Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Judy Blank
Growing up on the banks of the Rhine, Judy Blank became accustomed to a gentler pace of life. But as she grew older, Utrecht’s future indie-folk star craved the pop and fizz of Laurel Canyon’s heyday. So, at 19, she boarded a plane to New Orleans and began performing. Her sound now sits between the two poles of her existence. It is performative and jazzy but interwoven with the laidback canals of home.
Signing to Rounder Records might be a sign of great promise for the 30-year-old, but she’s already been around long enough to know the ropes. It is this sentiment that she weaves into her new single, ‘Fading Star’. Speaking about the track, Blank commented, “I’ve always been scared of being forgotten—long before I had anything to be remembered for. I think we all feel that invisible pressure to create something lasting in this world. Something special.”
The silken-voiced singer poignantly continued, “For me, that’s always been songs. But that’s a dangerous game, you know? Because for a long time, I tied my entire self-worth to whether my songs were ‘successful enough’. ‘Fading Star’ is my way of trying to make peace with that. Art is art. And I am me. And just because something fades doesn’t mean it never mattered.”
It’s a profound and pretty spot-on outlook from someone so young. It’s also easy to argue that the same sentiment is what makes her music stand out. It has the drama of ambition and the mellowness of bittersweet truth. The result is a very naturalistic form of 1970s-infused folk-pop. Hooks and honesty go hand in hand on ‘Fading Star’, and it’s bound to during her forthcoming live shows, too.
Quick-fire Questions with Judy Blank:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
“‘No Hard Feelings’ by the Avett brothers! Makes me feel like it’s okay to die even though I’m definitely not ready yet.”
2. At what point of the day are you at your most creative?
“Late at night, when I’m sitting behind the piano and getting tired. I feel like that’s when I’m most in touch with my subconscious and my deepest feelings. I always have the best lyrical ideas then because I’m too exhausted to overthink them or be too judgmental. Sometimes, I’ll even shed a tiny tear for my sorry self if I’m really feeling it.”
3. What was the first album that you played to death?
“ABBA – Super Trouper. I bought it at a garage sale for 50 cents and played it until it was all scratched up. I couldn’t listen to it anymore because it cracked too hard.”
4. Who was your first celebrity crush?
“Ash from Pokémon. That boy made me feel things I’m not sure I should’ve felt.”
5. What has been your favourite album of 2025 so far?
“The Altons – Heartache in Room 14! I heard of them because of my dear California homies, The Charities, who are currently on tour with them, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to them since. Fun fact: They ALSO have a song called ‘Tangled Up in You’ on it.”
6. Have you ever cried at a concert?
“Oh boy. Absolutely. I listen to lyrics a lot when I’m watching a concert, and I’m a hopeless romantic, so I tend to believe all songs are about me.”
7. Where is the best bar in the world?
“The White Horse in Austin, Texas. My favourite Honky Tonk. It never disappoints; there’s music to dance to, beers are cheap, and the owner always gives me my Lone Stars for free. When I’m not in the mood for dancing, my answer would be Schulman’s in Nashville—a 1950s diner vibe that has Harry Nilsson living in their jukebox and sells pickled eggs for $2. Their frozen Bushwacker is the best thing you’ll ever have in your life.”
8. Do you believe in ghosts?
“Absolutely. I think ghosts just don’t really mess with me for some reason.”
9. What is the quickest song you have ever written?
“Probably ‘Fading Star’ from the new EP! I wrote it in less than 40 minutes with my friends Suzie Brown and Liz Longley in Nashville. We both related to it so hard that the words and the music came flowing out of our brains like a little creative river. We recorded the whole songwriting process on a voice note, too.”
10. You’ve been asked to create the soundtrack for a forthcoming book adaptation, what book would you want it to be?
“Oh! Dope question. The Midnight Library. It’s my favourite book ever, and it gave me such a cool perspective on life and gratitude and my eternal FOMO of lives I could have lived. Matt Haig is a genius. Even though I honestly think the lyrics of the one song in the book that the main character wrote and became famous with in the book are pretty meek. Maybe he should leave the songwriting to actual songwriters. I volunteer! But everything else he wrote in it is pure gold.”
11. What conspiracy theory do you kind of believe in?
“Am I even real?”
12. Who would be your dream collaborator?
“Harry Nilsson, but he dead.”
13. What one ‘classic album’ would you like to delete from history?
“I can’t bash people! If I don’t like something, I just don’t listen to it, and I hope people do that with my music, too.”
14. What song do you wish you had written?
“‘Life According To Raechel’ by Madison Cunningham. What a gem of a song. Gets me every time.”
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
“Don’t you dare!”
