Julia Biel is a British jazz singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
Early life
Biel was born in London on 22 February 1976.[1][2] She was brought up in Sutton, then studied French and German at the University of Oxford.[1] There, she was in a band with Idris Rahman. [1] She was a pianist first, then developed her singing.[1]
Later life and career
Biel won the Perrier Young Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2000, which brought her more attention.[1] She then joined the F-IRE Collective.[2] In 2005 she made her recording debut as a leader, with the album Not Alone.[2] She also appeared on the Polar Bear album Dimlit.[1] Her compositions appear on the Unity Collective EP Love in the Dead of Night and on recordings by guitarist Jonny Phillips.[1] She also featured on and co-wrote Ben Watt's "Guinea Pig" and "Bright Star" alongside Watt and the German producer Stimming.[2]
Her second album, Love Letters and Other Missiles, was released in 2015[3] and led to her being nominated in the Best Jazz Act category for the MOBO Awards.[2]
She performs accompanying herself on piano or electric guitar with backing from bass and drums and tours extensively in the UK and abroad.[4]
