Julia Michaels Is the Songwriter Behind Your Favorite Pop Tunes—and Now She's Ready to Take the Spotlight

Fact: Julia Michaels wrote whatever track you're currently obsessing over. (She's written tons of hits, like Selena Gomez's "Good for You" and Justin Bieber's "Sorry.") Now the songwriter is stepping into the spotlight with her debut EP this spring. Here's how she chills outside the studio.

Age: 23.

Lives In: Los Angeles.

You Know Her From: The over 50 tracks she's written for pop megastars, like Britney Spears' "Slumber Party" and Hailee Steinfeld's "Love Myself."

What Do You Do in Your Free Time? Hula-hooping. It makes me feel free. My stepsister introduced me to it. I used to have panic attacks all the time, and she hula-hooped to cope with her own anxiety. She lives in Iowa—I'm originally from Davenport, Iowa— and gave me a hoop to take home to California with me. I was like, I'm not going to use this shit! Two weeks later, I was doing it every day. Now I can do real fancy tricks.

Clean Slate: If I get writer's block—this is going to sound funny—I take a shower. Something about the water feels like I'm cleaning my brain as well as my body.

Guiltiest Pleasure: Online shopping. I actually was going through my closet recently, just to see what I had, and it's kind of sad how much I have that I haven't even worn yet. I was like, OK, I have an addiction.

In the Kitchen: I could make apple pie every single day. You need to be super precise in order for it to be perfect. I'm such a perfectionist that baking is calming for me. I've never burnt anything, thank God.

That Girl Is On Fire: My favorite food is hot Cheetos. I could eat those every day.

Follow Her: @imjmichaels. (opens in new tab)

This article appears in the April issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands now.