Julia Biel is an award-winning original – singer, songwriter, piano player, producer, and guitarist – whose neo mellow sound combines her jazz approach with art-pop sensibilities, Julia Biel’s unhurried, unmistakable and timeless voice drips with emotion with every syllable. Dubbed ‘fiercely gentle’ (Jazzwise) early on in her career, she continues to soothe and stir the listener in equal measure whether accompanying herself on her acoustic, stripped-back piano versions in her current ‘Black and White’ series or singing over fuller studio productions.
With a mellow sound that combines a jazz-informed approach with art-pop and classic singer/songwriter sensibilities, it’s Biel’s voice and piano playing that feature on her 4th album release showcasing exclusively solo recordings. ‘Black and White, Volume 1’ comments on the binary concepts of ‘black’ and ‘white’ in what she feels should be a post-‘racial’ world.
Using just the black and white keys of the piano and her mixed ‘black’ and ‘white’ heritage, the award-winning London-based and British-born artist ‘the best British vocalist to emerge in an age’ (THE INDEPENDENT) seeks to reach beyond the polarising concept of division along skin colors lines, to remind the listener of and to confront them with their own emotions – to take these two colors and transform them into a landscape of sonic colors in the process. “Because on the level of shared emotion is where everyone connects,” says Julia. “Skin color, background, political persuasion or any other social construct should have no bearing on our ability to empathize nor should these things be allowed to deny someone their right to expressing anything less than the full spectrum of human emotion.”
Produced by revered saxophonist/producer Idris Rahman (Ill Considered) and mixed by Emre Ramazanoglu (whose broad-ranging credits include Sia, Steam Down, Lily Allen, Carly Rae Jepsen), the result is a set of intimate and raw solo recordings rendered spell-binding in large part due to hers being a voice like no other. Unhurried and unmistakable, dripping with emotion with every syllable, it’s a voice that unashamedly bends notes, whispers, the sound sometimes emerging pure of tone, sometimes cracking woundedly, or soaring with wordless ad-libs; liberated from artifice to be fully and freely expressive in the moment of the song being sung. Deceptively simple songs deal with confusion, pain, insecurity, joy, the power of words, the power of love to uplift us and also to constrain us, and more and are all imbued with her trademark poetic storytelling, revealing an ever-sharper perspective on life and love with repeated listens.
“Black and White- Vol.1” will be released in the United States this June 25th
images by Jenna Foxton: Julia Biel – ‘Black and White, Volume 1’ cover image (c) Jenna Foxton
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