Girl at the Rock Shows

I have been talking with JulianGK about his new song, “Game of Blood,” since December of last year. The song isn’t out until February 14th (that’s right, Valentine’s Day), but I have been listening to it on repeat since I received it. It’s a super catchy little bop that is filled with the perfect amount of spice and everything nice. It’s nostalgic but fresh. Catchy but deep. Dark but bright. It’s a standard enigma but with the signature razzle-dazzle that only JulianGK can bring to a song. I was absolutely excited to have the chance to ask him some questions about this single and a little bit of everything else.

Dear readers, please let me introduce you to JulianGK!

How would you describe your music to your grandma?
It’s like the music you never understood why I listened to in my teens, only faster and more fun.

Everyone says that every crowd is their favorite but, what city has the best audience and why is it Minneapolis?
Ha! I haven’t had the pleasure of playing Minneapolis but Austin TX during SXSW was a blast!

What’s your go-to coffee order?
I’m a simple man! Tall black coffee. No sugar, no milk. Get me the second one before I finish the first, please.

Favorite lyrics of all time?
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright. Dylan’s storytelling always gets me.

If you were a wrestler, what would be your “walk-out” song and what color would your outfit be?
Blood on my Hands by The Used. And the color is obviously red!

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Green Day in the Hella Mega Tour was rad!

Have you ever been able to finish a Rubik’s Cube?
Nope! It’s just too frustrating and I have never been interested. I rather put my focus on other frustrating things more in line with my goals… What can I say, I’m told I’m the epitome of a Capricorn.

What’s your favorite video game and why?
Tony Hawk Pro Skater American Wasteland! It’s the only video game I have really ever finished. I love how you could personalize your characters but also play as my favorite pro skaters and BMXers. It’s fun how you can do crazy tricks that are waaay far fetched.

What’s an old-school fad that you wish would come back?
Cropped tshirts. Shirts these days are too long. I wish they were boxier and cropped at the waist! These days I just cut them myself.

What’s your favorite method of listening to music?
Probably a CD in a car stereo out of nostalgia. But the convenience of streaming on your phone beats it.

What’s the worst concert you’ve ever been to and why?
I guess it would be this Eurovision Event I went to for work once. Just the fact that all instruments, even drums, were mimed was kinda lame. Haha… I have no problem with playback on live shows but if you’ve got someone on stage with an instrument I wanna feel like the humanity in it, ya know. I also get the whole production element of a show like that can be tricky and that’s why they just have vocals live… I get it… It’s just not what I’m after, lol.

Okay, let’s dig into your new single “Game of Blood”. First, can you tell me where you were when you wrote this track?
I was in the London Underground on my way back home when the idea came to me… I started drafting it in my head and as soon as I got home, I grabbed my guitar and the first verse and chorus just came out in 20 min or so.

I’m getting a huge Mest vibe from this song. Who was the biggest influence on the sound for this song in particular?
I’ve been into this band called Girlfriends, at the moment. They’ve been the biggest influence on me in the past year or so. I love the whole Southern California feel to punk rock though. Social Distortion, Face to Face, Sugarcult and all that is very much what I grew up on. I suppose Mest come from that subculture too.

I love how this seems to be a shout-out to those who may be single on Valentine’s Day but, come on, isn’t that a little cliche emo?
Well it’s actually more of a nod to those who are not single but subconsciously wish they were. It can be really hard to get out of a toxic relationship when you’re trying to make it work and think you love the person. I hope this tune can help some people get the courage to break up and seek a better life!

Okay, just kidding, honestly, I do have someone to spend my Valentine’s Day with but it’s not a favorite holiday of mine as it feels just a bit too Hallmark for me. With that being said, what holiday is your favorite and why?
Ha! Me too actually. Not a huge fan of the holiday but am grateful to have a great relationship with my partner to celebrate on Valentine’s. I think my favorite holiday would be NYE. Not for the party cause that’s always disappointing. Lol… more for the fresh start of it all. It’s a good time to clean the slate and kinda reinvent yourself.

“Game of Blood” is dropping February 14th as a standalone single but can we expect maybe a full length or something in the near future?
There’s a music video for the song coming out in a couple of months as well as another two or three singles in the remainder of the year. I’ll leave full bodies of work for 2026. More on that further along this year so stay posted.

For now, I’m stoked to share the music video my team and I created for Game of Blood. It’s a DIY endeavour and a group of us have poured our hearts out to make it happen and I look forward to sharing it with the world!

What color do you associate with this song?
Red.

If this song were to be covered by a top-40 act from today, who would you hope it is?
Sabrina Carpenter. Her songs are banging and I’d be curious to see if she can make Game of Blood sound as good as the rest of her songs. Ha!

What about touring plans?
Not for the time being but am open for opportunities jumping on opening slots

Is there anything else you’d like everyone to know about you, this song, or the world in general?
I do have a London headline show on Thursday the 27th of February at The Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden. Tickets can be found on this link: https://events.talentbanq.com/events/talentbanq/1506606

Everything about these answers spoke to my soul (even beyond red apparently being JulianGK’s favorite color and also the color of my logo and everything). I’m super bummed that JulianGK doesn’t have any plans to tour right now but I’m hoping that this amazing new single catapults him into a situation where he has no choice but to tour and that he makes a stop in the Twin Cities.

As mentioned, “Game of Blood” isn’t out quite yet but JulianGK does have his 2024 EP ‘Heart on Sleeve’ available for streaming. If you like what you hear on this amazing EP, you better set an alarm for February 14th because your mind is going to be blown! You can presave the song HERE!

And just in case the EP doesn’t hook you, you can check out a small snippet HERE!

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