“Dumb” is a song I wrote in the middle of the night, at my piano, while going through a breakup,” Julia Rizik tells HollywoodLife. “There was a lot of shame with the emotions I was feeling and how intense everything felt, and that’s kind of what ‘Dumb’ is about. I think, at some point, we’ve all felt pretty stupidly in love with someone and that’s how I felt.”
The song, according to Julia, represents her “finally being honest with myself” after investing countless hours attempting to “make this person [and this] relationship” something it wasn’t” inside her own head. It was a case of bending her perception of reality, instead of realizing that the best thing to do was to bail. This honesty, self-reflection, and powerful songwriting will be found in her upcoming debut pop EP, Self Destructive. “Dumb” is “more of a conversation with myself than to the muse,” she shares, adding that the whole EP “centers around self-realization and walking away from a toxic relationship. It too so much out of me to write this song and the whole EP. I hope listeners who are going through the same thing can relate.”
Self Destructive will mark Julia’s evolution as a person – and as an artist. The Scottsdale, Arizona native began her career in the country music world, working with some of the top writers in Nashville. As a teen, she landed spots at festivals like Country Thunder and Stagecoach, but like the relationship in “Dumb,” Julia and country music wasn’t working out. After taking a bit of a break, she rediscovered her voice and that it veered more towards the pop world. She traded Nashville for Los Angeles and has since begun the next chapter of her career.
Julia began the reintroduction in 2020 with the release of “Human,” a track about the dangers of crushing hard on someone that you think is too good to be real (because they probably aren’t.) The title track – “Self-Destructive” – arrived in late April, further cementing her as a pop star that’s worth your attention. So, don’t be “dumb” by sleeping on this new song – or on Self Destructive, when it arrives on June 18.
“Dumb” is out now.