Name: Juniper Shelley aka Juniper
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Juniper's She Steals Candy is out now.
Recommendations: Two books that I think everyone (especially women) should read are Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. My parents read me both of these novels before I was ten, and they were formative in my understanding of strong women growing up. And both incredible, moving books to top it off!

If you enjoyed this Juniper interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official homepage.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you are listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I also have a very physical reaction to music. Often times I'm moved to dance-- I listen to a lot of music while driving and often have to remind myself not to tap my foot on the gas pedal.

I generally listen to music while absorbed in another task with my eyes open. But when I'm in my room, just listening to music and dancing around, I like to close my eyes and listen as intently as possible.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

I first asked my parents to start taking piano lessons when I was about eight, because I was jealous of the fourth graders that got to take piano at school. My first steps were certainly very slow and halting, but I think it was that early base that set the stage for my later musical explorations.

It's hard to judge the impact of experience because I was so little when I started being involved in music. But I think the combination of natural aging and a strong base of music appreciation is completely responsible for the experience with music I have had today.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

I don't believe that my appreciation and relationship to music have changed much as I've grown up. From the age of one I've felt that music was a sort of release for me, and that has never changed.

However, the only change in my relationship with music that I experienced between 13 and 16 was the introduction of songs that I chose independently into my catalog. I grew up listening to the music that my parents listened to, and a lot of it was older and less mainstream.

I still love that music, and it has been a wonderful and liberating experience to intersperse songs and artists I have discovered myself with the songs of my childhood.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music? What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

My most important instrument has always been my voice. I love to sing: I sing in the shower, sing in the car, and hum while I'm eating dinner. And as I've grown as a musician, I've learned how to use it more effectively.

My proclivity for vocals makes me a person who doesn't love instrumentals, and really appreciates a story song. In my music, I am guided by the principle that art has to be fun. I really think that listeners can hear when fun was had while music was being made, and focusing on enjoyment makes every aspect of the process better.

I want to find joy in the creative process, and it's that joy that continues to motivate me to create.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

That Paul Simon quote rings true to me. Because I know my own songs so well, I can't really hear them as they are: instead, I hear all that went into them.

I think that my personal sound is always evolving, and that's a lot of what I like about it. To me, the tone and style of the music on my first and second albums are very different from one another. I want to be someone whose music changes as I do.

However, I do think that a sort of melancholy tone is consistent throughout everything I have made.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

During May of 2020, I remember hearing the birds chirping outside of my room on the first day of spring, and starting to cry. Covid had brought such a long, awful winter that the summery connotation of chirping birds felt like the deepest relief. Sounds have a lot of capacity to encompass deep feelings, and that was what the chirping birds did that day.

I don't know if I would call these songs musical, because I believe that music has a strong implication of intention and human effort. However, they are certainly melodic and meaningful.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I think the entire song “Bang” on She Steals Candy is one of the loudest and busiest songs we've ever made. That's why I'm so drawn to the song, the rolling drums and the constant push of it thrills me.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I don't write most of our songs, although I've helped with some. However, my favorite type of song to work on is the simple verse / chorus format. Those songs are catchy and have the capacity to convey so much emotion that they are a joy to sing.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

I don't write most of my own songs, so I can't speak to the writing process. As for the instrumentation, I think that a lot of my dad and my process is trial and error. We try things a lot of different ways, and ultimately see what works the best for the song.

A great example is “Ride Between The Cars,” where we recorded both an acoustic and electric version before we were finally able to decide. This is a really fun way to make music because It allows for so much experimentation.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music? How does the way you make music   eflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a  deeper level?

I'm not too scientific in my musical process, our primary form of music-making is absolutely experimentation. This is absolutely reflective of the way I like my life, literally and figuratively.

In the classroom I'm not particularly interested in stem, which explains my lack of logical approach. And I also think that I am a person who is curious and exploratory, both while doing music and in my everyday life.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't in more “mundane” tasks?

No. Both processes can be practiced and improved, and can be artistic forms of creative expression.

I think the fact that music is melodic makes it more expressive than words. Because pitch and tone can make something simple, passionate and emotionally expressive, I definitely think feelings like anxiety, disappointment, and sadness can be articulated very well through music.

Every time I listen to “Albedo 0.39” by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Yes!! Two songs: “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift and “Don't Ever Change” by Amy Rigby.



Both are songs about growing up that make me sob.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I think modern music is more computer-based, and less based on live performances with musicians performing together. I would love a return to live-style music in the future.