Who are you?

We are June the Destroyer, a minimalist, country-tinged alt-pop duo currently residing and creating in Toronto.  We are both multidisciplinary artists fighting to inspire growth beyond the pre-existing systems that limit the human experience. We have found great beauty and freedom in our personal lives breaking free of societal pressures and restraints, and we try to imbue our music with these discoveries in hopes to empower others to live on their own terms and for their own happiness. 

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Why are you involved in music?

We both grew up in extremely musical households.  

Victoria: I have been performing and touring in my home province of Newfoundland from a very young age.  I then went on to pursue vocal performance at the post-secondary level, culminating in a Master's Degree from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.  I am now a music educator alongside my performance career.  

James: There was (and is to this day) always music playing in my parents’ house. I started self-teaching guitar around 13-14, and tried writing. After graduating Ryerson Theatre School I pivoted back to writing and performing music, and realized I really needed it. I think Vic and I found a creative spark finding that childhood musical connection. 

What are some of your childhood memories of music?

Victoria: Playing John Prine with my dad and singing 5-part harmonies with some of my oldest friends in our touring singing group. I also have a deep nostalgia for my earliest songs that I wrote in the bathroom of my childhood home (because that's where I got the best acoustics!)

James: I sang a lot of Beatles with my family, harmonies included. I sang probably my entire Beatles repertoire to a full plane of people on a flight to Texas when I was 6. In my teens I did a bunch of recording onto analog tapes in my parents’ basement. The songs were bad but the heart was there. It was very exciting.

What influences you most in songwriting?

Victoria: When I was young and naive to the world of intimacy and relationships, I was the victim of intense emotional and physical abuse, and therefore much of my early songwriting was centred around healing from that. Now that I am able to turn that experience into strength, my songwriting is most influenced by the state of the world politically, and by navigating the human experience as a woman and a highly emotional being.  

 James: I don’t know if there’s one single thing. Whatever comes when I’m lucky enough to get something out is flowing from somewhere real, but subconscious, and I do what I can to ride that wave into something tangible. And hopefully it’s relevant enough to affect someone. 

What do you most enjoy about being a musician / in a band?

I think we both agree that the cathartic exchange of a live performance is the fundamental highlight of music-making. We are both affecting and being affected, and those moments are some of life's sweetest. 

List and briefly explain your top 5 albums

Metals (Feist) - This album was, for us, her hitting her stride and upping the creative ante as an artist. She could have made another Reminder and made a killing but she pivoted instead. It also came along at a very wild and important time for us both personally and holds a lot of weight for that.

Blonde (Frank Ocean) One of the best cry-along albums of all time. It’s in heavy rotation to this day. It managed to capture the zeitgeist, then redefine it, without sacrificing creatively. 

Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Fiona Apple) This album blew the doors wide open for us about what an album can sound like, and that you can do it at home and leave the edges rough and without over-production. It’s just so raw and candid. It’s a jaw dropper on every level. 

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco) They defied their label and people’s expectations and made the record they wanted to make. It’s experimental but still familiar and true to themselves. It was majorly influential in our musical and creative development.

John Prine (John Prine) He depicts a certain perspective so distinctly. The way he picks up human stories on a small scale and tells them without judgement of himself or others is warm, real, and universal. And with a sense of humour to boot. 

What were you doing in the 90s?

Victoria: Dreaming of Johnathan Taylor Thomas, fighting with my siblings about the dial-up internet, and wondering why my body would never look as good as Britney Spears'.

James: Wishing I could skateboard (lol). I was so bad at it. All my friends were good too, which was even more tragic. Also Watching Animaniacs and PMK and going to Laser Quest.

Is fashion important to you?

Fashion is EXTREMELY important to us.  We view it as an extension of the artist's expression and we put a ton of thought and effort into what we wear, even for a small bar gig with a PA and 10 people in the audience. Plus we just love to dress up. 

Describe your creative process.

Ideas are complicated, and never formulated the same way so it’s definitely not easy to boil down, but we will try! Ideas come to us on their own, but where each of us is when that happens changes. Sometimes we’re in the same room, sometimes we’re both at home separately, sometimes we’re in different countries. When it strikes, we do our best to give it the attention it deserves and get the idea down as clearly and thoroughly as possible, usually by recording a voice note. From there we will usually go back and forth until we can come together to get the final pieces in place. Some songs flow really quickly, some songs demand more time and effort. Both are fun processes for us, it just depends on the idea. 

What challenges do you experience in your creative process?

Writing and creating and performing as two intense perfectionists (in very different ways) definitely brings the occasional challenge, but we both respect each other so much that we get over it fairly quickly and get back to it.

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How has writing music changed for you over the years?

As you change, your music changes. The more you visit that creative space, the more attainable it becomes.

Why do you think live music performance events are important in your life/city?

Well I think that after the last few years we can all agree that we need that catharsis we mentioned earlier when we’re a part of a live performance. It’s somewhere to escape but still be affected and re energized to collectively face the darkness.

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