Julia Michaels is no longer asking for permission. With today’s release of her ferocious new EP Second Self, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter throws off every last chain of industry expectation, delivering six gloriously unfiltered tracks under her own damn label, GFY Records. Yes, GFY stands for exactly what you think it does. Consider this your formal warning: Julia Michaels has entered her villain era, and she’s armed with a pen, a mic, and zero tolerance for mediocrity.
Second Self Is a Grown Woman’s Weapon
Clocking in at six tracks, Second Self is Michaels’ sonic emancipation, a sharp-tongued cocktail of pop ferocity, feminist rage, and emotional clarity. This isn’t a rebrand. This is a rebirth. Gone are the days of Michaels politely delivering hits behind the scenes for Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and every other pop prince and princess who got to wear the crown while she held the pen. Now, Julia’s writing for one client only herself.
And she’s not pulling punches. Whether she’s skewering exes with the deliciously venomous “F.O.O.L.” (that’s “F*** Out Of Luck,” for the uninitiated) or getting confessional on “Time,” every lyric slices with surgical precision. Her songwriting is still elite, but now it comes with teeth. And claws. And maybe a baseball bat.
Let’s talk production: sleek, fierce, and entirely self-possessed. No radio-chasing here, just Michaels doing whatever the hell she wants, and sounding the best she ever has.
“Try Your Luck” Is Tinder Meets Hunger Games
As if the EP wasn’t enough, Michaels also dropped a music video for the chaotic fan-favorite “Try Your Luck,” a cheeky, cinematic fever dream that’s one part rom-com, two parts Squid Game for Singles. Co-directed by Michaels and Blythe Thomas, the video features a dating audition from hell, complete with ventriloquists, muscle bros, and an anxiety-inducing dodgeball challenge where contestants get pelted with red flags. Literal red flags. With labels like “MAGA” and “rude to waiters.” Subtlety? Never heard of her.
Michaels’ deadpan delivery and whip-smart humor make the whole thing both scathing and hysterical. It’s The Bachelor if the Bachelorette actually had standards and a sense of self-worth.
A Savage Tracklist for the Spiritually Unbothered
The EP’s six-track arsenal includes:
- Heaven II
- Scissors (with Maren Morris)
- Try Your Luck
- F.O.O.L.
- GFY
- Time
She’s Not Just an Artist. She’s a Corporation
Let’s not skim past the biggest flex here: Second Self is Julia’s first release under her own independent label, GFY Records. Translation? She owns her masters, her narrative, and her future. In a landscape still dominated by men with control issues and outdated contracts, Michaels’ move is both business-savvy and revolutionary. She’s done playing by anyone else’s rules and frankly, it’s about time.
From penning global hits like Selena Gomez’s “Lose You To Love Me” to her 5x platinum debut single “Issues,” Michaels has already proven she can write hits in her sleep. But Second Self proves she can do it wide awake, pissed off, and in full control.
From Pop’s Secret Weapon to Its Sharpest Voice
It’s laughable that the industry once tried to brand Julia Michaels as the “quirky girl with feelings.” She was never quirky. She was dangerous. She just needed time and maybe a little rage to realize it.
From her early EP Nervous System to 2021’s underappreciated Not In Chronological Order, Michaels has always been a little too honest for Top 40, a little too smart for her own good, and now? A little too powerful to ignore.
So here she is, uncensored, self-funded, and serving blood on the dance floor. Second Self isn’t just an EP. It’s a reckoning.
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