This post was updated Oct. 24 at 9:04 p.m.

Juliana Simone’s songwriting is an exploration through the sounds of folk and rock.

On Friday, alumnus Juliana Simone is set to release her first single since graduating from UCLA. The song, titled “Never Home,” is a collaboration with third-year music industry student Bella Andrews. Simone said she met Andrews during a songwriting class last year, and the song will begin the next stage of her career.

“What I like about songwriting is thinking about the characters and the setting and the tone,” Simone said. “That’s where the theater background in me comes in.”

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Simone said her musical journey started around age 6, when she began to sing and immerse herself in the world of musical theater. She said she attributes her relationship with music to her parents exposing her to their CD and vinyl collection, which consisted of artists such as The Smiths, Tom Petty, Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen. However, her songwriting journey didn’t begin until she was in her first year of college, when she started experimenting with writing songs during COVID-19 lockdowns, she said.

During her final year at UCLA, Simone said she was paired with Andrews in Music Industry 112B: “Advanced Songwriting” and tasked to write a tune. After hearing Andrews’ music, Simone said she felt honored and excited to be able to collaborate with her. Andrews said “Never Home” was the first collaboration for both artists, and the pieces of the song started coming together quickly as they combined melodies, lyrics and a storyline. Additionally, Simone said their working relationship was based on trusting each other, and for “Never Home,” this trust helped them transform the song from chord progressions to a full story.

In terms of her approach to songwriting, Simone said her background in theater has influenced her focus on having characters, a setting and tone. As an observer, Andrews said Simone’s approach to writing lyrics resembles Taylor Swift’s in focusing on details and imagery. “Never Home” is a song that explores the depths of loss and the process of grief, Simone said. The song depicts how there is no correct way to grieve and gives listeners the opportunity to decipher the impact of the loss, she added. In her approach to telling a story, Simone said she draws inspiration from fictional components such as television or book characters, but she also enjoys including personal aspects.

“The biggest theme about it is loss. And I feel like anybody can interpret loss in a different way, whether that’s death, a breakup or a friendship breakup,” Simone said. “I feel like this song does a great job. It’s very specific, but you can take anything you want from it.”

Aidan Newell, an alumnus as well as Simone and Andrews’ former classmate, said he was drawn to “Never Home” when he first heard the song in their songwriting class. Andrews said Newell approached them after class and asked to produce the track. Working with Simone meant working with a talented and open artist who allowed him to help find the best version of the song, Newell said. Her authenticity allowed for open communication about where she wanted the song to go, he added.

“What she writes … usually has a much deeper meaning behind it, which I really respect, and she’s also very talented and open to new ideas,” Newell said. “That’s really important when you’re making music – to be open to everything that could happen.”

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As for genre, Simone said she has gravitated toward the sounds of folk and rock as she finds herself being able to let go within the beats and release. Nostalgia is an aspect Simone said she turns to in the messages of her songs, looking back on her past and her childhood. She said she has connected to artists such as David Bowie, Radiohead and Birdy because of their knack for telling a story and the theatrical approaches of their music. Their sounds have provided inspiration for her, and she said in the process of making her music, she typically looks back at these artists’ work for guidance.

Looking toward the future, Simone said she is excited for the release of “Never Home” and has been focused on making her debut album. She said she hopes to form a band and play her songs live in front of an audience. In Simone’s music and the sounds of rock and folk, her specific edge is shown with her songs and how she performs them, Newell said.

“Something about the way she performs – … it really connects deep into how she feels about the music that she’s playing,” Newell said. “There’s something in there that is – … the edginess of it or some amount of darkness in it that I think feels really, really real.”