Marcia Juell
Published Date
Hello Marcia, welcome to Dj News Magazine in order to tell us about yourself and your news, how are you today ?
Hello Adrien, I’m doing very well. Thank you so much for meeting with me today.
DJ News Mag : You've become an international marquee singer and songwriter due to your various collaborations with artists such as Matt Darey, Alex Bartlett, CyberSutra, Myron Dove from Santana, and many more, what led you in this way, have you always wanted to be a singer/songwriter ?
Marcia : I have always known in my heart, that singing & songwriting is what I am meant to do. I took classical piano & voice lessons when I was a little girl as well I would come home from school and write a lot of poetry & short stories. I had big childhood dreams of sharing my music someday with the world & I practiced dancing & singing on the fireplace hearth in my childhood living room, with a toy microphone !!!!
DJ News Mag : We can see you’ve evolved in various musical genres such as Dance, House, Trance and also Pop, how do you choose your collaborations? Is there a musical style that defines you more than another ?
Marcia : I think I’ve become more recognized as a trance singer/songwriter, but I actually enjoy singing/writing in many styles, and have no preference over another.
It’s very cool to see how a good “vocal melody” can be remixed into so many different genres, each bringing a uniquely new mood to the same song.
DJ News Mag : In 2007, you worked alongside Matt Darey on a trance track that was a huge hit "Beautiful Day", what can you tell us about this experience, has it been a major step in your artistic evolution ?
Marcia : I went on a 5 week holiday to the UK in 2005, and my previous management set up a meeting to introduce Matt Darey & I to each other. During this particular vacation, I ended up recording Beautiful Day in Matt’s studio, close to London. We had to then wait 2 years to release our collaboration.
In 2007, it was first signed to Koch Dance in the US, then to AATW/Universal. It was exciting to watch our song climb the US Billboard dance charts to #16! Thanks to Matt Darey & the success of Beautiful Day, my career was really launched in the dance genre and I am very grateful!
DJ News Mag : One year later, you turned again towards the trance environment collaborating with Alex Barlett on the song "Let it Flow", a relevant choice for you since it has been played around the world by DJs such as Tiësto, Armin Van Buuren, Andy Moor and Matt Darey, a great success for you?
Marcia : Yes, Let it Flow, has been a surprising success & has opened up many new doors!
The Gareth Emery remix of Let it Flow, now appears on a few good compilations including Armada’s Trance 100 (2009).
DJ News Mag : You've been designated as a rising star by the famous magazine "World Arts Celebrities Journal", I guess you've been delighted and reinforced in your career ?
Marcia : Well, yes, great press like this is always helpful & appreciated!
DJ News Mag : You have subsequently had success with your very good track "Free" and lately you've worked with CyberSutra on the excellent song "Fly Away", what are your projects for 2010, are you working on other collaborations and do you plan on releasing a first album ?
Marcia : Fly Away is my brand new 2010 release & it’s been exciting to see it hit #1 in just the past few weeks on a few dance stations (idanceradioFM & RadioDanz). I’m hoping that Fly Away will “break” in Europe soon!
Additionally this year, I have a new single coming out on Bonzai with DJ Max Angel, called “Arctic Sunrise.” I am going to collaborate in the fall with Dresden & Johnston, & I have a new song with DJ Peter Presta coming out soon!
Hmmm, I probably should think about releasing an album, stay tuned.
DJ News Mag : Over the past few years, there are more and more singers in the world of trance, who are those who most influence you and whom you admire ?
Marcia : Jes & Jaren are among my 2 top favorite singer/songwriters. They consistently write such lovely lyrics combined with their beautiful vocals & melodies.
DJ News Mag : Putting one's voice on electronic tracks is a complicated process in which both DJ and singer must fully agree, how do the recordings generally work ?
Marcia : Oooh good question! The process for me has evolved over recent years. 6-7 years ago, I used to have to record & write in the producers’ studio- but now, in just the past 5 years, I have learned how to engineer & record my own vocals using ProTools. This makes for VERY easy collaborative work with anyone from around the world.
For example, I recorded “Let it Flow” with Italy’s Alex Bartlett, but yet we’ve never met in person! All my vocals I recorded in my own studio & all music files were shared with each other via the Internet. I have an antique Baldwin piano (the one I grew up playing), along with a Roland JX-8P, KRK V4’s, an Audio Technica mic & my computer with ProTools- this is my basic studio set up.
It can be rather tricky at times, to come to a fully agreed upon final “mix”- Like many singer/songwriters, I want to really hear my vocals clearly so the lyrics I’ve written can truly be heard by others. Within the dance genre particularly, sometimes the vocalist can be “drowned out” if the final mix is not quite right. I feel very respected by the producer/DJ’s that I have come to work with, and we truly work hard to deliver a mix that everyone is happy with.
DJ News Mag : If you were given the opportunity to collaborate with the artist of your choice and to live out your dream as a singer-songwriter, what would it be ?
Marcia : I would like to do collaborations with BT, Moby, Armin & PVD! To live out my dream would be to continue writing, singing & to perform at festivals & large venues throughout all of Europe. I LOVE the travelling aspect of being in the music business, there is so much to explore in this beautiful world!
Also, I hope someday in the near future, to become known as an accomplished songwriter (like Linda Perry & Diane Warren), writing for other artists, not just myself. I’ve recently been granted permission to “pitch” my original pop songs to A&R at Sony Records for major artists such as Brittney Spears & Nelly Furtado.
So, hopefully, I’m on my way to fulfilling this dream.
DJ News Mag : Before ending this interview, what would you like to say to the Deejay News Magazine community and to all those who read it ?
Marcia : Thank you so much for all the great support & I look forward to talking to you here :
http://www.marciajuell.com
http://www.facebook.com/marciajuell
http://soundcloud.com/marciajuell
http://twitter.com/marciajuell
http://www.myspace.com/marciajuell
http://www.youtube.com/juellsong
http://www.reverbnation.com/marciajuell
Thank you very much Marcia for sharing this moment with us and all the readers. We wish you much success and happiness with your career.
Thank you for this opportunity Adrien, it means a lot to me !