Juli: “My album? A hit-parade of songwriting”
Juli’s study, with the famous luminous writing “It’s party” on the wall, is full of memories, gadgets, records, instruments. It’s a living studio. far from many aseptic Milanese spaces where music is made. It’s a den to take refuge in. A warm place that has put the various artists at ease, as well as obviously Olly who is at home, who have passed through there in recent years. Collaborations were born here with Fabio Concato, Tommaso Paradiso, Fulminacci, Bresh, Franco 126, Biagio Antonacci, Coez, Emma, Elisa, Enrico Nigiotti, Tredici Pietro and Olly himself, which ended up in his first album as a producer “Solito cinema” out on April 24th. Sitting on the sofa, wearing an old Vasco tour t-shirt, Juli takes us inside the project.
What is the path of this album?
It has been a very long journey: over time I have experienced a lot. For years, with Olly, we made electronic music, then we moved onto songwriting in a very spontaneous way. Since we entered that world I have also dusted off tools that I didn’t think I could use today. I grew up in Valle d’Aosta in an environment centered on traditional music, with smooth music in which instruments such as the accordion and sax are fundamental. I’m happy, in some way, that I managed to bring them into modern music. In my album not only my taste comes out, but also that of the musicians with whom I have collaborated over all these years.
Is this an album more as a musician than a producer?
The musicians who gave me a hand are the ones I have worked with for a long time. And it’s nice to see how we’ve all grown: from the first time you put the sax in a song, shy, without really knowing how to use it, to today, where everything comes spontaneously when we meet. Because there is a relationship. We also play live with many of them, this is how we create a complicity in making music which is fundamental for what I want to do.
What was the spark?
I have always collaborated with many artists. Then, around November 2025, I listened to all the songs I had on the computer again. Six or seven ended up on the album. When I listened to them all in a row, a light bulb went on: I felt something that held them together. And that’s when I realized the time had come. And I’m happy because not having thought about it before led me to share the album with artists that I didn’t choose on the table: we met along the way. This is the thing that makes me most proud.
Why weren’t the songs released?
Because it happens. With my work you work on many songs: then the paths of other artists come into play. There were those who had just released a record, those who had other plans, Sanremo, a thousand things… and so those pieces remained there. Then there are particular cases, such as the song with Concato or the one with Biagio Antonacci.
Meaning what?
The song with Concato is a revisitation of one of his pieces from 2003. For me he has always been a great inspiration, also for how his pieces were produced and arranged. With Biagio, however, it went like this: this summer he wrote to me through his son Paolo, with whom I have a good relationship. He sends me a piano and vocal audition and asks me to produce it.
Did you work more in the studio or remotely?
In the studio. I did everything in here. I bring the artists here: the album is the result of sessions that I have been carrying out for two years. The first song, chronologically, is the one with Tommaso Paradiso, born after three days of sessions together. The great thing is that a relationship is created: you do the session, you go out to eat, you tell each other pieces of life, you get to know who is in front of you. And then when you write, everything becomes easier.
Is a common thread between the songs melancholy?
I really think so, a shining melancholy. I often ask artists: “Why are you saying this? What does it represent for you?”. I have often gone home after a session feeling enriched. Because I didn’t feel alone: I met people and artists who felt the same emotions as me. I’m happy that this melancholy came out on the album, but in a positive way, without weighing it down.
Your sound signature is recognisable. How was it born?
They often ask me what the trick is on my guitars. It’s something I don’t fully understand. I think it’s also because I’m self-taught: I learned in a way that may be “wrong” about certain things, but recognizable. And then there’s the 360-degree attention to the song.
Have you ever thought about singing them yourself? How far can the ego be pushed?
No, never. It’s not something that makes me feel good. Already in musical high school, the singing hours were the ones I suffered the most. I recognize that my role is to be someone else’s “hand man”. I like to be available, to lend a hand, but also to be listened to. If there’s one side to my ego, it’s this: yes, I like to be listened to. And every now and then I take the responsibility of imposing choices. It happens that you clash with artists, in a healthy way. My role is also to hold the reins of the song, but not to sing it.
Do you have the same approach with all artists?
Yes, because in recent years I have been lucky enough to be able to choose who to collaborate with. At the beginning I did everything, I had to make myself known. Then I started working with people I really respect. And one thing that is highly appreciated is sincerity. It’s not often you find a producer who tells you: “I didn’t understand this”. The world is already full of yes-men.
Did you leave anything off the record?
No. I put in everything I had.
Your taste draws heavily on Italian tradition, but without being nostalgic. Where did it come from?
My inspirations are very “old”: I listen to a lot of music from years ago. Lately, however, I’ve also found new music that I really like, like Bleachers, who have a vintage flavor but are current. At a certain point you feel the need for something new, but which recalls that world there. For example, the sax: there is a starting intention that recalls the world of Venditti, but then instinct comes into play. It is never a copy.
How important is it to remove rather than add in production?
I started with dance music, which is full of elements. At first I had a hard time slimming down. Today my songs are born from guitar and voice: I have difficulty moving away from that idea. Sometimes I add things and think it was better before. An example is “Brutta storia” with Emma and Elisa in which I wanted to remove everything.
Why also include a piece with Olly?
I wanted to do something different than the “usual” Olly and Juli thing. I saved the piece for last for this very reason. I wanted to show another side. In that track I heard him very sincere, more than usual. More bare. There are sentences that gave me goosebumps. Being my record, it was a safe place for him, so he brought out a very private part.
How do you respond to those who might see this work as a positioning “producer album”?
I hope the songs answer for me. For a long time I didn’t feel ready to make my own album. I took as a reference Mace’s first album (“OBE”, ed.), which defined a standard. I thought I would never achieve that recognizability. And instead today I’m here to propose my vision of the singer-songwriter world.
It is striking that there are almost only tracks with single voices.
Yes, because I have never thought strategically. I didn’t think about featuring for the radio.
So what is this album, really?
I know he’s an album producer, but I wouldn’t want this to be the main label. I would like it to be seen as a collection of songs, a compilation, a hit parade of singer-songwriter songs. When I spoke to Tommaso Bordonaro for the cover, I told him I didn’t want my giant name. I wanted something reminiscent of Festivalbar: compilations with hits in them. Because, in this project, Juli’s “Solito cinema” is more important.
Dreaming, who would you have wanted? It’s not worth answering Vasco.
I would have liked to send a little message to Brunori during the making of this album.
