Yoko Ono opened the door and...
Julia Easterlin may be one of the few young artists that can credit Yoko Ono for opening a major door in her artistic journey. At the age of 15, Julia was chosen to spend a day on the John Lennon Tour Bus, a mobile studio and brainchild of Yoko Ono. After Julia served as the lyricist and singer for the day, the studio engineers gave Julia's parents a life-changing command, "Mortgage your house, do anything you can to get her out there, but get her out there!"
Their first step was to enroll her in the summer program at Berklee College of Music where she quickly won a spot in the Summer Singer/Songwriter's Showcase and also began her first foray into jazz. Julia recieved a scholarship to return the following summer and a suggestion to audtion for the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble. "I had no formal training and Augusta, Georgia is not exactly a jazz town, but I studied the genre and trusted my instincts, and just before Christmas, I got my acceptance letter."
Julia travled to Los Angeles, spending 10 days performing with jazz greats such as Oscar Petersen, Hank Jones, Barry Harris, and Kurt Elling. It was a trip she would repeat in 2007 as she was again selected to be the lead soprano for the group.
Since that time, Julia has followed the urgings of the John Lennon crew, finding success at every turn. In 2007, she had a merit placement in Pop Vocals in the NFAA Student Competition. In 2008, she was selected as a finalist in Jazz Vocals. Downbeat Magazine also named her one of the country's top student jazz vocalists in their yearly student awards.
Julia currently attends Guilford College in North Carolina, balancing her academic pursuits with a performing career. She has recorded two albums, "Calling Out", a compilation of original songs and "Why Can't You Behave", a jazz cd with pianist, Yuma Sung. Her music is available on cdbaby.com and itunes.