“I’m in Sydney!” It’s early afternoon on a Monday, and the sharp-dressed sensation known to all and sundry as Mojo Juju is recapping her weekend. So, what’s brought the Melbourne inhabitant up to the big city of lights? Some album promo? Maybe visiting some friends? “I, uh… I actually played the Opera House.” She says it with such timidness and in such an understated nature that one immediately suspects she might be joking. Not so – as it turns out, the claim is 100 per cent legit.
“When I first got asked to do it,” she begins, “I assumed it’d be in the Studio or one of the smaller rooms. Then they sent through all of the details, and I realised we’d been booked to play the Joan Sutherland Theatre. That’s basically the second-biggest room in the entire venue. It was momentous for me and my band – it’s probably the highest level of production we’ve ever worked with, and to look up and see all these people that had filled out the room to see us was absolutely incredible.” And there were no sound-bleeding issues with the man in the Concert Hall opposite, Morrissey? “Not at all!” chuckles Juju. “We were happy to go vegetarian for the night.”
The Opera House support show with Melbourne Ska Orchestra properly kicked off both a national tour and the launch of Juju’s second solo album, entitled Seeing Red / Feeling Blue. Since breaking away from her original outfit, Mojo Juju and The Snake Oil Merchants, around the start of the 2000s, the singer has been pursuing whatever proverbial weaponry is at hand in order to break the mould that band set for her. With Seeing Red, Juju feels as though she is finally getting there.
“My last record [2012’s Mojo Juju] was me just getting the last of my vintage blues out of me,” she says. “Even that record was very different to the Snake Oil Merchants days, but I just got to a point where I realised that I needed to branch out. A lot of those songs were written when we were still around but the band could collectively see the end. I see myself as a different artist now, and I really feel like this whole album is going to be quite a step away from what people expect of me.”
Juju, at one point in her career, found herself in an immediate community of rock and blues musicians who revelled in the regalia of old-time blues while giving it a contemporary edge – acts such as Gay Paris, The Snowdroppers and Kira Puru. As much love and respect as she has for all of those artists – whom, it should be noted, have all made progressions of their own – Juju emphasises the need she felt to not be permanently stuck to a particular sound or collective movement.
“You go through all sorts of weird things as an artist,” she says. “I think all we’re trying to [be doing] is making music that we love, being authentic to ourselves and being as creative as possible in your expression. There’s an element of theatre in there – you’re an entertainer, after all – and a lot of the songwriting traditions I learned from have allowed me to create other worlds. It’s no secret I’m a massive Tom Waits fan – I see him as someone who has created whole universes through the music that he makes. Maybe I was a little worried about getting pigeonholed. I’m interested in innovation. I’m interested in artists that can do that – Waits, Madonna, André 3000. People like that are at a point where they can do whatever they want to do – they don’t get compared to anyone else.”
Seeing Red / Feeling Blue, as its title suggests, is an album of raw emotion. It stems from deep catharsis and passionate reaction, as well as Juju’s own aspirations to once again redefine the characteristics of her own music. Even when attempting to continue on from the foundations set on Mojo Juju, there were some clear and immediate problems – ones that instantly called for change.
“For this album, I sat down and tried to pick up where I left off from the last record,” she says. “It felt unnatural and it felt inauthentic. I had to shrug off any idea of what people wanted from me, and move toward what pleases me. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Frank Ocean, a lot of Solange, a lot of Kendrick Lamar – it was all this new sound, giving me all these new ideas of what to do from a melodic perspective. Once I had those ideas, and once I started writing with them in mind, the songs came really quickly.”
Of course, in spite of the music solely baring her name, Juju is quick to point out an all-important outside influence who allowed her to truly find her voice – both figuratively and literally – on Seeing Red. “The producer I was working with was a guy called Ptero Stylus. He’s done a lot of hip hop records – albums for guys like Diafrix and Mantra. He’s also got a keen ear for pop music. He told me straight up that if I wanted to pursue doing songs that had a bit of a pop side to them, I had to learn how to sing differently. I had to learn how to use my voice in a way that I’d never used it before. It was great having someone that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. That’s the best thing that you can do for yourself.”
Juju’s album tour will take in a mix of major capital cities and a handful of smaller towns across four different states and territories. If you’ve not experienced a Mojo Juju show before, you’re in for a night of style, sass and smarts, backed by a team of exceptional musicians hand-picked by the lady herself.
“I’m really stoked with the band I’ve put together for this tour,” says Juju. “There’s some new players that I haven’t had the chance to work with in this vicinity yet, as well as some old favourites that I’ve been playing with for years. I’ve got several members of The Cactus Channel playing with me – they’re some of Melbourne’s best young soul and funk players. My brother [Steve ‘T-Bone’ Ruiz de Luzuriaga] is joining me as well, who’s probably one of my closest and most consistent collaborators. He’s a real go-to guy. You can really depend on him. We’ve got some guests lined up in each city, too, and some great supports. It’s going to be an absolute party.”
The promotion for Seeing Red / Feeling Blue is officially in full swing. The album is out, the tour is booked and reviews are in – as far as Juju herself is concerned, everything’s coming along just swimmingly. “There’s been a lot of love,” she says. “I’m really grateful for the fact that the fans I do have are really loyal. They’re really into the idea of going on this journey with me. No-one’s disowned me or turned their back on me…” She pauses, laughs to herself, and adds: “Yet.”
Mojo Juju photo by Ian Laidlaw
Seeing Red / Feeling Blue is out now through ABC/Universal. Mojo Juju appears, along with Betty & Oswald and The Duke Of Erlington, at Newtown Social Club on Saturday June 20. Mojo Juju plays at the Clarendon Guesthouse on Thursday June 18 and the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday June 19
