Juliet Fox's brand new source of inspiration

Oftentimes, writing has a deadline. A new album is releasing, a show is coming up, or a window has opened up in an artist’s otherwise chock-a-block schedule which needs to be filled.

For Juliet Fox, Australian-born DJ and producer turned European-based techno queen, that deadline was perhaps the most natural of all: motherhood.

Born in Kaurna/Adelaide but developing her career predominantly after moving to Naarm/Melbourne, and then ‘debuting’ in Ibiza in 2010. There she took on a series of residencies before moving to London and later Berlin, and now regularly touring the world and appearing on stages like Tomorrowland, Loveland, Time Warp, Ultra Worldwide, Sonus, as well as releasing on labels like Armada, Filth On Acid, In The Mood, Second State and her own label TREGAMBE.

Suffice to say, that she’s about as experienced as a world-class DJ can get.

Originally set to take place towards the end of January, 2025, Juliet’s pregnancy, as a seasoned veteran of not only Australia’s techno scene, but a mainstay at clubs and festivals overseas, was set to define her personal and professional life in a way that no other moment had.

As I jumped onto my call with Juliet and her partner Seb, who is perhaps not all too coincidentally her manager and tour manager, the career concerns associated with motherhood in many other professions appeared to all but wash away.

The two had planned an extended stay in Australia from December to March, in which time Juliet could visit family, play some events and of course ultimately have their child in Melbourne.

“The thought of having a baby in winter, in the peak of that, yeah, it might not be so good for the ‘moods’ and everything,” Juliet explained.

A duo clearly so glued to one another, not only on the road but in every moment outside of it, they appeared to be truly revelling in a moment outside of the European winter touring schedule instead submersed in summer sunshine that a trip back to Australia was affording them.

As much as Juliet has and will continue to be a European DJ, it was clear just how much her home and upbringing had influenced the way she valued her time and her rest, and the advantage it had provided her in her career thus far.

“I feel like in Australia, I'm a slightly different person. I don't change who I am, but I become a much more relaxed version of myself,” she said. “Part of the reason why I wanted to come back here for this period of time as well, was so that I could remind myself of that side of me, as well as maintain everything else that I am.”

Visiting her mother and sisters in Kaurna, as well as being surrounded by countless family in Naarm/Melbourne, as well as Seb’s own parents making the all too classic UK winter getaway of their own, it was easy to feel a familial glow from the two as they prepared for the biggest step that their relationship had taken until this point.

For her peers, many of whom are still men, the decision to have a child is one that, like with so many other industries, may not have the same kind of impact.

A study recently found that the probability of women not returning to work after an extended child-related career break was 30%*, while experts at ANU last year found evidence of the ‘motherhood penalty’. That is, “when mothers enter the workforce, they experience lower wages, higher turnover rates, more frequent employment transitions, and more hiring discrimination than men. Specifically, mothers are impacted by notions of an ‘ideal worker’ who is available to work whenever needed. These expectations remain prominent in many workplaces.”

Being a regularly performing DJ and music producer is, in many ways however, not like “many workplaces”.

Juliet and Seb are clearly not wanting to let the baby slow them down, with Juliet already back to work in February with a string of dates including two huge sets at this year’s Dreamstate in both Eora and Naarm. Later in March she returns to Europe and North America with performances at Tomorrowland Winter and Ultra Festival in Miami penned.

As of July 1, 2024, parents are entitled to get up to 110 days, or 22 weeks (based on a 5 day work week) of parental leave. For Juliet and Seb, no doubt both working in their own way for both Dreamstate and Tomorrowland, the time between birth and work actually amounted to only 27 days.

It’s hard to compare the life of a DJ with say, an office worker, a nurse, a support worker, or anyone that has a more regular 9-5. As Juliet herself puts it, “DJing is often only limited to limited hours across weekend days, so we are in an advantageous position to have more flexibility during the rest of the week, with work often able to be completed at home or very close by."

For her, and clearly for Seb too, the presence of a baby and the time that it has allowed them, has been an opportunity not only to prepare for the baby, but the shift in lifestyle that it will bring.

At first, Seb, milling around in their subletted Naarm apartment, was a figure I’d spoken to only in preparation for this interview. This was, after all, an interview with Juliet. As our conversation ticked on however, Seb’s presence became more and more crucial. He and Juliet would speak to one another in answering my questions, and it was almost as if I had left the room, and they were reminding each other of all the conversations that had happened before this one.

On the topic of time, Seb, as Juliet’s love but also her colleague, spoke clearly for both parts of her life, and his. “[This time] is an advantageous one, because Juliet’s actually been able to hit reset. In many terms, as far down as financially, because your ability to tour has physically stopped, but it’s also granted us an opportunity to rebuild,” he explained.

