BIO

JULIA YAMPOLSKY

My journey into songwriting started when I was translating Russian poetry into English. I tried to preserve the rhymes and rhythm of each poem as closely as possible to the original. I knew that American poetry had moved away from rhyming long ago, as it was considered restrictive. That’s why many existing translations of Russian poetry felt like they were simply conveying meaning—without rhyme or rhythm. Once I became comfortable playing with rhymes in English, I decided to try writing my own poems. It was a rocky road at first, and I couldn’t let go of my rhyming style. One day, my poetry teacher and mentor told me that my poems would make great—and more meaningful—song lyrics. That was an epiphany. My musical taste has always leaned toward jazz standards, big band, 1940s swing, and blues—even though I didn’t live in that era. I started posting my poems and lyrics online and met a composer, Clinton Ray Jr., who shared the same musical preferences. We began collaborating, not thinking about money at all. Our debut album, The Swung Ones, is the result of that collaboration, and we have a few more projects in the works. Sometimes, while writing lyrics, I even come up with a melody. I just hum it as best as I can for Clinton. And occasionally, Clinton writes his own lyrics as well. What inspires me? Everyday things. It could be a phrase—or even a single word—I overhear on the street. It could be a funny or frustrating situation, like driving in stop-and-go traffic or sitting in a jam. You can hear that in the song “On My Way.” I wrote it while driving through a bottleneck near the Museum of Science in Boston, where I live. That area always seems to be under construction—or full of buses bringing visitors to the museum. My lyrics aren’t necessarily biographical. Sometimes, one word is enough to spark an idea. I’m trained in fashion design, so I’m a very visual person. I see entire scenes unfolding in my mind—characters, colors, everything. And my love of rhyme brings it all together. You might notice some influence from Amy Winehouse’s lyrical style in the song “Your Heart Is Crying.” In the chorus, I wrote: “You’re Mr. Stuck, I’m Mrs. Wait.” Originally, that word “stuck” was… something stronger. I’ll let you guess. Sadly, neither Clinton nor I are singers. We’ve been working on our songs for years simply because we enjoy the process. But recently, we discovered AI tools that can help with the vocal side of our project. The lyrics and music are ours, but now we can find voices that suit each song—and that made our work truly audible. We’re both incredibly relieved that we no longer have to search for singers, pay for sessions, or try to convince record label executives. Before AI, we were often limited to what “they” decided we should listen to. Now, we can choose the style we truly love—and so can everyone else.

Clinton Ray Jr.

When I met Julia Yampolsky and read her lyrics I immediately knew I had to work with her, but it was an unexpected bonus when she turned to me and said, ‘I think we should do swing’. How could I decline?