Interview: Jude York on His Biggest Year Yet – Heartstrings EP, European Tour and Eurovision

Jude York taken at Cheshire Cat Motel, Gold Coast (Facebook)

Eurovision – Australia Decides’ very own prince charming, Jude York, continues to captivate audiences as he tours Europe following the release of his latest EP, Heartstrings.

Jude first rose to prominence in 2022 when he competed in Eurovision – Australia Decides on the Gold Coast with his soaring ballad I Won’t Need to Dream, finishing in 8th place. But that was just the beginning.

Since then, the singer-songwriter has built a loyal fanbase, particularly on TikTok, where his heartfelt content has struck a chord. In 2023, he teamed up with Eurovision royalty Dami Im for a moving duet of her song In Between.

Jude has continued to carve out a unique space in the pop world, releasing standout singles like Cashew and Mr Porcelain, both featured on his debut album Problem Child, which dropped in March 2024.

In July 2024 he released his most successful single yet, the hard hitting pop number Monaco, which has so far amassed seven million streams on Spotify.

This year in May Jude released his latest EP Heartstrings, which explores an array of pop music styles showcasing his immense talent. He then embarked on on a tour in Europe from May to June.

We spoke to Jude York about his latest EP release, his Heartbreak Tour, the viral videos with his Mum and whether Eurovision is still on his radar.

What a year you have had! Congratulations on the release of the Heartstrings EP and the Heartstrings Tour (Part 1) you embarked on in Europe, which has now wrapped up. What has been the highlight for you this year so far?

It's been a great year! I think one of the highlights so far has been performing to 8,000 people in Warsaw and also selling out my biggest show ever in Amsterdam. That was a really surreal moment to see everything I've been working on all year come to life and surreal as an artist who has come of age on social media to see real faces who know the lyrics and are singing and dancing along. It felt like the beginning of a community that we're building.

Jude York while on tour in Berlin, Germany

The Heartstrings EP consists of an array of pop music styles that takes you on a delightful journey over the seven songs, which also includes an ABBA cover. Where did the inspiration behind the EP come from?

One comment that I have repeatedly received throughout my career and life is that I seem to tug on people's heartstrings when I make music. Even when it's very upbeat, fun, eclectic dance music, there's always an element of heart and emotion. And that's the concept in this particular EP. I was really inspired by the idea of what a heart sounds like. And if you cut open mine, I believe it would sound a little bit like this EP. Some very high moments, dance moments, nostalgic moments, sad moments, and everything in between.

As part of your Heartstrings Tour you performed at the biggest UK pop festival, Mighty Hoopla, which also included two time Eurovision winner Loreen and Aussie singer-songwriter G Flip as part of the lineup. What was that experience like?

It was very cool. There were two festivals over the last tour where I was on the same lineup as Loreen and I remember for one of them I was literally just about to go on stage as she was closing the show with ‘Euphoria’ and I was so sad that I couldn't actually go see her show! It was very very cool just to even see her name on the dressing room door and know that I'm in the presence of actual royalty.

What was it like to be the support act for Andy Grammar’s London show? How did that come about?

It was a stroke of luck that it all lined up so well! I knew that I was going to be in London and at the very last minute, the stars aligned and I got invited by Andy's team to come and do this support gig. It was such a sweet, wholesome crowd - I'm really grateful.

Your parents joined you on tour in London. How did it feel to have them there with you?

It was amazing. It felt like I was at home while doing those shows in London. I would wake up and my dad would be making us all fruit bowls and before we’d go to sleep, we'd all have a cup of tea and debrief. We would also all go on morning walks to get coffee haha. It was just like how it always is when we're together. Very leisurely and fun. They came to every single London show that they possibly could so they got a good taste of the Heartstrings Tour.

Talking about your parents, your mum, Liza, and yourself continue to go viral online. The duet you both did on TikTok of ABBA’s Slipping Through My Fingers, which is also featured on your new EP has amassed over 60 millions views. How is your mum finding the attention?

She is amazed and amused by the whole thing to be honest. She gets stopped a lot now. When she came to see the set at Mighty Hoopla, she was getting stopped by mostly naked guys left, right, and center and she was loving it! She gets stopped by people in airports, by flight attendants. She has a very recognizable presence now and I think she is enjoying it. It's not so overwhelming that it's unpleasant. It's just very heartwarming for her to see her little cover reach so many people all around the world.

How does it feel connecting with your European fans in person while on tour?

It feels very genuine. One thing I've been doing at every headline show is sticking around and chatting to everyone in person so that I actually really feel like I'm meeting the fans and not just seeing their faces from a stage. It was one thing that I really wanted to incorporate in this tour and I'm really glad that I got to do that.

I got photos with everyone. I chatted. I got to know them. I now know their stories really intimately. A few fans even came to multiple shows. One, I think, came to about five or six headline shows all across the continent. It was very beautiful to see the culture of a Jude York show start to grow with each night of the tour.

What is something new you have learnt about yourself this year?

I can survive on multiple days of two hours sleep haha! I've also learned now since I'm traveling so much, that being at home is becoming a sacred time for me.

It has been three years since you competed at Australia Decides and since then you presented the Australian jury score at UMK and have collaborated with past Aussie Eurovision artists. Is Eurovision still on your radar?

Yes, Eurovision is definitely still on my radar. I think the journey that I went on in writing ‘Heartstrings’ helped me realise that now more than ever my sound is really compatible with the Eurovision fan base and community. It's been very very fun to see that side of the project grow since 2022 when I first did Australia Decides. I think now more than ever I am a fan of Eurovision like I never have been and am very interested to see whether our paths will cross again.

What is coming up for Jude York?

For now I am back in the studio and I'm writing and I'm recording and coming up with new concepts! I'll probably be heading to Europe soon to do more songwriting sessions. Then I'm going back on tour in August and maybe September to do some festivals in Europe, which I'm incredibly excited for. So far I've announced Smukfest in Denmark and Frequency Festival in Austria.

Thank you Jude for chatting with us at Aussievision, good luck on the rest of the tour and we hope to see you on the big Eurovision stage one day! 

Thank you, Aussievision! You've always been my biggest supporters, and I really appreciate it. I really hope that I can make Australia proud one day on the Eurovision stage!

Get details on Jude York's continuing Heartstrings Tour here.

HEARTSTRINGS EP is available for download and on music streaming services

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