It doesn't cost a thing to think BIG” was a quote Julien
heard a lot from his father growing up. It was sentiments like this that
inspired Julien to become the person and singer/songwriter that he has
developed into. He established early on a belief that he could become anything
he set his mind to if he worked hard to accomplish it. Julien was born and
raised in Nassau, Bahamas, the small island
paradise in the Atlantic Ocean. Growing up there offered Julien exposure to
both a cosmopolitan way of life combined with what is known as traditional
island living. Growing up Julien was captivated by many genres of music. The
degree of his ambition to become a musician, however, was not always fully
understood. As the son of a policeman and schoolteacher it was often difficult
for anyone, even his parents, to understand his compulsion to do music. “Every
time you walked past or heard Julien in the distance he was singing,” his
mother says. “I couldn’t understand it, Julien absolutely HAS to sing!” By the age of 11, Julien was actually selling his
own lunch to buy CDs. His favorite artists included Boyz II Men, Brian
McKnight, Joe, Bob Marley, and Ronnie Butler. Not only did he listen to these
musicians, he dissected their lyrics and started fashioning his own writing
style. At 12, Julien joined a singing group at his church, and so began his
development as an artist. The group became immensely popular around the island and
performed as an opening act for local shows and visiting entertainers.
Coincidentally, the first major act he opened for was Boyz II Men and was also
the first album he ever bought. This led to opening for the likes of Sean Paul,
Brian McKnight, Destiny's Child, Joe, Mariah Carey and Babyface. Julien was equally as popular on the basketball
court, a past time he shared with his father and older brother. “Julien would
walk to my studio from the basketball court, get into the vocal booth, and blow
us away with his expressive silky vocals,” Gregg White, President of Sounds of
Nassau Records, remembers. When an opportunity arose for Julien to travel to
Oklahoma on a basketball scholarship, instead he opted to pursue his first
love, singing. Julien worked for two years after school and devoted every penny
to his music. He assembled a makeshift studio in his room consisting of a G5,
two Mackies, a Motif keyboard and a second hand microphone. There he burned the
midnight oil developing his writing and vocal techniques. Julien saved the rest
of his money to travel and record in professional studios. His relentless
determination became evident. His daring ambition has opened many doors for
him. Julien was introduced to Dominic McFadden (son Gene McFadden) and his
partner Phillip "Phoe Notes" in early 2009. Together, they produced
Julien’s hit single “Believe”. It is the first single from this collaboration
-- a tender ballad that warms the heart and tells people that great things are
in store for themselves if they just “Believe”.On the surface Julien seems like a very well crafted
R&B artist. He has a smooth vocal delivery similar to a young Curtis
Mayfield. Underneath is a singer/songwriter that defies simple classification.
His lyrics come from a deep pool of insight. He sees things in a different
manner than most young men his age. Thus, his lyrical content takes the
simplest subject matter and infuses it with love, wit, wisdom and an uplifting,
inspirational feeling. Through it all, his island pedigree is very apparent.
The more you listen to Julien, the more he will captivate you.
From the Big Island of Hawaii,
Lisa Lehua Taylor has been singing her entire life. Growing up in a household
where she was exposed to Theatre at a very young age and her parents played
everything from Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and The Beatles to Billie Holiday
and Ella Fitzgerald, she was always encouraged to pursue her love of music.
Lisa finally started performing at the age of 10 and hasn't stopped since!
After years of making a living as a Vocalist in her home state, and performing
with some of the best musicians the State has to offer, she's also performed in
Japan, Korea and Singapore. Since moving to Santa Cruz 8 years ago, Lisa has
quickly built a name for herself on the Central Coast and Bay Area. As the lead
vocalist for her band SoulCity, she is also a regular vocalist with The Joe
Sharino Band as well as Steve Ezzo and The Monterey Bay All Stars. On top of
all of the performing, She has lent her vocal talent to many recording projects
and completed her debut album "LT" in 2010. Her new release "Let
Love Shine" was released February 1, 2013, and has been receiving rave
reviews. Already a top seller on both the neo-soul and urban R&B charts on
cdbaby, the album also has four singles in the top-40 on Amazon UK's mp3 chart
for neo-soul, with her singles "Used To Be The One' and "Funny
Feeling" making it to the number one spot. "Let Love Shine" is
also a top-seller for neo-soul on Amazon (US) and has had seven singles on the
top-40 mp3 chart. This Sophomore release made it's debut on the UK Soul Chart at
#21 and by week two had jumped to #14. Next, it spent four weeks at the #1
spot. It is currently #14 on The Independent Soul Chart (UK) and is also
getting great reviews on The BBC's Paul Miller Soul Show. The word is out, Lisa
Taylor is an exciting new voice on the soul scene.
