Julia Minkin is a singer/songwriter from Chicago with strong ties in France. She began her career in 2014 with the French pop band Kid Francescoli, with whom she collaborated on two albums, With Julia and Play Me Again, contributing lyrics and music as well as vocals. Until 2019, the project toured internationally with Julia on lead vocals, appearing at European festivals such as Dour and For Noise, as well as established French venues like Le Trianon and Moulin Rouge. Songs from both albums have been used in major ad campaigns (ALDI, Lancome, Hyundai) as well as in TV and film (Emily In Paris, Get Shorty) with one song (“Moon (And It Went Like)”) becoming a viral sensation on TikTok and reaching more than 68 million streams on YouTube (September, 2022).

Julia feels comfortable in a variety of musical genres, and sings in both English and French. While living in Marseille between 2014 and 2021, she became involved with the local jazz scene, collaborating with local double bassist Pierre Fenichel, saxophonist Fred Pichot and others.  During the same period, she was invited to contribute lyrics and vocals to a number of projects, ranging from experimental music to electro (Thylacine, French79, Wuman, Paravision Music).  Most recently in 2021, her lyrics and vocals, as well as an original song, were featured on an album from jazz trumpetist Christophe Leloil, based in Marseille. 

Songwriting provides Julia with an outlet for her love of language.  She has a BA from NYU in Comparative Literature and a minor in Creative Writing, a practice that carries through into her lyrics. She is always excited to be invited to compose lyrics for others, even as she continues to write for herself.  To read some of Julia’s lyrics, click here. 

Since moving back to Chicago in 2021, Julia and her husband, guitarist Andrew Sudhibhasilp, have shifted their focus to recording an album of original songs at their home studio.  For a preview of what’s to come, check out their submission to the Tiny Desk Contest 2022.

Press - Christophe LeLoil, OpenMindeD

“LeLoiL's virtuoso trumpet, which has been showing off its padded sound in the European jazz scene for several decades . . . offers itself . . . an inhabited dialogue with the diaphanous voice of the mesmerizing singer Julia Minkin.” Paris Jazz Club 

“I asked [Julia] to sing a melody, then two… And since I’d noticed her taste for language and American poetry, I asked her to write lyrics… which impressed me. She let herself be guided by the titles and the trajectory of the melodies that I brought, but the reading that she did and the depth of the texts that she offered us blew me away.” - Christophe Leloil (translated from the French) Ventilo

“[Julia Minkin] returns to the stage for a song she composed. Colors of folk music, but with a melodic line that emancipates itself with each measure. . . The whole concert was a very beautiful moment of music, expression and inventiveness. A treat for the columnist! We want the festivals to hear the record and see the band live: there is an urgent need to promote this very beautiful program as it deserves.” (Translated from the French) Jazz Magazine

Press - Kid Francescoli, Play Me Again

“[We] are seized by the whirlwinds of this touching disc, illuminated by a sensitive electronic pop . . .  We also have a big weakness (hand heart) for “Bad Girls,” sung entirely by Julia, which feels like a lymphatic version of a mainstream R&B hit à la Rihanna, produced by Phil Spector. Masterful.”  (Translated from the French) Tsugi

“The smooth voice of Julia Minkin is always irresistible. An album that works well live, too . . . It works because, despite the light and melodic tone of this Frenchy synth-pop, the lyrics are not trivial.” (Translated from the French) Star Wax

“Julia appears in almost every song on the album, which is a good thing because her voice adds an authentic touch of sensuality and lightness.” (Translated from the French) Just Focus

“Julia is very present on stage, the public is absorbed by the freshness she exudes, in particular thanks to her delicate voice which fits perfectly with this style of music.” Live Performance Review, Kid Francescoli, Play Me Again Album Release Party at Café De La Danse - Paris. Just Focus