Julia Michaels’ Road to Women in Music 2025 | Billboard

Julia Michaels hits the studio and chats with Muni Long ahead of Billboard Women in Music 2025 and introducing her as the recipient of the Rising Star Award presented by Honda Stage.

Julia Michaels:

I first discovered my love for music when I was a teenager, and then my mom got me a piano, then just started putting all my poems to a song that way, and I was like a really shy, introverted, homeschooled girl, and so for me, that was just my way of finding my identity. What makes a really great artist is someone that can be just very authentically themselves. And for me, coming up it was Muni. Hi, Muni. 

Muni Long:

How are you, darling?

Julia Michaels:

I’m good. I’m so good. I’m so excited to talk to you. Being an independent artist allows me more freedom. That is, like, the biggest thing that I think about with Muni. It’s hard to do and it’s scary to do, and she’s done it so well. Honda Stage is an incredible program for music discovery, and I couldn’t be more excited for Muni. 

Muni Long:

So you are the recipient of the Rising Star Award. No one really is more deserving of it than you. 

Thank you, and I’m so grateful that it gets to be you, your journey, when you made the transition from songwriter to artist. I remember that, and I remember watching and being like, it’s possible. 

Julia Michaels:

I think when I was coming up, it felt way more competitive. Now everybody works with everybody. 

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