Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Julia Golden, 19, of Carthage, N.C., performed “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter: She immediately displayed a lovely country tone. And she proved she’s got plenty of power in her vocals. She also showed off very nice stage presence. John Legend turned pretty early in the performance. Kelly Clarkson turned at the last second. John complimented the beautiful texture of her voice. Kelly said she loved the authenticity of Julia’s performance. Julia joined Team Kelly.

Here’s more about Julia:

* She’s a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from North Carolina, now based in Nashville.

* The latter is a recent development. In a Feb. 4 social media post, Julia celebrated her official move to Nashville, noting that she’d been there often and city welcomed her with open arms.

* “I’m doing all the things i promised myself I would,” she writes. “I have spent the last year working harder than I thought I was capable of and leaving the rest to God. and He will provide!! and wow has He!!!!”

* For her age, Julia has lots of music you can listen to right now, including a new single called “Meant To Be,” released earlier this year. She describes it as a bittersweet story she thinks will resonate with many people. You can check out an acoustic version of the song below. She delivers a wonderful country vocal on the song.

* In addition, Julia released a six-song EP called “Everywhere I’ve Been” last May. And she collaborated with Garrett Huffman on a four-song EP, “Burn Us Both Down,” that was released in January.

* That project includes two originals and two covers. One of the originals, “A Story Likes Ours,” has been streamed more than 100,000 times on Spotify alone.

* Julia says she grew up around music. Her parents worked for an oldies radio station. In a 2024 interview, Julia says she grew up watching her mother select songs for her morning show and her dad interview musicians for the station.

* And there was never really any doubt she would pursue music. “In first grade, we had career day where all the students were asked to dress as the career they wanted to pursue when they grew up,” she says in the same interview. “I showed up to my small town elementary school in a sparkly purple tank top holding a Hannah Montana microphone, proudly proclaiming to my teachers that I was going to be a pop star.”

* Julia has also been honored for her musical talent. Last January, she received the Emerging New Artist award at the Carolina Country Music Awards. She also performed at the awards show.

Julia on social media:
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