Juliana Cervizzi '20

The Bulletin sat down with Cervizzi to learn more about her journey through music and her plans for the future.

How did your interest in music develop?
Well, music has been my thing since I was young. I did the normal stuff growing up, like singing lessons, piano lessons, that type of thing. I sang in school choirs. Then, the summer going into my fifth-form year, it really picked up because I went to a two-week camp at Berklee College of Music in Boston. That's when I realized I wanted to pursue this, and that's when I really started to dedicate more time to it. That was a big step for me, because I dropped a lot of activities that were prominent in my life to do this.

You also auditioned for "American Idol" that summer, correct?
Yes. I kind of changed my whole life around to pursue music. I made it to the second round. That December, I was also invited to audition for "The Voice," which was really cool. Those experiences helped me realize that I enjoy the songwriting part much more than the singing part. So that's when I decided to start working with songwriters and photographers and creating a brand, and that's when I started putting together my EP.

Your EP, "Scared of Myself," came out in October. What's your songwriting process?
When I find songs I like, the lyrics always jump out at me. I key in on the lyrics because I think they're most important — I think they help other people relate to a song. Writing every song on this EP took hours and hours of editing to make sure I got the perfect words to describe what I was trying to say. I prefer writing with other people because I enjoy the back-and-forth with them.

Your EP is about your journey of finding ways to love and accept yourself, and put that out into the world. What do you hope listeners learn about you?
Throughout this whole process of creating a brand and looking a certain way and saying certain things so people will listen, what I've learned is that if you're not telling the truth, nobody will really care. So what I've tried to do with my writing is take things that I would want to hear, or that would have helped me to hear. I've learned that my imperfections are not flaws. If other people can be inspired by my music to do something that they've wanted to do but were scared to, I think that would be the greatest.

What are your plans for the future? Do they involve music?
Well, I'm a sixth-former, so I've been investing a lot of time and focus on finding the right college and future for me. I've decided to attend Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where I hope to major in music business. I love Nashville! They call it "Music City," and it seems like the perfect place for a songwriter. I'm not exactly sure where I want to go in terms of my career path, but I know that I want to stay involved in music in some way, shape or form.