Meet Miss Judy B | Singer & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miss Judy B and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miss Judy B, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Mine was an unusual childhood. My mother, a carefree Mexican woman, met my father in Los Angeles- a Greek-Armenian talented painter, while working at a shoe factory. I was born and immersed in two very distinct cultures and felt different from most kids growing up. I ate ethnic food, spoke three languages, traveled, I wore different clothes because my aunt, who collected Vogue magazines (only the September issue) would spoil me and make me one of a kind custom dresses and jump suits, while my grandmother made me classic style sweaters. A typical night would involve my dad and my uncle critiquing each others paintings (my uncle was also a painter). It seemed that my dad’s side of the family lived and breathed art, and ever since I can remember, that’s what I did too. My aunt had me watch the movie Amadeus when I was four and it profoundly changed my life forever. I knew then that I wanted to be a musician just like Mozart. I took piano lessons and later played the violin. By college I changed my major from fashion design to fine art. I thought to devote my life to painting like my father but later decided to pursue fashion after a friend encouraged me when she saw my custom made dresses I had made for myself.
After selling out a capsule collection I had handmade, I ended up starting a high end avant garde clothing line in San Francisco called Please Dress Up. It came naturally to me and I started making money off of my designs right away, so I continued. Shortly after, I moved to Paris to be in the center of fashion and lived out a dream that I had for a long time- to be a fashion designer and live in Paris. One of countless highlights was when Vogue called my tiny studio and asked for an invite to my fashion show. I had to pause and take a moment and then ask “I’m sorry, did you say Vogue?” in the calmest voice I could muster. Although Paris was fantastic my fashion career didn’t really take off until I moved back to Los Angeles and started making designer knitwear for celebrities, exclusive luxury boutiques, and films like the The Hunger Games. I also had the unique opportunity to intern at the Rodarte studio where they entrusted me with the managing of their entire runway show for their Fall collection. I learned a lot about how the industry really works and what it takes to work at such a high level. After the internship I realized I could take my experience to New York and continue to climb the ladder, but it was then that I also felt like I knew what lied behind the curtain and my heart wasn’t into it anymore.

I knew I wanted to play music my entire life, and having this new awareness was my chance to change trajectory and be true to myself and answer this underlying calling that I had had for so long. When my friend invited me to go visit her in Vietnam, where she had been teaching, I bought a ticket for a two month stay, and took my guitar with me. This is where my music career begins. My second night there I am waiting for my turn to go up and play at an open mic night. Having almost no real experience of singing in front of people, I felt oddly at ease, and open to this new land, new people, new experiences and felt in harmony with my surroundings. While my friend went up to play I felt inspired by the beats and soft-pop melodies he was playing on his keyboard. I felt drawn to go up to the microphone and start singing, making up lyrics on the spot. Words that described my story drifting on top of melodies flowed out of me without hesitation. My performance was received with compliments and adorations from the crowd, it was a pivotal moment that gave me the confidence I needed.
It was then that I felt a strong conviction to see how far I could go with music. After returning from Vietnam I dove into guitar, vocal, piano lessons, and music theory classes. I wrote songs that I later started performing at clubs, which felt like my dream finally coming true. I experienced the process of recording my songs in a recording studio and explored making music videos. I felt like I had a gift to share with the world and I wanted to work hard to fully realize this previously dormant potential.
I am proud to reflect on all of my efforts up until now. Especially, having released two singles this year. The first is a Spanish bolero, Historia de Un Amor which draws in my Mexican roots. The second is an original holiday song, Merry Christmas Meter Maid, I wrote with the intent to spread more love and empathy in the world. I love singing in different languages and styles; being able to connect with more people and different cultures is important to me and my music. My own personal style of writing doesn’t adhere to one genre but instead focuses more on a message of awareness and unconditional love. I have songs that range in sound from folk-pop, jazz, rock, to blues. Just like my diverse artistic career I strive to continue to push the limits of what I can create and to never let norms box me in, and above all to have fun doing it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Deciding to pursue music and put aside what I was skilled at was an easy choice. I started later in life, which can be intimidating when switching careers. I was well established as a fashion designer with a notable resume. Deciding to be a musician seemed just as “crazy” as wanting to be a fashion designer. I knew I had to start out from scratch, which wasn’t easy, but it was what I wanted to devote my life to.
My goal was to combine the two things I loved the most, to travel and play music. Because I grew up listening to diverse music in various languages I was inspired to do the same. I wanted to sing in French like Edith Piaf, and Spanish like Eydie Gorme, and Astrud Gilberto in Portuguese. All of this I did while writing my own songs which have a Dylanesque flare with lyrics that are not being heard in popular music. I write from the heart without setting out to write in any one type of style , whatever I am feeling is what comes out . I was not classically trained, and this could be seen as a disadvantage but I embraced my unique voice and point of view because that is what sets me apart.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Recently I had the immense pleasure of being invited to The Magic Castle in Hollywood. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go and it exceeded all of my expectations! I felt transported to another world, where your mind is taken for an Alice in Wonderland type of experience. I felt like a kid again, screaming with excitement and wide eyed wonder! The time before that I had a lovely birthday dinner with my friend at Nics on Beverly, a delicious vegan restaurant with a hip crowd and beautiful atmosphere. We dressed up like we were attending the Oscars, because why not? It enhanced the entire experience of going out, we turned heads everywhere we went! After dinner we ended the night with a nightcap at the iconic Dresden, which let us relive an old Hollywood fantasy with its 1950’s glamorous interiors.
These are some pretty fancy suggestions, but it’s something that can only be experienced in LA. I don’t go out very often because I’m obsessed with producing music at home, but when I do I like to make the most of it!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My boyfriend Nick has been my biggest supporter since the day I told him I was a musician and soon after became my biggest fan. He encourages me and pushes me when I need it the most. He also recorded my last three music videos and has great artistic direction. He takes time to listen to my songs and gives me honest feedback, which is priceless. I feel extremely grateful that we work so well together and we are constantly bouncing ideas off of each other which makes the entire process fun and rewarding on top of all of the hard work. Love can be a great motivator to make anything possible. I would also like to recognize every person who told me to keep going from the very beginning. The friends and strangers who reached out to me to tell me exactly what they liked about my music. This kept me going through hard times of doubting or feeling any kind of imposter syndrome. When you produce results there is no denying the work that you have put in.

Website: www.missjudybmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missjudybmusic/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/missjudybmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missjudybmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEQdR8MVvUTsClfYRs5OpwA

Other: spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/34CrlVQ5nSVfFyH8sABr5G?si=af125f0f70a34b4b

Image Credits
Nicholas Stewart- credit for all photos `