In the first of our Cult Figures series Alexa meets the lead singer of NYC-based band Sunflower Bean to discuss stage outfits, recurring nightmares and the most important things to pack when going on tour...
Having stalked Julia for a long long time on Instagram I was very happy to meet her in person in Paris this February, just before the quarantine curtain draped itself all over the globe. Her band Sunflower Bean has just released a new song 'Moment in the Sun', so I got to have a (transatlantically-distanced) catch up with her.
Interview by Alexa Chung
Firstly Hi! And congratulations on your new video! "You're the only music on my mind" is an excellent lyric. Now seamlessly I'm going to start grilling you with some super hard hitting questions. *warning* I watched Almost Famous last night because it's been twenty years since it came out so apologies if any of these questions have been directly lifted from that movie.
Photo by Andy DeLuca. Styled by Amber Simiriglia.
When you were young did you dream of being in a band?
Yes! It was actually the first thing I remember dreaming about. My dream was to start a band called “The Beatles 2.” I used to ask my mom why all their songs were about girls, since I wanted to sing about boys.
I save potential band names on my notes even though I know I will never be in one, one just says CRAZY. Do you have any band names or snippets of lyrics saved in your notes that you can share with us?
So many.. a particularly stupid one is Never Mind the Sandra Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols! A lot of other ones are intensely over emotional, like “The beauty of everything makes me feel insane” or “I couldn’t live in paradise forever.”
You've blended a career in music and modelling. At AC Towers we are always inspired by musicians and their style. How does fashion play into or enhance or hinder stage performance for you?
Fashion and style are also incredibly important for music videos and portraying songs on camera! For “Moment In The Sun,” we wanted to build this character that was slightly outside of my everyday self.…super romantic and dreamy. We dyed my hair this fiery pink color and I leaned into that summer-y suburban 90s vibe. It was so fun to mix in pieces from your collection to bring the character to life! That’s truly the magic of fashion and style! I feel like your lilac striped cardigan deserves it’s own video credit because it really brought so much to the visuals.