Kia Ora, it’s time to introduce you to another member of the Black Cat Cruises whanau! She’s cool, smart, soulful and one very talented young lady….meet our Julia…..
Julia is a part of our team in Lyttelton and does everything from crewing to bookings. If you’ve booked a private charter cruise this year or attended one our events chances are Julia’s been working behind the scenes to make sure we deliver a seamless guest experience. What most customers won’t know however, is that Julia, in her spare time, is mostly not behind the scenes but rather front of stage singing her soulful sounds…
So with some cool summer gigs lined up ahead we thought this December we’d introduce you all to our Julia….
What’s your name?
Julia Corciulo, but I go by Jewels when I perform.
The musical duo act that I most known for is called Shared Soul, this is the collaborative music project between me and my partner Flex.
The Black Cat team know you’re an amazing singer…how long have you been singing?
I’ve been singing since I was a toddler because it is a big part of the Indonesian culture, but I started performing when I was about 14, so it’s been about 14 years now!
Do you play any instruments / write lyrics / music?
Yes, I play the guitar and ukulele, and I write my own songs and for other people.
My partner Flex (who also works for Black Cat as a casual crew) is my producer.
How would you describe your own music style?
My vocal style is soulful, but I consider myself to be genre fluid because I like to sing on all sorts of music style.
When do the summer gigs kick off?
Its already begun! We had our first festival gig about 2 weeks ago. I’m really excited for Rhythm and Alps this summer, but can’t choose a favourite as i’m looking forward to all of them.
Name one song, one album, one artist?
Name one song, one album, one artist?You sent me flying, Frank, Amy Winehouse
If you could perform with one artist who would it be?
Ladi6
You’ve lived and travelled in many amazing places, can you tell us a few….
I grew up in Bali, and then I moved to Auckland for University before moving to London for 3 years, now I’m in Lyttelton but hoping to go home to Indonesia sometime in 2023.
I’ve been very privileged to have travelled to so many places. Flex and I travelled a lot when we were in the UK because Europe was so accessible.
My top 5 places would be: Chiang Mai, Tokyo, Cappadocia, Prague and Berlin.
You worked as a paramedic in London during the pandemic, where do you draw your strength, compassion and resilience from?
You worked as a paramedic in London during the pandemic, where do you draw your strength, compassion and resilience from?The job was very rewarding so it really wasn’t hard to stay motivated. I knew that if I didn’t come to work there will be one less ambulance, which could mean life and death for someone.
Although, after 3 years working for the biggest and busiest ambulance service in the world, I did become de-sensitised and felt quite jaded. I told myself when I first started working as a paramedic, that if this ever happened I would need to go do something else.
Did this time affect any of your current life choices?
Yes, absolutely. It wasn’t right for me to care for patients if I was unsympathetic. But I know that I still want to help people somehow. This is the reason I decided to come back to NZ to pursue postgraduate study in Public Health.
I want to be involved in policy making, because national and global regulations impact everyone on earth in one way or another. I feel that by working in the policy field I could really make a significant difference in people’s lives.
We know how important your studies are, can you tell us what your working towards…
So currently, I’m in the process of gaining a Master of Public Health qualification at Otago. My career objective would be to work in the public policy sector, particularly as an advocate for vulnerable communities. I really want to work for the UN, UNICEF, or WHO.
What do you love most about working at Black Cat?
I love the team in Lyttelton, everyone is friendly and I feel very welcomed here. I also love how flexible my office hours are, as long as I get the job done, I can sort of come and go as I please. This way, it doesn’t interfere with my university schedule or any music gigs. I also feel that my role is important to the company, and the admin team always makes sure that I feel valued.
Out of all the Black Cat Cruises experience’s which one would you reccomend?
Definitely Swimming With Dolphins in Akaroa!
What’s your favourite Lyttelton eatery?
Lyttelton Coffee Co.
Their vegetarian sandwich and savoury muffins are amazing!
What’s your favourite local place to perform?
What’s your favourite local place to perform?The Loons in Lyttelton was a really nice venue to perform at because I had a captive audience. They also have a proper back stage area which is important for warmups.
Who’s your favourite kiwi artist?
There are so many! For vocals I love Tyra Hammond, for general artistic style: Ladi6, for musicality: Julien Dyne.
What inspires you?
As cheesy as it sounds… Love. I am a hopeless romantic and I love being in love. I don’t just mean loving my partner, I’m also talking about all the people and things in my life that makes me happy. This is kind of the ethos behind ‘Shared Soul’.
So we’ve established you’re an amazing singer, trained paramedic, studying for a masters and of course a black cat crew superstar…are there any other hidden talents?
I’m also a pretty good cook
Seriously you should follow @jewels_sharedsoul for the food alone!
What’s on your Christmas list?
I really want to go on a degustation dinner at a fancy restaurant!
Thanks Jewels! Great hint for Flex at the end 😉
@blackcatcruises truly are lucky to have you as part of our team whanau
Thanks for inspiring us and others. Here’s to a summer full of fun, music and soul!
Follow Jewels on 