Julia Jade is a queer singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. She recently released her latest EP, which she aptly titled pride! On June 16th, 2023. Julia released her first single “Stuck” on May 2nd, 2019. Her songs often express the topics of love, heartache, self-love, and acceptance. Her latest EP was originally titled pride. and a prior version was released on June 26th, 2020. The songs on the original ep sound vastly different from their fuller, polished grandiose current versions on the latest rendition of the ep. As a whole, pride! sounds like the final product Julia was aiming for with the original version of her ep.
pride! primarily utilizes the simple, genuine delicate sounds of piano, string instruments, and a good faithful acoustic guitar. Paired with Julia’s gentle yet emphatically determined sounding vocals to convey the powerful and passionate themes of the ep
The EP starts off with the title track “pride!.” The song starts with just the sound of Julia’s light and airy voice as a serious yet bright sounding piano tune slowly is introduced into the song. Seamlessly swift harmonies are introduced into the pre chorus that last through the somber yet optimistic catchy chorus, which when paired with Julia’s main primary vocals, they support each other like Lego bricks clicked together. They easily click together and support each other to build a sturdy formation for you to create whatever your imagination desires. In this case it’s Julia’s impactful vocals. The first chorus also introduces the deeply, heavy caressing sounds of orchestral string instruments to help cement the themes and atmosphere for the remainder of the song. The primary message of the song of overcoming the adversities of identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community and achieving the self-confidence to unapologetically be your authentic self despite what outsiders have to say is delivered in the chorus with the lyrics,
“You wanna hurt me / You wanna change my mind / And call me worthless / And turn me black and white, but all my colors keep on shining inside / You can take everything / You’ll never take my pride”
The sound of a weightless feathery violin temporarily joins the fray prior to the final chorus adding hopeful and motivating strength to the message delivered in the lyrics “You wanna make me small so I’m a sight unseen / The joke’s on you I’m red, yellow, Indigo, violet, orange, and green.” The final chorus fades out the majority of the instruments leaving a moment of silence, which lets the gravitas of the themes of the song sink in as Julia softly yet emphatically states in the end of the chorus “You’ll never take my pride.” to end the song.
The second song on the EP is “walking closet (the suit song),” which has a more upbeat and bubblier atmosphere than the opening track. The song starts with a cheery intro and the sweet plucking of an acoustic guitar. The luscious combination of Julia’s vocal harmonies makes a return in the first verse. Shortly after rich orchestral instruments join the fray as the song goes into what is just a taste of the emotional chorus to come. However, they aren’t a primary focus of the instrumental, but they provide a grandiose, eloquent elevation to the atmosphere of the song. The first full chorus adds the tender tapping sound of percussion and Julia’s vocals take a dreamy higher tone to begin the chorus, which instantly melts your heart as you hear the raw, authentic emotion in her voice as she sings the chorus lyrics
“She’s not supposed to feel this way / She’s dated man after man / She’s a straight A student and a dedicated latter day / Standing tall at five foot one / And when all is said and done, all she wants to do is wear her three-piece suit to prom.”
As the song enters into the final repeat of the chorus it strips itself back to the vulnerable combination of nothing but Julia’s vocals and the intimately gentle acoustic guitar from the beginning of the song. Julia conveys the message of gaining the confidence to “come out of the closet” by closing the song with the lyrics “All she’s gonna do is dance with anyone she wants /All she’s gonna do is wear her three-piece suit to prom.” The song in its entirety describes the journey of becoming content with your identity and orientation. The confusion of finding your identity and orientation in the beginning, some of the personal difficulties that can make it difficult for people in the LGBTQ+ community to come out and be honest about their identity and orientation, the beautiful moment of allowing yourself to feel the way you do, and developing the confidence to “come out of the closet.”
The third song on the EP is “Speed Dating.” The track’s instrumentally reminiscent of the opening track as far as the sonic atmosphere goes, but it contains a more piano forward presence than “pride!.” With the orchestral elements being as equally important as the lone piano to create a delicate and regal capsule to deliver Julia’s passionate affirmation of love. Julia’s vocal delivery possesses a royal, fluid tranquility especially in her higher register throughout the song. She lyrically paints a picture-perfect image in your mind of the relatable moment of instantly falling fervently in love with someone. The chorus portrays the exact attentive fixation you feel that swallows your whole world when that special someone walks into your field of vision with the lyrics
“I swear, I don’t know what to do / I just stop and stare / When she comes in the room, and then I don’t care about anything but tortoise shell frames / And blue eyes and blonde hair.”
The song ends with Julia delivering hauntingly sincere vocals that leaves a warm, purely fragile tension as she sings the heartfelt lyrics
“I love her so / I love her so / And I love her so / Tortoise shell frames / And blue eyes and blonde hair.”
The final song that closes out the ep is “Here’s to Us.” The track closes the ep with an enchanting anthem of self-worth, empowerment and resilience. With encompassing sounds of majestic horns, the light-hearted tinkling of a piano tune, and deep, thumping percussion the song closes the ep with a thought provoking and undeniably inspiring luxurious send off.
pride! is an intimately comforting ep filled with lyrics that delivers explicated stories of struggle, perseverance, heart-melting passion, independence, and the celebration of individually while harnessing a mature, tastefully resplendent atmospheric sound.
You can keep up with Julia by following her social media below!
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