Interview with Jeremy Voltz

Burned-out mathematician turned indie-soul artist, Jeremy Voltz’s music is inspired by thinking deeply about the people in his life and what he’d love to have the courage to say to them.

Reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, Hozier, and Stevie Wonder, he has a voice that is powerful and haunting. As a vocalist, Voltz has toured the UK, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and across the US and Canada. His lyrics are universal and heartfelt, and his songs have been featured in film and television. His acoustic anthem “One Day at a Time” has garnered millions of worldwide listens and inspired a successful children’s book. His debut full-length album, Weekender, just won Album of the Year at the Ontario Folk Music Awards. Jeremy is releasing his second full length throughout 2023, Running Away, with the help of FACTOR.

How do you go about writing a song? Do you have a melody in your head and then write the other music for it?

Pretty much always starts in the shower, and it’s usually lyrics and melody at the same time. If those are good, the song is good. Chords are done after the fact, cause there’s a lot of different chords that could work for the same melodies, so I like to mess around once the song is sort of set.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I used to think writer’s block wasn’t real. But that was because I was envisioning sitting down to write and nothing coming out, which I couldn’t imagine. It turns out for me, real writer’s block is not sitting down in the first place. Filling all your time with everything except writing. That’s the real block: not creating space. And then you just have to decide to make space. I’m working through The Artist’s Way for the first time, and it’s all about giving your inner artist the time and attention it deserves. It’s been very healing.

Are you planning any videos for your music?

I went to Montreal to shoot my directorial debut, a music video for the upcoming song “Running Away” with some of my friends. I’m so proud of it, I got to execute exactly what I envisioned for it, a character study of a young woman who never feels at home and is constantly thinking of escaping.

Are you creative in other disciplines?

I think creativity abounds in many forms. I like filmmaking, creative writing, improv, storytelling, editing… can’t turn it off really.

Where was your current project recorded?

This whole album was done at my friend Oliver Charles’ studio in Montreal. He produced it, and because of the travel, Covid really hurt the progress of the record, which is why it’s taken so long to finish. But we found we couldn’t do our best work unless we were in the room together.

What was the last thing you dressed up as for fancy dress?

My friends hosted a mystery game that was themed like an animal garden party, so I dressed as a bird in a fancy pink suit, and made an elaborate bird mask out of cardboard.

What historical figure would you love to see in 21st century life?

I always thought bringing the Wright Brothers onto a commercial airline would be really fun.

Would you rather be the one in a movie who gets the hero/heroine or the baddie with all the good lines?

I’m a movie villain through and through. Even better would be a pro-wrestling villain. I would love that.

Which are cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?

Dinosaurs are basically dragons, but REAL. Nothing is cooler than that.

If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be?

I really like the Japanese language. We’ve gone on tour to Japan a few times, and I’ve tried to learn a bit of the language. I find it gels well with my brain.

What is your favorite board game?

Tough to pick just one, but I’d probably go Space Alert. You play with your friends cooperatively in real time as shipmates trying to deal with threats, while also keeping the ship running. It’s super chaotic.

Do you shout out the answers at the TV whilst watching quiz shows?

Am I a monster??

Are you a valuable asset on a Pub Quiz team?

There aren’t a ton of mathematics questions usually, but if there are, I’m your guy.