Singer, songwriter and YouTube star Julia Nunes sat down with newfound bestie Miles Jai to improv some tunes, laugh about laughing exercises and discuss the tobacco prevention campaign; "This Free Life", directed specifically at the LGBT community. We caught up with Julia to find out why she doesn’t smoke and her plans for the future.
How'd you get involved with This Free Life?
Julia Nunes: They reached out and asked if I wanted to talk about living tobacco-free. That seemed pretty important and I have some good stuff to say about it. So, I was excited.
Why are you tobacco-free?
JN: It's scientifically proven to be a thing, that if you don't do it, you're automatically healthier. And health is all we’ve got. If you don't have your health, then everything else falls by the wayside. Feeling good in your body, and being able to enjoy life is so important.
Do you have people in your life that smoke?
JN: Yeah.
Do you ask them why they smoke, or to stop?
JN: I don't think I need to ask why. Most people [that smoke] are addicted. The product is designed to make you want to smoke. So I don't really need to ask why. It traps you inside.
Do you think queer people smoke more than non-queer people?
JN: I didn't know about those statistics until I was working with This Free Life, but they laid out some pretty clear statistics about the queer community being much more susceptible to being smokers.
LGBT young adults, ages 18-24 in the U.S., are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as other young adults, ultimately resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of LGBT lives to tobacco use each year. For more facts visit ThisFreeLife.gov
And how do you relax? Laughing yoga?
JN: The beach is a pretty wonderful place to relax. That sound just fills your ears and you feel like you're alone on a desert beach planet. That's super relaxing. Self-care can be really relaxing, just grooming and moisturizing and listening to music.
Dancing is also one of the biggest ways that I like to relax and let loose and feel good. Playing music, hanging out with friends, having a good conversation.
What was it like meeting Miles Jai? You two seemed to really hit it off.
JN: Yeah I love him! I thought that he had some really wonderful things to say—everything with tobacco and how painful it can be to watch people you love in the grips of it. Then, also hilarious stuff, like his impression of Nicki Minaj. He's just really sweet and very funny. And talented! His freestyle is amazing!
You freestyled that? Both songs? That's impressive.
Do you two plan on working together again?
JN: Yeah! I would love that.
What are you working on now?
JN: I just recorded the acoustic version of my record, Some Feelings. I just got back from a two-and-a-half month tour, where I opened for the Mowgli’s, and played some acoustic living room shows in VidCon. So I think what's immediately next is a break from all that. I'm excited to be home for the first time in four months!
For more from Julia Nunes, check out the LGBT Q&A Interview Series presented by This Free Life on YouTube. The Series also features other LGBT YouTubers including Courtney Act, Steph Frosch, Chase Ross, and Rickey Thompson.