Juliet jumped in to add, “that's why I want to have all these shows in place or deadlines I'm setting with music as well, just to keep that momentum.”

In recent years and even months, other well known DJs have been pregnant while they continue to perform.

Only late last year, a heavily pregnant Jayda G graced the stage at a Mixmag Lab in London, seemingly soundtracking not only a packed room, but somewhat of a very public baby shower.

So too, Amelie Lens last year had a baby of her own,. All in all though, Juliet and Seb are clearly very comfortable and lucky to be approaching the birth of their child together. “I've seen a few other female artists in the industry who have had babies recently,” she said, “but I've always gone off on my own intuition and my gut feeling.”

Touring however, isn’t easy on an adult, let alone a baby. Juliet is an artist in such high demand that on any given weekend she could be playing four different times across four different cities. For an artist without a child and a partner on the road, that kind of lifestyle takes a toll. Statistics show that nearly 71% of musicians struggle with anxiety, and 68% report battling depression while on tour. For Juliet and Seb, those kinds of numbers demand a change in their lifestyle, even though much of this conversation may paint a different picture.

“We’re trying to do two to three shows in one big weekend as opposed to every weekend. We’re trying to see the bigger picture of why we’re touring in the first place, why you’re there, what it is you want to receive out of it,” she explained.

Juliet and Seb are, even among many musicians, in an incredibly advantageous position where they’re both working on the same thing: Juliet. Seb will in all likelihood either be at every one of her gigs (in time with their baby), or be allowing space for her to go and perform while he stays at home, in a hotel, or with family.

“I feel privileged that we’ve created this,” Juliet reflected. “It’s a luxury that we can do this together. That’s what makes it all the more comforting and reassuring.

We always joke that he [Seb] will have the baby strapped to him, filming or something, doing social media. I’m sure the baby’s going to sleep well wherever we are."

Outside of the physical and logistical changes that a baby demands, parenting often completely changes people. In a culture and an industry where young people, “kids” by some people’s metric, are so heavily represented, I wondered if Juliet’s approach to many of the people she plays to might change as a result of her becoming a mother.

“Yeah, maybe I'm going to view them a little bit differently,” she admitted. “Maybe that connection will be different, & I’ll just want to make sure they have the ultimate experience even more so than before.”

It became obvious very quickly after asking this question however, that Juliet and Seb weren’t looking at their baby to be anything other than another partner in crime. While other parents might look at their ‘party days’ with an air of dread as their children stare down the same decisions and situations, Juliet and Seb are all too keen to share that world with their child, and give it the opportunity to make it their own.

We tour the world, we go to multiple cities, we have friends all over the world, we know people, we experience these things, we see things, we get to meet thousands of people dancing to Juliet, and we know larger than life characters. It's crazy if I think about it,” Seb reflected proudly. “The world is Cosmo’s oyster.”

Outside of experiencing music together, something that the both of them are all too excited to do, Juliet is very understanding of the fact that having a child means giving it access to experiences and opportunities that many people don’t happen upon until their adulthood.

“There are some DJs in the scene right now who I know have had either their father or mother DJ, or have a musical background, and I can see the difference in them and their passion.

I think that's a really amazing thing, to have that inspiration from such a young age. It’s going to be so fun to see whether musicality is something you can environmentally encourage into someone. Is it in your head, or your body?”

Seb too, understands the impression that music from a young age can have on a child, nostalgically sharing that “memories come back to me about my mum playing me Earth Wind & Fire’s ‘September’, because that was her favourite track. That’s always been a guilty pleasure of mine, obviously because it’s engrained into my memory, but that record changes me, and it’s because I think I saw how excited it made her. Now, for us, I’m like ‘well, I’ve got so many things that excite me to tell you about.’”

“We’ve already got a DJ name picked out for him,” Juliet joked.

In a very unique move, Juliet last week released a free download named ‘Oxtytocin’, an original production featuring Cosmo’s heartbeat, which serves as the core rhythm throughout the track. ‘Oxytocin’ is a free download, available here.

As Juliet stared down the barrel of motherhood, something which has now come to pass, she stood clearly defiant of the archaic expectations of what it would do to her career, and the critics that may assume she’d fade into obscurity.

For her, that drive, much like her choice to have a child, comes from a place of love.

“My love for music is never going to change,” Juliet told me somewhat defiantly. “it's never going to be a limitation. If anything, a baby should be more inspiring because you want to show them what you're doing and share that with them.”

With tour and production life already starting back up for her, and for Seb too, Juliet’s experience will clearly demonstrate that modern dance culture is a space for artists and families of every age.

“Two becomes three in this mad adventure around the world. Now we can annoy somebody else, with another passenger on board.”

Congratulations to Juliet and Seb, and welcome into the world Cosmo Fox.

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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ’s Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.