Julia Holter

Biography

Holter was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At age six her family moved to Los Angeles, where she later attended the Alexander Hamilton High School. She studied music at University of Michigan for four years, graduating with a degree in composition. After seeing Michael Pisaro perform an avant-garde composition in Michigan, she was inspired to study with him at CalArts, where she graduated from another composition program.{{cite news | access-date=2012-03-30}} Holter contributed songs to multiple compilation albums in 2008. In 2010, she began playing with Linda Perhacs' band and released a CD-R titled Celebration and a collection of live recordings.{{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30}}

Following three independently produced albums – Phaedra Runs to Russia (2007), Cookbook (2008), and Celebration (2010), Holter's official debut album, Tragedy, was released in August 2011 on Leaving Records. Inspired by Euripides' Greek play Hippolytus,{{cite news | access-date=2012-03-30}}{{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30}} the album received generally favorable reviews and was named one of NPR's "Best Outer Sound Albums of 2011".{{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30}}

Holter released her second album, Ekstasis, in March 2012 on the RVNG Intl. label. The album drew comparisons to works by such artists as Laurie Anderson, Julianna Barwick, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, Grouper, and Stereolab, and received many positive reviews.Ekstasis reviews:

• Pitchfork: {{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30
• NME: {{cite magazine | access-date=2012-03-30
• BBC: {{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30
• The Quietus: {{cite magazine | access-date=2012-03-30
• PopMatters: {{cite magazine | access-date=2012-03-30
• Consequence of Sound: {{cite magazine | access-date=2012-03-30
• Beats Per Minute: {{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30
• Drowned in Sound: {{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30 | archive-date=2012-03-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329035756/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16903/reviews/4144686 | url-status=dead
• musicOMH: {{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522072543/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/julia-holter_0312.htm | access-date=2012-03-30 | archive-date=2012-05-22
• FACT: {{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30 Holter spent three years making the album, whose title comes from the Greek word meaning "outside of oneself."{{cite news | access-date=2012-03-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310004230/http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2012/03/julia_holter_ekstasis_india.php | archive-date=2012-03-10 | url-status=dead The music video for album track "Moni Mon Amie", directed by Yelena Zhelezov, was also released in March.{{cite magazine | access-date=2012-03-31}}

In addition to collaborating with other California-based musicians like Nite Jewel (Ramona Gonzalez), Holter released her third album, Loud City Song, in August 2013 on Domino Records. It was universally acclaimed by critics and unlike her preceding albums, which were recorded mostly alone in her bedroom, Holter recorded *Loud City Song * with an ensemble of musicians.{{cite web | access-date=2012-03-30}}

In 2015, Holter released the album Have You in My Wilderness, which was acclaimed by critics and became her most successful charting release to date. She also contributed to Ducktails' fifth studio album, St. Catherine, with her bandmates Chris Votek and Andrew Tholl.

Holter collaborated with Jean-Michel Jarre on a song for the second part of the Electronica double album, released on July 18, 2016.

In November 2016, she curated her own program during the tenth-anniversary edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht. This program included performances by Laurel Halo, Josephine Foster, Maya Dunietz, Jessica Moss and other artists.

In September 2017, she performed a world premier of her scoring of the 1928 silent French film The Passion of Joan of Arc on September 29 at the FIGat7th in downtown Los Angeles.

In September 2018, Holter announced her fifth commercially released album, Aviary, and released the lead single "I Shall Love 2". She followed it with another single, "Words I Heard", before the album's release on October 26. The record was praised for its scope and ambition and appeared on multiple year end lists for the best albums of 2018.

In 2021, Holter was appointed the Johnston-Fix Professor of the Practice in Songwriting; Visiting Assistant Professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

On January 9, 2024, Holter announced her sixth studio album, Something in the Room She Moves, which was released to critical acclaim on March 22 by Domino. In June 2024, Holter appeared throughout her partner and longtime bandmate Tashi Wada's studio album, What Is Not Strange?.

Style

The Guardian wrote that "Holter's vocal register [...] faintly recalls Siouxsie Sioux or Nico". Under the Radar similarly compared her to other female artists saying; "Holter is Siouxsie Sioux meets Kate Bush, with a matchstick intensity, relighting her own wick by the conversation in her voice, her diaphragm shifting between instruments".

Personal life

Holter was previously in a relationship with former Real Estate guitarist and Ducktails frontman Matt Mondanile. In 2015, she contributed to his Ducktails album, St. Catherine. In the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Mondanile, Holter divulged that Mondanile was "emotionally abusive to the point where I had to have a lawyer intervene and was afraid for my life."

