverance in her newest single, “A Lot Left To Learn” – the final single and video from her Over It EP.
Touching on the vulnerability of sharing yourself with someone, “A Lot Left To Learn” traverses the terrain of love not meant to be – how sweet a partner can be, yet they still may not be for you. Love comes in many shapes and sizes, and while some love is forever, it often is merely a stepping stone – a point of learning in a lifelong journey.
Julie Neff’s ability to create powerful melodies and driving rhythms through her vocalizations is uncanny at best. Her incandescent storytelling is fueled by heartbreak, creating a powerful connection between the breakthrough artist and her productions.
Neff talks about her heartache, saying
“I wrote this track right after finding out that someone I really cared about couldn’t continue spending time with me for reasons out of both of our control. It was a moment of deep heartache – but without the anger or bitterness that can make those moments easier.”
Without distracting emotions and vices to occupy her mind, Neff put her sorrows to the ivory keys, letting her heart and hands do the talking as she sat passenger to her emotionally charged cognitive dissonance.
“The song came swiftly,” Neff recalls. “I wrote it on piano, which is not my typical go-to. Since then, I have found beauty and comfort in singing this track. It helped soothe that pain that I felt by creating a piece that I find heartbreakingly beautiful to sing.”
“A Lot Left To Learn” is a beautifully simple ballad. Slow movement and rich harmonization from cello and background singers give the production enough movement to stir up our emotions while keeping us entranced – harrowingly similar to the ups and downs of heartbreak. The song feels deeply eerie, all while providing the listener with the comforting touch of angelic voices. It is our own personal emotional battle. It is raw – and it is real.
Watch the video for “A Lot Left To Learn” below, and learn more about Julie Neff via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey Canadian Beats Peeps! My name is Julie. I am a musician and video producer, and I love to learn new languages – mainly Spanish and Portuguese! My solo music project is in the indie pop/alt-rock space, and I’m just releasing a new music video for one of my songs that is likely the most tender ballad I’ve ever released – A Lot Left to Learn. It’s been awesome to be able to get out and share music again, so thanks for reading along here!
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
There are so many talented musicians and artists in Toronto. It’s incredible to have proximity to so much art and inspiration all the time. That said, Toronto can be tough! It’s a very hard-working and busy city. It’s been really nice playing in Toronto this summer, though, as it seems people are very excited to get back out there and experience music again.
What’s it like performing in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina? Do the audiences change from place to place?
Audiences absolutely change from place to place. How we experience music and interact with artists is completely impacted by local culture and language. It’s been really incredible to be able to play in places like Brazil, for instance, because they are so incredibly warm towards artists – they will let you know what they thought about the show and are incredibly supportive.
Who was the first artist to knock you out?
Nina Simone! I had a teacher introduce me to her music in high school, and I was absolutely blown away. Her tone and her vocal delivery – not to mention her piano skills – absolutely shook me.
What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?
Metals by Feist – an all-time favourite for me and someone unknown by some. Feist is an artist that impacted me greatly early on in my journey of musical discovery, and I loved the contrast of heavier rock sounds with her strong but sweet vocals. I was lucky enough to see her tour this album as well at her show in Portugal many moons ago, and it will always stick with me.