On the Rise
Julieta

The Catalan artist was once headed for a career in engineering — studying everything from telecommunications to mathematics at university. It’s a far cry from the life she’s currently living as one of Catalonia’s biggest pop exports. “I’ve loved music since I was a baby,” Julieta says from her parent’s home. “When my mom was pregnant, she was always listening to music, so I was born into it. Music was always in my home. My dad played the guitar and piano, so it was super normal for me to be surrounded by it. But at first, I was more of a spectator — part of the audience. I didn’t actively play much. Music was a huge passion for me, but passively — just listening and experiencing it.”

It wasn’t until the world shut down in 2020 that she realised the free time she had to make her own music — a time that she describes as “the turning point” for everything that would follow. “Before then, it was just a hobby — I didn’t share it with anyone. But during Covid, I started sharing my music, and that’s when I really chose this path.”

Julieta likens her rise in music to a wave — if she didn’t let it sweep her away right now, she could miss the opportunity entirely. There was a month when she was studying for exams at the same time she was preparing for a concert at one of the most iconic venues in her native Barcelona. “I was like, “Am I going to study or prepare for this concert?” Of course, I chose the concert. It just felt natural,” she laughs. “Yeah, I was rehearsing and studying at the same time. My head was all over the place because those two worlds — engineering and music — are so different. The energy, the mindset, the way you move spiritually between them — it’s a lot.”

It’s why she quit school after music started to become a reality for her — much to the chagrin of her mathematician father. “For him, it was probably a scarier decision [to make]. He didn’t really understand the music world, and honestly, neither did I at the time. I’ve learned about this world by working in it — by being on stage, recording in studios, and just experiencing it firsthand. It was a big decision, and at first, I wasn’t entirely sure how it would turn out. But in the end, my parents and friends were very supportive. It felt like I didn’t even have a choice — it was so clear that I had to do this.”

In 2021, she released her debut album Juji to acclaim, ushering her in as one of Catalonia’s breakout acts and heralded by her fans as the “Catalan Dream.” Three albums later, she finally signed a record deal with a major label — Sony Music in Spain — last Spring. As one of the few Catalonia artists breaking out, Julieta admits that not having anyone to compare herself to was a blessing and a curse.

“Without references, it’s harder to develop a sense of what’s good or bad — you start doubting yourself a lot,” she states. “But at the same time, I had plenty of references from outside Catalonia. I’ve always loved pop stars and even indie artists. Writing indie songs isn’t my style, but I admire the artistry behind it. It was challenging, but it was also super motivating. I kept thinking, Why hasn’t anyone done this before in Catalonia? I realized there was space for me to create something new, and I was determined to fill that space. It felt like it was mine to carve out.”

Writing in both Catalan and Spanish pushed Julieta to explore and experiment with language in a deeper way. Songwriting, she admits, wasn’t something she was doing when she was young but still came naturally to her. “I was shocked when I wrote my first song—I thought, ‘Oh my God, I can do this.’ I remember going to bed that night feeling so excited, feeling like I can really do this [music]. During the COVID lockdown, I was doing Zoom classes, and I’d be muted, just writing songs the whole time. It felt like something had unlocked in me. I wrote so many songs during that period. For [writing in] Catalan, I didn’t really have any pop or electronic music references to draw from — it’s not as common in that language. My influences were more international, so I had to figure out how to adapt pop music into a new language and culture.”

Although her music is heavily influenced by the club and electronic music heard across Europe, Julieta couldn't steer completely clear from North American pop stars like Tate McRae and Britney Spears. “Even with Spanish music, there weren’t a lot of people creating electronic pop,” she states. “It felt like new territory. In Catalonia, my lyrical style was more influenced by the writing I grew up with. There’s this unique kind of poetry in Catalan music that has always stuck with me.” Her sound inevitably became a melting pot of everything she’s grown up with: European club music, Catalan poetry, and artists like Rosalía who blend genres in innovative ways.

Her work explores female power directly inspired by her “deep investment” in feminism that was shaped in the environment she grew up in. She credits her strong queer fanbase for giving her a beautiful space to express herself as a woman and embrace complete freedom in her art. “I feel lucky to be in a space where I can express myself authentically,” she says. “Through my music, I try to empower many aspects of womanhood. I’m grateful to know I’ve had an impact on some of my fans, especially young girls who might look to me as a reference. I love connecting with people and having those meaningful conversations with my fans — it’s important to me that my project includes that sense of empowerment.”

Much like the pop icons before her, Julieta is guided by eras and auras. A quick skim of her Instagram shows that aesthetics — her personal style, her music videos, her stage wardrobe — are all part of the “Julieta” universe. At Mad Cool Festival last summer, she wore white angel wings for her performance to represent her “disco heaven” concept. “We built this story around angels going to the disco, and that was the vibe we wanted to bring to life. At its core, I like to think my project has two worlds — Heaven and Earth. It’s inspired by my love for divas, but I wanted to create a new take on that: a diva who has come down to Earth, almost like a terrestrial diva.”

2025 is already proving to be a big year for the rising pop star. She promises new music that will inevitably bring a new tour. Next week she’ll head to the Netherlands where she’ll play at Eurosonic Noorderslag. It’s a performance that she’s been carefully crafting, selecting some of her most personal songs to showcase, and one that will see her lean further into the divine timing of this moment of her career. She gushes about bringing elements of Barcelona and her angelic world into her Eurosonic set while mentioning how 2024 was the juxtaposition of heaven and earth, she sees 2025 as less direct — but the essence will always be the same.

“I love the part of me that’s a diva — empowered and strong,” she states. “I know my audience loves that too. At the same time, I embrace my emotional, sensitive side, which they also connect with. At first, those two aspects might seem like completely different worlds, but I enjoy blending them. For me, that mix feels deeply human. I think being unfiltered is such an important part of who I am and what my project represents. It ties everything together. That duality—the diva and the vulnerable—is the foundation of my art.”

What matters most to Julieta though is continuing to ride that same wave that made her take a sharp left 5 years ago. “The past six months have been such a learning experience for me,” she says when asked about the growth she’s experienced. “I’ve been learning constantly, and I love that. When I’m not learning, I feel unmotivated. But this field is infinite — there’s always something new to explore. And that’s the heart of the project: this mix of heaven and earth, always evolving, always learning. For me, it’s all about growth, feeling all the emotions, and enjoying the process.”