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Julia Denise Lee (born February 24, 2002), better known by her stage name Denise Julia, is a Filipino singer, songwriter, record producer, model, content creator, and occasional actress. Numerous media outlets have recognized Julia as a leading figure in the new wave of Filipino R&B.

Julia has been writing and learning how to produce songs since she was 13. She first gained attention when she starred as one of the main love interests in the music video for the hit Pinoy pop song "Marikit" (lit. 'Beautiful') by Juan Caoile and Kyle Caplis in June 2020. Julia later released her first official song, "High on Me", on August 31. She earned widespread recognition when her song "Nvmd" (stylized in all caps and pronounced as "never mind") went viral on TikTok in 2022. She released her debut mini-album, Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1), on November 17, 2023. In March 2024, the Philippine digital news organization Republic Asia declared Julia "Artist of the Month" for their inaugural RA Spotlight, a Gen Z-oriented platform dedicated to rising young artists in the country.

Early life and education

Julia Denise Lee was born on February 24, 2002, in Tondo, Manila. Julia's childhood dream was to be an actress, but decided to pursue music instead when she discovered her own musical talents. She began writing songs at the age of 13 and downloaded digital audio workstations to learn song production.

According to Julia, she was "very shy" when she attended an all-girls school. She transferred to De La Salle University (DLSU) in her final years of high school; the new environment compelled her to break out of her shell. At DLSU, she became the president of a singing organization and met various producers. Julia later studied Diplomacy and International Relations with a major in Japanese Studies at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). She was a member of the Ateneo Musicians' Pool.

Career

2020-2022: Beginnings and rise

In June 2020, Julia starred as one of the main love interests in the music video for the hit Pinoy pop song "Marikit" (lit. 'Beautiful') by Juan Caoile and Kyle Caplis. She has said that her stint on the music video inspired her to work on her own songs. On August 31, Julia released her first official song, "High on Me".

On February 4, 2022, Julia released the song "Nvmd" (stylized in all caps and pronounced as "never mind"), which sampled the song "Vintage" by the Indonesian R&B-pop artist Niki.

2023-present: Further recognition

Julia released her debut mini-album, Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1), on November 17, 2023.

On January 19, 2024, Julia revealed that she recently filmed a music video for the track "Sugar n' Spice" and teased that it was directed by a woman, which many fans believed to be the award-winning director Samantha Lee. Julia described the video as a tribute to "the beautiful experience of falling for a woman." The director was later confirmed to be Lee. The music video was released in early February. It incorporated various references to 2000s and 2010s media and starred Julia and Angela Cepeda, who was also a cast member of Lee's 2023 film Rookie. The two women portrayed lovers simply enjoying an afternoon in each other's company, with sweet scenes such as Cepeda jokingly proposing to Julia with a cheese ring. The "light, positive, and love-filled" track and video received positive reviews from local and international fans alike. Shortly after, Julia uploaded an episode of her Baddie-Bot vlog series with Mikha of the girl group Bini as a guest.

In November, One Music Philippines described Julia as "one of the most important and significant voices in Filipino R&B". Julia held her first solo concert, Sweet Nothings: The Denise Julia Experience, at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City on December 14. Tickets for the concert were sold out. Julia shared that a week before the concert, she suffered from gastroesophageal complications, an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic attacks. "I felt as though my dream was slipping through my fingers," Julia said of her mental health struggles. She called the concert her "saving grace" and expressed her gratitude towards everyone who made it happen.

Artistry

Writing for L'Officiel Philippines, writer Tin Dabbay described Julia's voice as "silky." Januar Junior Aguja of The Freeman called Julia a "quadruple threat," praising her "great" singing voice, stage presence, candid lyrics about dating both men and women, and production work on her own songs. Julia has said that she considers Denise Julia to be her alter ego, as a coping mechanism for the pressures of being in the public eye. According to Julia, she is sweeter and less confident when she's not "portraying" Denise Julia.

In June 2022, Julia stated that she was still refining her skills in song production. At the time, she had only one song that featured her own production. Julia now produces her own songs, as well as other artists'. She says that writing lyrics used to be her favorite aspect of creating a song, but it is now production. According to Julia, she sometimes adds up to 200 vocal layers in a single song. Julia cites 1990s R&B artists such as Beyoncé, Aaliyah, Mariah Carey, and Tamia as inspirations, as well as newer acts like Ariana Grande, Summer Walker, and SZA.

