JULIA BHATT Releases Effervescent Debut Album ‘it is what it is’ and Focus Track “Fighting Type”
“Bhatt’s voice shimmers with a diverse use of notes and melodic assembly informing us of the vibrancy of an organic talent.” – Ladygunn
“[Julia Bhatt] incorporates a wide variety of influences, from The Strokes to Fela Kuti.” – FLOOD
“The singer-songwriter exudes an energy that refuses to go unnoticed.” – Miami New Times
Four years in the making…
JULIA BHATT
Releases Effervescent Debut Album it is what it is
JULY 20, 2022 (Miami, FL) — “I’m hoping this album will provide me with some direction and reassurance,” says 20-year-old Miami-based indie artist Julia Bhatt when asked about her hopes for her debut album, it is what it is [released independently today – July 20, 2022]. “I’ve been pretty rocky lately and I think I’m just excited to get it off my hands and into other people’s ears.” it is what it is is a combination of songs that Bhatt has been holding onto since she was just 16, accompanied by a handful of new tracks. A highlight of the album and new single, the punchy upbeat keyboard driven “Fighting Type,” was written about the anxieties and stress of having to use social media as a marketing tool and the toll it takes on artists of today. “I have to promote all the time on TikTok and Instagram and I have to watch numbers rise and fall and it’s just brutal,” she says of the effect social media has on her. “Unfortunately, that’s the music industry now and adaptation is the name of the game.”
photo: Shervin Lainez
Since Bhatt took her time creating this album, she was able to mine her catalog of songs from “newer songs, older songs, and even older songs… I wanted to take my time in making/releasing my first album rather than trying to push stuff out, but now I worry I’ve taken too long. I’m hoping this release will help me fall back in love with some of these songs,” she says. These songs on her debut album are an ear-opening concoction that defies categorization, Bhatt’s music is such a fresh showcase of her gen-Z genre-fluid talent (she just turned 20 in January). The release of Bhatt’s debut album follows the release of the synth driven indie-folk track “Confetti,” a song about gratitude and the power of positive thinking as well as the fresh and carefree indie-pop “Karma,” one of the oldest songs, written around the same time as her 2020 single “Miami” when she was sixteen. Meanwhile, another previous single, “Cotton Candy” has a jangly indie pop sound and is about feeling “safe being on the edge and comfortable in foreign places… kind of like a rollercoaster”. She says that the airy folk-pop “On My Shoulder” was a very fun song for her to do as it depicts two halves that are constantly battling about what could have been, “One [half] is ambitious and strict, while the other is carefree and relaxed. I think a lot of people usually settle into one side or the other at different points in their lives, but they never really stop questioning each other. At least, I don’t think they should,” she says. “All that deep shit is translated into a digestible story that could be nothing more than a silly little song.”
She describes “Daydream,” as one of the simpler songs to create with a much simpler story. “It’s about one person in particular who I won’t reveal, but it’s about someone you literally can’t stop thinking about who is EVERYWHERE.” She says the synthy/slinky R&B “Sweetheart” was the last track Bhatt and Jacobson added to the album, “Elliot sent over the track, very similar to how it is now, and I ignored it for a little. Then I got stuck at an airport in NY for like five hours and decided, ‘Well. Might as well work on something.’ I guess the lyrics just came from being tired and traveling alone for a bit.”
Album artwork by: Anna Bhatt
TRACK LIST:
1. On My Shoulder
2. Karma
3. Comedown
4. Fighting Type
5. Cotton Candy
6. Day Dream
7. Confetti
8. Sweetheart
9. 1:30
10. Hair Salon Vibes
11. Bonus Track – Miami (older version)
From September 2019 to early March 2020, Julia was in a whirlwind of life-changes: she released her first three singles (“Tall,” “Marco” and “I’m Cool“), turned eighteen and graduated high school. Just as she was really getting started with the announcement of her first ever tour however, the pandemic brought everything to a standstill. Holed up in Miami and states away from her mentor and producer Elliot Jacobson (Ingrid Michaelson, Elle King, Vérité) in New York City, she started to write songs on software, Ableton Live, rather than on the guitar – a whole new creative experience for her. Proving that while the world was in quarantine, she could not be contained. In a creative burst of energy, she’s released the singles “Miami” and “Bird Girl” as well as her debut EP 2 steps back since March 2020. The first music to come from this new approach to making music were her 2021 singles “1:30” and “Hair Salon Vibes” both of which will be included on the debut album alongside an earlier recording of “Miami.”
Julia Bhatt‘s debut album it is what it is was released independently today – July 20, 2022.
WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING:
“It seems salons are having a moment. Lorde is getting stoned while getting her nails done, and Julia Bhatt makes you dance while you book your next blowout. For those who know her from her previous singles, ‘Hair Salon Vibes’ is an enjoyable departure, like a weekend in South Beach – or an afternoon spent at your favorite salon. At the end of the song, one feels refreshed, like they just ducked in for a quick clean up before a night out on the town.”- Hollywood Life
“Julia Bhatt is already reinventing, showing new angles to her burgeoning indie-inflected style. Clocking in at only 1:30, the track [“1:30′] wastes no time introducing itself with heady layers of synths and effects-laden vocals. Bhatt’s moody delivery sets a subdued mood, relying on percussive rhythms to add a darker edge to the track.” – Under The Radar
“With a waterfall of curly hair, a guitar in her hands, and a wonderland of creativity in her, Julia Bhatt is one rising artist you can’t exclude from your radar. Every song she releases has an element of whimsy and fun, no matter the subject matter, and her latest single, “On My Shoulder,” is no different. The lyrics are witty and clever, creating a musical masterpiece that’s uniquely Julia. ” – TREMG Magazine
“Influenced by the sweltering heat and menagerie of culture that is Miami, Julia’s music is reminiscent of familiar sounds, from jazzy bossa beats to classic rock, but her refreshing, unapologetically youthful sound occupies a novel space of its own.” – PhotoBook Magazine
“Give ‘Cotton Candy’ a listen and you might think Julia is all about light guitar pop songs, you would be mistaken. Check out ‘Hair Salon Vibes’ and you find something else, a groove with a club feel running through it.” – DeClunk Mag
“Bhatt draws us into her world with modern pop cadences, addictive beats and vulnerable lyrics. The single [“1:30″] contains the maturity, poetry and wit reminiscent of Lorde’s knock out 2013 album Pure Heroine. ” – Wednesday Zine
“… Julia delivers her well-crafted lines… with an exuberant urgency that makes us smile and dance at the same time.” – Pancakes and Whiskey
“The dreamy, upbeat melodies of “1:30” invite you to contemplate our external reality and question the effects of unknown digital presences.” – Haloscope
“’Hair Salon Vibes’ is a feel-good disco song that can spice up your next summer party.” – glamglare
“[she takes] indie pop to avant-garde heights.” – Aupium
“seriously, a mega-bop” – Brightest Young Things
“so refreshing” – pInkwifi
