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Julia Darling started her musical career as a street performer in her native New Zealand. From humble beginnings of borrowed money for her first guitar, and learning basic guitar and song composition from her older brother, Jon, Julia's career began like a movie. As a street performer in New Zealand, and later Australia, Julia was discovered by a passing record company executive.
She was brought to the US to record her first album, Figure 8, with the Wind-Up label, released in 1999. The album recieved stellar reviews from critics, but made disappointing sales. Her career was hobbled by comparisons to others of the "Lilith Fair" era, and she simply entered the field too late. Wind-Up quickly dropped Julia, and she was left in New York with no money, no contract, and not much hope, so she took up waitressing.
After several years and some work with friends and family (her brother, Jon, who plays lead guitar for her), she produced her second album, the self-titled "Julia Darling," featuring the talents of her friends, including the album's producers, Ken Rich and Andrew Sherman. The album was released in 2003 under the independent record company, Stanton Street Records. The album saw modest success locally, and Julia found her niche. She would play small local shows in the NYC area with songs she wanted to listen to without having to appeal to a label's tastes.
In 2011, with the help of the same friends who produced and played on her second album, she released her third album, again on Stanton Street Records, "Everything That Has Happened Since Then." The album features a broad range of emotional content literally reflecting "everything that has happened since then," in this case, her previous album. In that time, Julia saw her music come to attract a loyal following, got married, and began making small bold fashion line, DarlingorDie.
Julia has presently returned to school to pursue a degree and continue expanding her personal life. Nonetheless, she plays shows in NYC frequently at venues like Rockwood Music Hall and Arlene's Grocery. Read more
