For singer/songwriter Jules a performance at Avoca Beach Theatre on November 19 will be personal – very personal.
The Sydney-based artist grew up on the Central Coast and her family, who are still living on the Coast, is sure to be front row at the launch of her latest album, Familiar Drama, named Record of Week recently by Rolling Stone magazine.
“We will be bringing a full band to Avoca and be supported by a Central Coast local, Ella Powell, who is a star,” Jules said.
“The album is nostalgic and about memories, so I reached out to Avoca Beach Theatre where I played over 20 years ago, and I am excited to go back.
“It is such a beautiful venue and there will be a lot of family and friends from the Central Coast; I’m still very attached to the Coast.”
Jules – real name Julie Kerr – moved to Sydney in 2002 to start writing, recording and gigging.
Around 2012, personal trauma struck.
“I was having a bad time, I was very sad and just didn’t want to do music anymore,” she said.
“And literally, in the middle of the night, Jermaine Jackson called and said he really liked my song Papergirl.”
After that phone call, Jackson became a mentor and inspired Jules to write, record, and perform again.
She has been a guest at the Jacksons tour of Australia and Las Vegas and the pair are still in touch.
“He is a fantastic person, a really lovely guy, and I have done another two albums since that first meeting,” she said.
Her new album Familiar Drama was released on November 3.
Recorded at Studios 301, the album is produced by Jules, Grammy nominated engineer and producer Simon Cohen, and John Lawrie.
Written over four years, Jules described Familiar Drama as an album filled with songs that explore the complexity of grief, redemption, and nostalgia.
It’s her fourth musical project following Ocean in 2003, Voiceless in 2011 and Carry On in 2016.
“The recording of this album has been a slow burn but an ongoing commitment to good craftmanship and artistry,” she said.
Denice Barnes