Holter is married to musician Tashi Wada, son of the sound artist Yoshi Wada. They have been in a relationship since 2015, and they have a daughter together who was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Holter and Wada first met in 2007 when they both played in a harmonium ensemble organized by their friend James. Holter collaborated with Wada on his 2024 studio album, What Is Not Strange?.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

• "Maria" (2011)
• "Marienbad" (2012)
• "In the Same Room" (2012)
• "Goddess Eyes" (2012)
• "World" (2013)
• "In The Green Wild" (2013)
• "Maxims I" (2013)
• "Don't Make Me Over" (2014)
• "Feel You" (2015)
• "Sea Calls Me Home" (2015)
• "Condemnation", with Romona Gonzalez and Nedelle Torissi (2017)
• "I Shall Love 2" (2018)
• "Words I Heard" (2018)
• "So Humble the Afternoon" (2018)
• "Les Jeux to You - Edit" (2019)
• "Gold Dust Woman" (2020)
• "Heloise", with Harper Simon and Meditations On Crime, feat. Geologist (2022)
• "Sun Girl" (2023)

Remixes by Julia Holter

• "Strange Town" by Buzzy Lee (2021)

References

References

1. "JULIA HOLTER".
2. LA Road Concerts. (September 17, 2009). "LA Road Concerts website". Los Angeles Road Concerts.
3. Lindsay, Andrew. "Knowledge & Virtue: Ducktails + Real Estate's Matt Mondanile". thereprise.org.
4. Allen, Jeremy. (2015-09-22). "A rendezvous with electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre". Fact Magazine.
5. (29 September 2017). "Julia Holter". artsbrookfield.com.
6. Rettig, James. (September 6, 2018). "Julia Holter – "I Shall Love 2" Video". [[Stereogum]].
7. Slingerland, Calum. (October 17, 2018). "Julia Holter Shares New Song "Words I Heard"". [[Exclaim!]].
8. (8 November 2021). "Julia Holter". [[Occidental College]].
9. Kelly, Tyler Damara. (January 9, 2024). "Julia Holter announces new album, ''Something in the Room She Moves''". [[The Line of Best Fit]].
10. Empire, Kitty. (15 November 2015). "Julia Holter – review". The Guardian.
11. Hardy, Lauren. (31 March 2017). "Julia Holter In the Same Room". [[Under the Radar (magazine).
12. John, Lucas. (August 26, 2015). "Ducktails draws you into a different sonic world". Straight.
13. Connick, Tom. (2017-10-25). "Julia Holter details emotional abuse from ex-Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile". NME.
14. Doherty, Kelly. (2024-02-13). "The Records That Made Me: Julia Holter".
15. Pedder, Alan. (15 March 2024). "Julia Holter's Favorite Songs". [[The Line of Best Fit]].
16. Kim, Joshua Minsoo. (March 20, 2024). "''Tone Glow ''135: Julia Holter". Tone Glow.
17. "Julia Holter - Loud City Song". ultratop.be.
18. "Ola discography". swedishcharts.com.
19. "Discographie Julia Holter".
20. "Julia Holter {{!}} full Official Chart history". [[Official Charts Company]].
21. "Julia Holter - Maria".
22. (10 January 2012). "Julia Holter - Marienbad".
23. "Tracks: Julia Holter - In The Same Room".
24. "Releases: Julia Holter - Goddess Eyes 12"".
25. (22 May 2013). "Julia Holter announces new album Loud City Song, streams first single "World"".
26. "Tracks: In The Green Wild - Julia Holter".
27. "Tracks: Julia Holter - Maxim's I".
28. "Releases: Julia Holter - Don't Make Me Over/Hello Stranger 7" single".
29. "Watch Julia Holter's "Feel You" Video".
30. (26 August 2015). "Julia Holter releases new song, announces tour (dates, stream)".
31. "Releases: Julia Holter, Romona Gonxalez and Nedelle Torissi - Condemnation".
32. (6 September 2018). "Julia Holter - "I Shall Love 2" Video".
33. (18 October 2018). "Julia Holter shares new song "Words I Heard": Listen".
34. "Releases: Julia Holter - So Humble the Afternoon".
35. "Les Jeux To You (Edit) - Single".
36. "Releases: Julia Holter - God Dust Woman".
37. (21 April 2022). "Julia Holter, Harper Simon & Meditations On Crime - Heloise (feat. Geologist)".
38. Bell, Kaelen. (7 November 2023). "Julia Holter Shares Colourful, Psychedelic Video for New Song "Sun Girl"".
39. (2 June 2021). "Watch Buzzy Lee Perform 'Spoiled Love' Songs In Her Childhood Bathroom For NPR's Tiny Desk Concert".