Singles Spotlight:
Julia Minkin – “Clouds”

Hello reader,

How are you?

We’re excited to talk about and shine a spotlight on another deserving artist making great music: Chicago-based Julia Minkin. A voice teacher and singer-songwriter who began her music career abroad in France as part of the French pop band Kid Francescoli. She collaborated on two albums With Julia and Play Me Again. And their song “Moon (And It Went Like)” became a hit across multiple platforms, including TikTok. It was shared by many, including JLo herself.

During the lockdown, Minkin began creating her own music; check out her 2022 Tiny Desk Contest submission here. In a few short months, in April, she will be sharing her work with the world via her debut album, Not Ready. Minkin collaborated with guitarist Andrew Sudhibhasilp, who, besides knowing Julia better than most as her husband, was instrumental in compositions and production. From her site, Minkin elaborates, “I wanted to have control and create something that was my own and that I was proud of. But it took me a long time to get here. I wanted to do it properly. For myself.”

Let’s hear from Minkin directly. Her goals for her debut album: “My objective is simply for this album to have a life. I just want it to find its listeners.”  As someone who recently listened to the album, I am confident that it will find many new listeners and new fans of Minkin. It’s a fantastic debut, full of confidence, excellent vocals, and compositions, truly a step forward for Minkin. You’ll have to wait til April to hear the entire release, but rest assured, whether you’ve been a fan of Julia Minkin before or not, the album will become a favorite of yours for a while in 2026.

Peeling the onion to discuss the album as a whole, “‘This was not conceived as a concept album,’ she clarifies. ‘The songs happened organically. I didn’t know if they’d all go together. But I think it just happens that way when you write things in the same period. They tend to come from the same soup.'” Furthermore, “Minkin says of Not Ready—and from both a sonic and lyrical perspective, the songs are a showcase for not only her vocal talent, but also her subtle humor, emotional resonance, and ear for sweet melody. The result is a genre-busting album that touches on everything from ‘French Touch’ to 80s pop, to Julia’s background singing jazz and folk. Not Ready, Minkin says, tells a story about moving reluctantly towards maturity.” Hyped up yet?

Looking inward even more to individual songs, Minkin said, “’Some of them are looking-back songs,’ she says. ‘In the past, I was working really hard to be pleasing and that took so much of my energy and it took away from my ability to be creating for myself—whether music or writing. I couldn’t get out from under the fear that people wouldn’t approve or validate what I put out there. I’ve been slowly liberating myself from that.’”

Tell us a little bit more about some of the songs? Ok! “Minkin’s often tongue-in-cheek lyrics explore the theme of misguided attractions (‘American Fantasy,’ ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ ‘Daisy’) or indirectly reflect her complicated relationship, as a younger female performer, with being on stage, and touring with a band of older men (‘Push My Buttons,’ ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ ‘Clouds’).” The last quote from her site sums up the Not Ready album well, using verbiage that I would agree with, as will you when you listen after its April release, “Minkin has finally landed at her long-desired destination: making thrillingly catchy music with deft lyrics, memorable melodies, and elegant vocals.”

There are a few singles already out, but the song that SWT is going to spotlight today is the most recent, “Clouds.” From its opening synth notes that sound like they’re coming at you from above the plane you’re listening on, but are still fairly grounded. You’re not miles into space. The result is a wonderful pop melody that moves the song forward well and serves as a great foundation for Minkin’s more softly spoken yet confident vocals, which pair with reflective lyrics that examine the titular topic and a handful of other relationships. “Clouds” is another song where Minkin’s vocals stand out. The sound is definitely not buyout bubble gum pop, nor is it sad girl pop. It is somewhere in between where Minkin wants it to be. Kudos. I think this song serves as a nice welcome to Minkin’s Not Ready album. As you know by now, we’re big fans of this album, so check back to SWT to see more Julia Minkin-related coverage.

Hit play to check out the song “Clouds” for yourself and let us know your thoughts:

You can connect with and listen to Julia Minkin at the following links:

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com