Get To Know: Juniper

Proudly hailing from Bahia, Brazil’s rising alt-r&b star Juniper is translating her journal entries into music that touch the soul. Released in collaboration with Soulection producer Sango earlier this month, her debut album 97 perfectly embodies the fact that Juniper (aka Giulia Rodrigues) is “not just one thing”. Not only does she take inspiration from “music that makes you want to dance” such as samba and pagode, but she also draws from the vulnerability and emotion of R&B and bossanova, two genres that she describes as “different, but so similar”. Likened to “watching incense smoke slowly ascend”, her distinctly hypnotic voice is just one of many reasons this singer-songwriter is quickly making a name for herself in the underground R&B scene.

Growing up in Bahia has had a huge influence on the artist Juniper is blossoming into today⁠. It's much more than the place where classmates gave her the nickname (Juniper Lee from the cartoons) her stage name is based on. Juniper's deep knowledge of Brazilian music comes from her father always encouraging her to sing and dance with him there. Experiencing the "soul" that "everything has" in Bahia means that now she effortlessly expresses this through her vocals and visuals—the 'Em Paz' music video is a perfect example of this. Carrying the Bahian culture of not rushing things into music has enabled her to make a debut project that is "very personal" and true to her self-discovery. She used to dream about making a project as a kid in Bahia, but didn't think it would be possible. That's why returning to Bahia to create the visuals for '97' was such a full circle moment for her—just talking about it makes her emotional. It's safe to say that Juniper holds Bahia very close to her heart.

Reading old journal entries is an essential part of Juniper’s process. Since she strives to “make people feel” through her music, it only makes sense for her to channel what she has felt at her core. Revisiting her past thoughts and experiences allows her to do this in a way that's truly authentic to her because she believes that “there are things that we feel that just exist in that moment and it’s important to write them down so we don’t lose them”. Inspired by the likes of samba legend Alcione, Juniper also wants to express vulnerability through her music because she now realises that "it’s not wrong to be myself". For instance, Juniper put all her emotions from experiences with an abusive ex and another that used her into the album's last track 'In My Eyes', so much so that she cried and physically struggled to get the notes out in the studio. Given all the love she's received on 97 so far, it's clear that Juniper’s commitment to creative expression that's truly vulnerable is going to take her far.

Connecting with Sango is something that cannot be left out of Juniper’s story. She really appreciates the fact that he decided to reach out to her after coming across her covers on Instagram—the Frank Ocean-approved producer even offered to send her some beats since she didn't have any original music for him to listen to yet. That one DM has turned into a great working relationship that has allowed her to introduce herself to the world through a body of work whose reception has been far beyond her expectations. Even though she was new to everything, Sango let Juniper lead creatively on 97 and supported her in discovering her original sound and recognising that “right and wrong doesn’t exist when we’re talking about creativity”. Collaborating with Sango has played a major role in Juniper seeing that "I am who I am and people actually like it"—a realisation that has brought about a new confidence in her.

Even though this is only the beginning of her journey, Juniper has "so much faith" in what she's doing because big things are already happening for her. 97 may be all she's given us so far, but co-signs from the likes of Sango and Xavier Omar, her potential for growth and desire to create from her truth mean that she's definitely one to watch.

Follow Juniper on Instagram and listen to her below!