As a songwriter, Julia Wolfe aims to help the community.

“The reason that I even write music and the reason why I appreciate music so much is because I feel like it’s my way of giving back,” said Wolfe, whose favorite aspect of being a musician is the writing that comes with it. “Because whether or not I’m performing for a random show or a benefit concert, I really like to be involved in causes.”

The senior music industry major previously worked as the entertainment chair for Relay for Life at SU and is now working to release her first EP by the end of the semester with Syracuse University Recordings, a student-run record label on campus. Wolfe is also scheduled to perform at the SUR fall showcase Nov. 13 at the Schine Student Center.

Wolfe, who plays piano and guitar, identifies as a singer-songwriter. She hopes to work on creating a “giant compilation” of her original songs and wants to release it as an album by the end of the school year.

“I really appreciate the basicness of songwriting and singer-songwriters because it’s very from the heart, with very meaningful lyrics,” Wolfe said. “I like to keep it very simple.”

Jon Kane, a senior music industry major and general manager of SUR, has been involved in producing Wolfe’s music. He said that part of Wolfe’s appeal is how well she performs.

“She has a ton of control over her voice, but at the same time she’s not afraid to belt out and really go for it and take risks musically,” Kane said. “Her range is incredible, her general tonality is really awesome, I think, she has a really cool rasp. If you’ve ever seen her perform, she’s very powerful and has a way of bringing her audience in.”

Wolfe described her music as piano-oriented and her lyrics as sassy. She said people have compared her music to that of Sara Bareilles. She cites musicians such as Lily Allen, Sting, Paul Simon and Dave Matthews as influences on her song and lyric writing.

Wolfe said that her songs usually come together when she combines a “collection of short little ideas.” She gets feedback on her work from the audience when she performs, and though she finds it terrifying, she said it’s the best part of performing.

“What I think I really like about performing, especially my own music, is that there’s a kind of vulnerability to it,” Wolfe said. “You’re basically taking something that you feel and that you put your heart and soul into, and you’re throwing it out for others to hear.”

Wolfe recently collaborated with junior music industry major Will Rosati on a single titled “If I Could.” She wrote the song and its lyrics and provided vocals for the track, while Rosati acted as producer and provided synths and percussion on the song. The two plan on working together again.

As a producer, Rosati said that Wolfe’s ability to write diverse songs has proved to be a positive challenge for him because he has a greater variety of material to work with.

“I think that the two of us working together is a really cool dynamic, and I’m excited for people to hear it,” Rosati said. “It’s basically two different compositional minds coming together. When we combine them together, it turns out to be this really unique electronic vocal mix.”

As someone who has known the singer throughout her time at SU, Kane said Wolfe’s collaboration with Rosati proved to be a change from her previous recordings, which mostly featured her vocals accompanied by her piano playing.

“She’s always trying to challenge herself and push her music to new boundaries, and I think this is a really great example of that,” Kane said. “I think this showcases her variety of talent and the way she can fit into any musical situation.”

Published on October 21, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Isha: idamle@syr.edu