GIULIA MILLANTA
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Singer-songwriter, Giulia (Julia) Millanta, is a native-born Italian from Florence who now calls Austin, Texas home. A creative and prolific artist, she has released six albums touring regionally, nationally throughout the USA and internationally. An accomplished guitarist, Giulia also plays ukulele and sings in four languages. She has been called smart, pensive and cool and credited with psychedelic grooveability whilst “baring her clairvoyant soul” to “deliver musical mojo.”
Giulia began her life in music as a child of eight years when taught to play guitar by her father she began to perform traditional folk songs. She continued to sing and began writing songs and making records. Performing at the Acoustic Guitar Meeting in Sarzana in the spring of 2010 her accomplished guitar style and songs earned her the “New Sounds Of Acoustic Music” award. This led to an endorsement by the renowned guitar makers Eko, choice of the most famous 60’s-80’s era singer-songwriters throughout Italy.
Deciding to expand her musical borders in 2012 she moved to Austin where she was soon embraced by the music community and its fans as a writer, collaborator and performer in the scene’s most prestigious singer-songwriter venues. Giulia, by way of her unique bi-lingual ability and intrepid nature, has honed a style that transcends cultural boundaries and speaks strongly yet gently of universal life through her autobiographical musings. One only has to follow the yellow brick road of her discography to know who and where she is now.
In 2008, Driven by curiosity and a longing for personal expression she debuted with “Giulia and the Dizzyness” (Cavern Jatt Records.) Then, in 2011, she released “Dropping Down” (Ugly Cat Music/Audioglobe) distinguished by her maturing skills as musician, producer, writer and arranger. By 2012, as a result of Giulia’s new energy and inspiration after having toured mainland Europe and moving to Austin to become part of the melting pot of cultural experiences in “the live music capitol of the world,” she released “Dust and Desire” (Ugly Cat Music/Audioglobe.) Just a couple of years later in 2014 she broke new ground with “The Funambulist” (Ugly Cat Music) Surrounded by a host of new friends and fellow musicians as “between the lines” she conceptualizes the tightrope walk she has been through, writing and singing of all she has experienced, learned and become.
In 2016, Giulia released her fifth solo album “Moonbeam Parade”, 13 self-penned tunes fueled by a new direction on electric guitar. Produced by Giulia herself on her own label “Ugly Cat Music”, with her friend and producer George Reiff, with a stellar band featuring some of the best musicians in Austin, such as Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Glenn Fukunaga (The Dixie Chicks), Michael Fracasso, Kimmie Rhodes, Gabriel Rhodes (Willie Nelson), Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer), David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin). Moonbeam Parade tour has brought Giulia to the U.K, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Italy and through out the U.S.
In 2018 Giulia releases “Conversation with a Ghost” produced by herself and Gabriel Rhodes. The record is recorded live with some of the best musicians in Austin like Glenn Fukunaga on bass and Dony Wynn on drums who in the past two years have also become her steady band members. It also features talents like Marc Ribot (Tom Waits) on electric guitar, Joel Guzman (Paul Simon) on accordion, John Mills (David Byrne) on horns, David Pulkingham on guitar and Kimmie Rhodes on background vocals.
2018 was also a great year for awards for Giulia, since she won the Premio Ciampi for “Not You”, her version of Piero Ciampi’s song “Tu no” which you can listen here, and was awarded with the Doc’s Blues Awards 2018 as BluesWoman of the year by Severn Fm Radio.