Music
Press
"We had heard Julia sing once before, and so we knew when we hired the band for a major corporate event, the music would be fantastic. What we didn’t know was how simple it would be to do business with the band. This was a hassle-free experience. The extraordinary day of conversation and celebration was ‘backlit’ by the band’s performance, not too loud, not too soft, but just right to provide a deep richness to the day." - James D. Levine, Founder, Levine*Fricke family of companies
“Julia Lau is an unusual voice in the wilderness amongst the many plaintive singer-songwriters and chicks with guitars, she stands apart as one who has lived in the world a little and still hopes eternal... She's right at home amongst those hopers and dreamers like Sarah McLaughlin, Lisa Loeb and others of their ilk. With heartfelt lyrics and earnest melodies, this quiet compendium paints a portrait of a young woman who strives to change the world one song at a time... Summing up: smart, compassionate, heartfelt, soulful and sincere the girl's got it goin' on.” - Julia Park
“Oakland-based singer/songwriter Julia Lau has just release her debut album, In the Wildflowers and Weeds, and it’s a quietly stirring beauty of a first CD. Lau has a haunting voice that’s similar to Dido’s, but with more grit, and she writes folky songs with an Alt-Rock edge to them. The opener, “Pretty Please”, sets the tone and sucks you in with Lau’s unique phrasing and charm. From there, the electronica shadings of “Fear” and the hard-edged “Mindful Of You” sealed the deal and won me over. Elsewhere, while the folk guitar/voice set up dominates most of the songs--which by the way is not a bad thing, after all Joni Mitchell’s early classic albums are mostly acoustic affairs--Lau does kick things up a notch on “It’s You That I Want” and “To Be Beautiful” and gets a little funky on “Now You Think You’re in Love”. Just to shake up the format a little, and it pays off by proving that she can do more than acoustic confessionals, even if they are exceptional. Julia Lau shows us she has sass, class and a bright future ahead if In the Wildflowers and Weeds is anything to judge by.” - Gina Morris
“SINGER-SONGWRITER JULIA LAU'S career has always been about making a difference. For four years she was a community activist in San Francisco's Chinatown. Now she's writing and playing music that she hopes will help spread her messages of compassion, tolerance and generosity." - Contra Costa Times
“a superlative poet… with a quiet urgency that is disarming and alluring… a beautiful voice, powerfully soft and capable of delivering the message of her words with a quiet grace.” - Ray Synkane
“Julia not only sounds great, but she’s a pleasure to work with. She’s both professional and relates well to her audience - attributes that are only too rare in today’s music scene.” Jeff Zalles, The Brainwash Cafe Booker
“Julia sings all beautiful and bluesy like Etta James and all contemplative and thoughtful like Art Garfunkel. But, she’s also really reasonable to work with. That’s a weird combination in the art world. Plus, she’s got loyal fans who come out to her shows.” Michael Musika, Simple Pleasures Venue Booker - Jeff Zalles, The Brainwash
Discography
In The Wildflowers And Weeds (featuring 12 tracks and over 46 minutes of music) To purchase the album, visit http://cdbaby.com/cd/julialau.
Photos
Bio
In February 2006, singer/songwriter Julia Lau released her long-awaited debut album “In The Wildflowers And Weeds” to a full house at San Francisco’s renowned Cafe Du Nord. The event was a huge success, garnering media and industry attention. And, the CD release turned into a full month celebration with shows hosted at the Red Devil Lounge and Hotel Utah.
In a recent feature, Evolution Of Media called the album “a quietly stirring beauty of a first CD.” Reviewer Gina Morris goes on to explain “Lau has a haunting voice that’s similar to Dido’s, but with more grit.” And, The Music Scene comments, “smart, compassionate, heartfelt, soulful and sincere... like Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Loeb and others of their ilk.”
“I feel so good right now,” exclaims Lau. “It’s been amazing getting all the great reviews and press. But, in all honesty, the best part of it all has been getting these beautiful letters from listeners telling me how touched and inspired they’ve been by the music. It brings me full circle because making an impact on people's lives is what this is all about for me and why I chose to make music in the first place.”
Julia is the youngest of six in a Chinese immigrant family. Between helping her parents with the family carpet cleaning business and her schoolwork, there wasn’t much time for the arts. At UCLA, she studied Asian American Studies and got involved with community campaigns around garment workers’ rights. Before long, her interest in social justice work became the focus of her energies. After graduation, she worked as a community organizer with a nonprofit grassroots organization in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Alongside local residents, she waged campaigns for improved housing conditions and headed a youth leadership and development program.
Lau explains, “I really believe in direct action organizing. I didn’t love the work. It’s hard and thankless work. But, I had to do it. I still think it’s the most important work out there to be done. And, if music weren’t so much in my soul, I would still be out there knocking on doors.”
Julia is a multifaceted artist who defies any one characterization. Her acoustic guitar-based songs are at times, playful, dreamy and romantic and at other times, dark and haunted. In a set that mesmerizes, she moves effortlessly from poignant stories of struggle to flirty love songs… from songs filled with despair and longing to cathartic songs tackling universal themes like fear and learning to let go.
“The songs I want to write will tell the stories that aren’t being told whether it’s telling a truth about the world and our lives that we don’t want to talk about or inspiring someone to be more courageous or a nicer person.” comments Lau.
Julia continues to perform with her band to crowds of fans in venues across the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
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