“Boxing Is Super Interesting” Julia Holter Scores New Film
The singer-songwriter – and creator of one of MOJO’s albums of the year – on her plans for the soundtrack of new movie Bleed For This... and why she “relates” to the pugilistic arts.
HAVING WITNESSED HER recent album, Have You In My Wilderness, soar into the upper reaches of MOJO’s Albums Of 2015, Julia Holter has spoken to us about her next project: a soundtrack to a film about boxing.
The Los Angeles native’s fourth album is among our 50 best records of the year (have a sprint through the full list now) which features in our latest issue (January 2016 / #266), on sale in the UK now.
As well as discussing Have You In My Wilderness, Holter speaks about her next project, the score for boxing movie Bleed For This, which will be released next year.
“I’m really excited about it,” she tells MOJO’s Jenny Bulley. “The director, Ben Younger, was really cool and gave me free rein. First I had to send in a mock-up of something and sent in pretty wack stuff, so I’m very lucky they took me on.”
Though not necessarily a boxing enthusiast, Holter said the subject matter and musical approach required intrigued her
“It doesn’t necessarily sound like my music; it’s very simple, sort of bluesy piano with strings and a saxophone,” she explains. “Boxing is super interesting. I remember reading Joyce Carol Oates’ book about it [On Boxing]. There’s a lot psychologically going on in boxing… I think I relate to some of it. [Laughs] I have a respect for it. It’s like performing, but it’s also this crazy self-destructive thing. Maybe what I’m doing is self-destructive too? I don’t know…”
Get the latest issue of MOJO for the full Julia Holter interview, plus the full reasoning behind 2015’s Albums Of The Year list and our free Best Of 2015 CD, featuring tracks from the albums in question, including Julia Holter herself, plus songs by New Order, Sufjan Stevens, Father John Misty, Matthew E White and more.
PHOTO: Tom Oldham for MOJO magazine