Julian Cross opens up about main inspirations, collaborating with Afrojack on 'All I Need' and more: Interview

Constantly on the rise, Julian Cross is the epitome of an artist that has been mastering his craft to the utmost of perfection. Mentored by Afrojack himself, be sure to check out this latest interview in its entirety.

Blessing fans alike with each of his releases, Julian Cross is the epitome of an artist that has been mastering his craft to the utmost of perfection. With over a decade since the release of his first single, the Dutch-born DJ/Producer has been leaving a lasting impact with each of his endeavours, whilst his ability of catering for a vast array of genres, most definitely helps him stand out from all the rest. Offering a futuristic and fresh vibe, Cross takes pride in his attention to detail, whilst each of his productions act as a clear testament towards everything that he has set out to achieve thus far in his career. Mentored by no other than Afrojack himself, Cross has been developing his sound and style of play on the most constant of bases, and at the same time, his ability of generating a unique perspective on the music that he delivers to the world, can be classed as yet another key element in the global recognition that he has been receiving during his development within the dance scene and not only. Bearing this in mind, we could not be any happier to be joined by the man of the moment, as he opens up about the main inspirations and influences that led to his chosen career pathway in music, the significance of maintaining a versatile nature as time progresses and the industry evolves, his hit collaboration with Afrojack on ‘All I Need,’ the release of his upcoming album ‘Stories Of The Nebula‘ and so much more.

Hello and thank you for joining us! Could you give us an insight on the main inspirations/influences that led to your chosen career pathway?

From a young age I was always fascinated by music, of any genre. When I was in high-school, I noticed a Mixing-deck at my friends house and from that moment on I knew what I really wanted: playing and making music.

Releasing a wide range of music over the years, we would like to know the significance of maintaining a versatile nature within the dance scene, as well as your own incline towards a specific genre or style of play?

I think it’s always important to stay versatile because there is just such a wide spectrum of music styles. I would describe my own style as futuristic, refreshing, and diverse. Because I’ve experimented in the past decade with a lot of different sounds and styles. These three features keep coming back within my music and have defined my own identity over the years, which keeps things diverse at the same time.

Taken from your upcoming album, ‘All I Need’ is a track of great significance for you. Could you give us an insight on the main thought process behind the production itself, as well as the message that you have set out to portray through this particular track?

For some reason the main melody of the track has always been stuck in my head. Afrojack and I started jamming in the studio together and within a couple of hours we had the main idea of the track. Knowing that this one could be a banger we decided to add our own elements, going back and forth. Eventually it became the record that it is today and I’m truly excited to share it with the world. The message behind the track is the fact that everybody needs something different. There is not 1 message behind this track. It’s all a matter of perspective. Everything I need is something different than everything AFROJACK needs. Everybody is his own person and can give his own spin on this track. Think of all the things you need in your life, the most important ones anyway, and hopefully you can find or retrieve them when listening to this track.

Having also worked on ‘All I Need’ with your mentor, who is no other than Afrojack, we would like to know how rewarding the whole experience was, as well as the key learning points that you gained whilst working with one of our scenes heavyweights?

Over the last 2 years I’ve learned a lot of tips & tricks from Afrojack and I think this track is the perfect example of what I’m capable of in the studio. Key learning points and the whole experience was mostly the fact that AFROJACK kept pushing me to evolve myself and keep evolving the track as well. Don’t ever give up and keep pushing towards your main ambitions.

With over a decade having passed since the release of your first track, we would like to know the overall feel of leaving your own impact as time progresses, as well as the drive that keeps you wanting to reach even further heights?

Over the years I’ve evolved my music productions for the better.From the start I’ve always wanted to make and release an album. Now, I finally feel like it’s the perfect time for me to release an album and I think ‘Stories Of The Nebula’ is the perfect example of what my growth as an artist is and what’s to come in the future.At the moment I’m just extremely happy with where I am today, with a bright chapter to come.

With this in mind, your upcoming album, ‘Stories OfThe Nebula,’ is set to be released at the end of the year. Could you give us an insight on the creation of this album, as well as an overview on what we can expect in both terms of music and your own growth as an artist?

You can expect a very wide spectrum of music styles, influences and futuristic sounds. ‘Stories Of The Nebula’ is a great example of my growth as an artist and what’s to come in my future. I truly want to tell a story as an artist with the upcoming album. Since my first release exactly a decade ago I wanted to create an Album. Now 10 years later, It’s finally happening and it feels like my first journey within music has gone full circle!

Besides the release of your album, could you also give us an insight on what the rest of the year holds for Julian Cross, such as new music and/or live performances that are scheduled or in the works?

Besides the release of my album ‘Stories Of The Nebula’, my focus is putting in more studio time, as well as evolving my music even more. On the release day of ‘All I Need’ I’m playing at the JACKED show in Milan Italy. The WALL team and myself are working around the clock. To stay updated on new music, teasers and upcoming performances I would recommend to keep an eye on my socials.

Remarkable in every sense of the word, Julian Cross is well and truly on his way towards reaching even further heights within our community, and as you may have guessed, we are all for it. Ensuring nothing less than the most feel-good and highly-energetic of vibes, we will be keeping a close eye on this artist to watch and all his future endeavours, but for the time being, you can stay fully up to date by following him on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.

Image Credit: Julian Cross (Press) / Provided by WALL Recordings