Personal life

Julia is openly pansexual. In a Pride Month interview with Billboard Philippines, she confirmed that she has felt the pressure to come out "again and again." She said that she hopes to normalize "girly, femme" representation among queer women. In an interview with Gianna Sibal of Mega, Julia elaborated, "In this industry, I don't think people are used to an artist who wears very feminine, girly, and sexy fashion coming out as queer. So with my style and how I present myself, it's important for me to show that people who are queer can look like this, dress like this, and make music for our community, too." She is diagnosed with severe anxiety, specifically a panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In December 2024, celebrity photographer BJ Pascual named Julia as the "worst" person he had ever worked for. On a since-deleted viral episode of influencer Killa Kush's podcast, Pascual alleged that he had spent a hefty sum to prepare a photoshoot and music video shoot for Julia, but had to cancel them due to Julia and her team's alleged unprofessionalism. Julia, Pascual, and Kush each released various statements about the issue on social media, with Julia firmly denying the accusations of unprofessional behavior. On December 26, Julia announced that she was planning to file lawsuits against Pascual and Kush, including a defamation suit against Pascual.

References

1. ^ Dy, Juliet (December 23, 2024). "Who Is Denise Julia? 8 Fast Facts About The R&B Singer". Cosmopolitan Philippines. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
2. ^ Bautista, Rafael (June 3, 2022). "Denise Julia Is So Much More Than An Ariana Grande Soundalike". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024.
3. ^ Dabbay, Tin (September 13, 2024). "Emotional Landscapes: Denise Julia". L'Officiel Philippines. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
4. ^ Sederiosa, Trevor (May 18, 2021). "Denise Julia". Beat This. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
5. Aquino, Antonette (February 6, 2024). "Denise Julia enters a new chapter with first mini-album "Sweet Nothings"". Metroscene Mag. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
6. Glorioso, Nica (February 6, 2024). "ICYMI: Samantha Lee Shot Her Shot And Ended Up Making A Music Video With Denise Julia". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
7. Galang, Gabriell (July 19, 2024). "'The Filipinos are just doing it right': Denise Julia's 'Sugar n' Spice' earns foreign praise". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
8. Glorioso, Nica (March 21, 2024). "These 7 Pinoy Celebs Are AU and Fanfiction Readers, Too". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
9. "Denise Julia Hits Uncharted Territory with Engaging New EP 'Sweet Nothings (Chapter 2)'". One Music Philippines. November 11, 2024. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
10. Sabio, Nikka (November 22, 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: Denise Julia dedicates concert to fans, shares reason for lower ticket prices". ABS-CBN News. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "urlhttps://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2024/11/22/exclusive-denise-julia-dedicates-concert-to-fans-shares-reason-for-lower-ticket-prices-1514" ignored (help)
11. Adriatico, Abigail (December 23, 2024). "Denise Julia Hits Uncharted Territory with Engaging New EP 'Sweet Nothings (Chapter 2)'". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
12. ^ Sibal, Gianna (June 5, 2024). "Denise Julia: OPM's rising R&B artist". Mega. Archived from the original on January 5, 2025.
13. ^ Aguja, Januar Junior (May 10, 2024). "Denise Julia: OPM's rising R&B artist". The Freeman – via PressReader.
14. Olaguera, Chriselle (March 8, 2024). "Denise Julia on challenges as female artist: "It's harder being a girl."". PEP.Ph.
15. Young, Daniel (June 30, 2022). "Denise Julia: Pioneering a new wave of RNB music in the Philippines". Finessed Media.
16. ^ Santos, Andrei (February 16, 2024). "Denise Julia: A Star is Born". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
17. Basbas, Franchesca Judine (August 12, 2022). "Introducing: Filipino R&B act Denise Julia talks TikTok virality, her hit single 'NVMD', and what's coming next". Bandwagon Asia.
18. Sarmiento, Kate (March 8, 2024). "Denise Julia Gets *Real* About Her Life As A Female Artist". Cosmopolitan Philippines.
19. Basbas, Franchesca Judine (June 26, 2024). "Denise Julia And Jason Dhakal – Being Unapologetically Themselves". Billboard Philippines.
20. Purnell, Kristofer (June 26, 2024). "Denise Julia to file defamation suit vs BJ Pascual, Killa Kush". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.

• 2002 births
• Tagalog people
• Living people
• Pansexual women
• Filipino LGBTQ singers
• Filipino people of Chinese descent
• People from Tondo, Manila
• Filipino contemporary R&B singers
• Filipino women pop singers