We sat down with Vancouver Island-based musician, Julianna Laine, whose roots are as deeply embedded in the natural world as they are in her music. Surrounded by the stunning landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, our guest's love for both the water and the melodies she creates are undeniable. In our conversation, we explore her early musical beginnings, dive into her unique creative process — often finding her most powerful ideas emerge while surfing or writing in the woods.
Join us as we talk about music, surf, and the peaceful balance that keeps her grounded in both.
I’ve been listening to your music and I really resonated with songs like "There You Go," "One Week of Summer," and "Tofino.” - I actually added “One Week of Summer” to my yoga playlist for the wind-down portion of class - its chef's kiss. What is the origin story behind your musical endeavors?
Aww! First off, that is one of the best compliments I could get - I have always wanted to create music that feels easy to listen to, so the fact that one of my songs has made it on a wind down yoga playlist is a little nod in the right direction for me.
I started my musical journey as a little kid, probably around the age 7 or 8. My dad is a musician and my parents bought me this small little black guitar when I was really young. I started learning chords and felt so captivated by this instrument and the possibilities of all the new songs I could learn, or even create myself. When I was playing the guitar, it physically felt like I was in an entirely different world. I had always loved writing and it felt like magic to combine words and chords together. I was heavily inspired by going to a Taylor Swift concert when I was 12 and remember being so enchanted by watching her sing and play guitar - I remember thinking to myself “I want to do that!”
Was guitar your first instrument, or did you explore other musical avenues before that?
Guitar was my first instrument! My dad is a musician and he taught me the 4 basic chords and I haven’t looked back since :)
In your musical journey, how did writing, singing, and playing guitar develop? Did they evolve together, or was there a particular order in which you focused on each?
I consider myself to be first and foremost a songwriter. I have always loved writing and telling stories since I was a little kid and would write poems and lyrics in the margins of my school notebooks. Once I learned a few chords on the guitar, it felt natural to try to combine the poems with the few chords I knew. Over years of practice and honing in on my craft, I look at all these elements as equally important and I am drawn to all of them in different ways. I still feel the most excited about writing lyrics and when the words flow together or you write the perfect, clever line - there is no other feeling like it. It feels like finding a missing puzzle piece. Writing and that feeling will always be my favorite part of being an artist.
Are there any personal musical influences or artists that you look up to and that have inspired your sound and style?
I grew up listening to country music, so my influences from the early days are Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and Alan Jackson. The last 5 years I have been heavily influenced by Donovan Woods, Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isokav, Andy Shauf, Zach Bryan and John Vincent III.
I noticed your love for the water and your unique style, including being "typically barefoot," as mentioned in your IG bio. Can you tell us more about how your passion for surfing intersect with your music career?
I see surfing as a way of life and there are so many lessons you learn anytime you paddle out - whether it’s patience, trusting yourself, staying humble, being present, not taking yourself too seriously..after all, Waves are just waves. I love the cold water surf community on Vancouver Island and I take pride in being part of it. Surfing goes hand in hand with my approach and mindset in my music career. Rather than trying to force “success” or be in competition with others, I look at my music as a way of connecting with people and expressing myself, similar to surfing. I think artists have a responsibility to take complex feelings or thoughts and turn them into something that anyone who hears that song can understand and relate to.
Through music, I have had so many doors open with opportunities that feel completely aligned with me and have met incredible, inspiring people that have made my life so much more colorful. I think this is because my approach to music comes from a really rooted and authentic place - I am not interested in playing the game or climbing the industry ladder, I am truly just interested in creating great art and I believe that attracts other people who have a similar mindset.
You seem to have a vibrant connection to both music and the natural world. How do you balance these different passions, and how do they influence each other in your creative process?
For me, nature and music are completely intertwined. I feel strange and out of touch when everything around me is man-made, like concrete buildings and city chaos. Nature is such an important part of my life, and I often find that my best ideas and thoughts come to me when I am alone in nature.
For Lone Pine, Nic and I have started writing our music outside, in the forest or at a little cabin in the canyon. The best ideas come when I am able to quiet my mind and be in touch with the energy of the environment. I find that when I am surfing, I am able to be fully in the present moment and oftentimes will have thoughts or melodies come to me while I am waiting for the sets (and then the hard part is remembering them back on land haha).
Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects or collaborations in music, modeling, or design that you’re particularly excited about?
I am so glad you asked this! At the end of last year, Nicholas Kozusko, and I created a folk duo called Lone Pine. We got the chance to tour the west coast opening up for Harrison Storm and it was such a surreal experience. Lone Pine is really exciting to me because I am based on Vancouver Island and Nicholas is based in LA - we spend bouncing back and forth between the two, which adds a unique influence to our music because the environments are so different. We have a whole record written and recorded and are excited to share it with you (hopefully very soon!) As far as my solo project goes, I have a new song called ‘Daylight’s Running Out’ coming out on Feb 22. I am spending the next couple months in Australia and really excited to surf warmer waves and connect with creatives and find inspiration along the way.
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Head on over to Julianna's Spotify to check out her music and follow along with her on Instagram.
& don't miss Julianna's new folk duo, Lone Pine, on Spotify and Instagram.
