Julia Easterlin

Julia Easterlin is an American singer/songwriter born in Georgia. She creates her music using a looping machine, which allows her to layer several recordings of her own voice, an effect which The Boston Globe described as a "One-woman a capella group."^[1] She perfected this technique at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and later played in Berklee's CMJ Music Marathon showcase in New York City.^[2] She continues to grow in popularity, most notably playing at Lollapalooza and SXSW.^[3]

Biography

Easterlin was born into a musical family. She cites her mother's singing and her grandfather's gift of a piano as formative parts of her musical experience.^[4] She moved to Augusta, Georgia at age 6, and enrolled in the school of fine arts. There, she learned about world music, jazz, and opera. Later, in 2007, she started studying at Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship.^[3]

To create her looping technique, she uses primarily a BOSS RC-50 loop station, a Shure SM58 vocal mic; sometimes she adds in a floor tom.^[5] The vocal looping technique has since been popularized by tUnE-yArDs, Andrew Bird, and Imogen Heap.^[5] Easterlin's style can be described as a combination of several different musical styles which have influenced her through her education and upbringing. Her relatively experimental music includes elements of jazz, gospel, and Southern folk. She has named Björk and Philip Glass as influences.^[4]

She gave a TED Talk in Los Angeles in 2011, as part of the TEDxWomen event.^[6] She was named as one of only 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts for 2008.^[7] In 2015, Easterlin performed at the Stockholm Jazz Festival.^[8] As of Fall 2014, she has played in 10 Sofar shows.^[9]

Discography

• Go Straightaway! (2012)
• v e s t i g e s (2013)
• Touristes with Vieux Farka Touré (2015)

References