Nostalgia isn’t always about going back. The concept can be interpreted as rebuilding a feeling in real time. For emerging pop artist Kimora Julius, that feeling sounds like early 2000s R&B-laced pop and hip-hop, the kind that makes you want to write in your diary about your new, exciting crush and text your best friends about your butterflies before bed. Her debut single, “Call Me,” wasn’t even meant to be released, but after her friends told her to take the chance and release it, a simple TikTok post sent the track soaring from 300 streams in its first week to over 100,000 total streams. Kimora grew her following from 3,000 to nearly 8,000 in under a month, and it became clear that listeners were craving the exact sensation she set out to create. With comments comparing the song’s essence to Ariana Grande’s Yours Truly era, it confirmed her artistic instincts and inspiration. Kimora is proving that, in a digital age saturated with sameness, sometimes the boldest move is to bring back the feeling of something we thought we had left behind. Mwanga’s Editor-in-Chief, Mumbi Johnson, got the chance to sit down with Kimora and discuss Kimora’s newfound success and her upcoming plans for continuing her music journey.
MJ: Do you remember the time when you realized music was something that you wanted to take seriously?
KJ: It was probably my sophomore year in high school. So I'm originally a dancer, and when I was in my freshman/ sophomore year, my stepmom was really like, “You should try out for the dance team”. I was really shy, and I didn't want to. Then she told me that if I didn't join the dance team, she was going to make me join some debate team, and I was just like, "Oh no, I can't do that." I was basically forced into dance, and through dance, I learned to love music. Obviously, I think dancing and singing are kind of connected since they both share that love of music. I feel like I got the best of both worlds, and as I was dancing, I just fell in love with singing. I also fell in love with playing instruments. Dance is definitely how I got into singing and got into music, but they're all connected in their own ways.
MJ: How would you introduce yourself as an artist to someone who's listening to you for the very first time?
KJ: Probably early 2000s Ariana or early 2000s like Cassie or just any artist from the early 2000s. That's what I want people to think of. Honestly, whenever I listen to music that gives me like a hint of a different era, it's so cool because I feel like a lot of music now sounds the same, so it's cool to just go back in time and kind of relive it.
MJ: When you see people comment under your posts about your song “Call Me,” reminding them of early Ariana Grande, how does that make you feel? Do you feel like you're accomplishing your goal of creating music that resembles the early 2000s?
KJ: I think 100%! When I was first making the song, I had my doubts only because the song wasn't originally supposed to be posted. It wasn’t until I played it for my friends and they were like, “You should release this! A lot of people should hear it!” It was just something that I played around with. I like producing, I like making music, I love songwriting, and I thought maybe I'll try making something of my own. That's when ‘Call Me’ was born, and I was like, “I kind of really like this”, and then my friends obviously just gave me the final push to go ahead and post it. I think since the beginning, I've had that vision of who I wanted to be as an artist. When I saw my TikTok video blowing up, and I saw all those people comment “this is so Yours Truly, Ariana Grande coded”, I was surprised! I didn't expect people to fully grasp the message I was trying to convey. Everybody was thinking the same thing, I was, and it made me so happy
MJ: Speaking of nostalgia, I know you mentioned Ariana Grande and Cassie, but are there any other artists or sounds that shaped your vision and your artistry?
KJ: I do have one really big inspiration. They're not from the early 2000s. They actually debuted in 2025. It's this K-pop group called CORTIS. They're really young, I think ages 16 through 20, but they produced every song on their own. They made the choreography on their own and wrote the lyrics on their own. I really look up to that because I was like, " Hey, this is something that I'm trying to do as well”. And they do it so well.
MJ: To touch on your creative process, what usually comes first when you're creating something? Do you think of a memory, come up with lyrics first, or is there a beat that you find and want to create too?
KJ: Usually, I start with beats. I have a whole playlist on YouTube, and as I'm listening to them, I'll just create lyrics in my head. I'm a huge bookworm, and I base a lot of my lyrics on books that I read. Fun fact, Call Me was actually based on ‘Better than the Movies’. It's a very cheesy romance. I had just finished reading it when I was writing "Call Me." So I listen to the beat first, think of the lyrics, and then I kind of think of something to tie the lyrics to, like a memory. But I would say the beat is definitely the most important part to me. I think that the beat determines how the whole song turns out and how the whole song sounds. So I usually try to stick with the beat first and then let everything else come afterwards.
MJ: Where do you like to be when you're recording or making up lyrics?
KJ: I usually record everything in my room. When I'm thinking of songs, when I'm writing lyrics, I usually do everything inside my room. I think my room is my safe space. I just feel most authentically myself when I'm in my room because nobody is looking at me, nobody is judging me, it's literally just that it’s where I can be the most comfortable and give my best results as an artist.
MJ: How do you know when you finish a song and you don't want to add any more edits to it? Or, do you ever really feel like it is finished?
KJ: So I would say my confidence is not really the greatest. So no matter what I make, I always feel as though something is missing or as if it's not good enough. So I personally don't feel as though there's ever a time when a song is finished. I just like playing around with things and then going back and editing them. I usually also like getting second and third opinions. If they think it sounds good, I just go ahead and stop overthinking it.
MJ: What has it been like sharing your music with people and seeing their reactions? Does that motivate you to continue or make you think about actually pursuing a music career?
KJ: I think when Call Me was released, first of all, I was not expecting that many people to listen to it. I feel like the first night, the first week, even, I probably had like 300 streams. And then I posted a video, and then it went to like 30,000, 60,000. Now it's at over 100,000. I'm just like, wow, like, this is crazy. There were definitely some bad comments, especially accusations about overusing auto-tune. There were accusations that I stole the song, and even that it was AI. I was able to brush it off because I believe the bad comments were just people being obnoxious. However, I received an overwhelming amount of support, which was crazy, and I can't see myself doing anything other than music. So, whether the reactions were good or bad, I always had a plan to keep going with music, no matter how long it took. Seeing that there are a lot of people who are supporting me and a lot of people who can see that I have potential and see a future for me in music, it makes me feel a whole lot better, and it is definitely helping to improve my confidence.
MJ: Do you see yourself moving towards continuing to create early 2000s-inspired music, or would you like to dip your toe in like other genres, or even combine them together?
KJ: So, as for genres, I definitely want to switch. I want to do a mix of pop, R&B, and rock. I think those are my top three. Actually, before I learned how to sing, I learned how to rap. So I kind of dipped my toe into rapping a little bit. In general, I kind of want to stay under the early 2000s area, but I do want to switch genres, yet have all of them have that feel of nostalgia, very early 2000s.
MJ: What does success look like for you in the future?
KJ: I think success to me would be my music having an impact on people. I feel like growing up, whenever I was sad, whenever I was happy, whenever I was angry, I would immediately listen to music. Whether it's in my headphones or going out on a drive, I just blast music. Music makes me feel safe, and it makes me feel happy. So I want to have that effect on other people. The biggest success for me would be for somebody to come to me and be like, "Your music has helped me through a lot!" I would be set for life if I got that right. Making an impact is one of the biggest things that people overlook, but whenever you're doing something that has some sort of purpose, it brings me to tears sometimes. When I get those kinds of comments, I don't know, it makes me smile.
MJ: Do you have any songs that you are cooking up right now that your existing and new fans should be on the lookout for?
KJ: I am working on a new single that's going to be released on the 28th of January. It has a little bit of pop in it, but it's mainly R&B. I would say it's definitely a transition from 'Call Me'. I think people are gonna really like this one! As for future projects, I can give a little spoiler. I am working on something coming out in the summer, and I'll be working with other artists as well, so I'm really excited for my first collaboration!
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