Singer Julia Kirkwood paves way for young musicians kid and you have a huge, huge dream, people tend to try to dilute that dream with reality and the facts that it’s kind of In 2019, on the Mountain Avenue a one-in-the-million chance that you’re Stage in Old Town, 13-year-old Julia actually going to get there,” Kirkwood Kirkwood wowed the audience with said. Despite this, Kirkwood has made her original music, stunning voice and effortless self-accompaniment on the a name for herself in the Fort Collins acoustic guitar and piano. This fearless community. She has even been able to girl left the whole audience in awe of the share the stage with Colorado-based music icon Hazel Miller at FoCoMX and incredible talent of someone so young. Now 15, Kirkwood continues to recently in a virtual event. “I’ve gained a better understanding amaze. She has grown into a talented of who I am and who I wanna be,” multi-instrumentalist with both a strong voice and a strong message, neither Kirkwood said. “I’ve been surrounded with so many amazing people, so of which will be many artists and forgotten here in mentors. At this Fort Collins. “I really just wanted to point I’ve realized Music has it’s not about always been a part encourage people and inspire that writing what other of Kirkwood’s them to not give up on living people will like — life. Her mother’s it’s about writing life, even though it’s kind of on side of the family what you feel and carries a love hold a little bit.” what you think is for music, and right for yourself.” her mother was K i r k w o o d ’s involved in dance, JULIA KIRKWOOD songs are both opera and theatre MUSICIAN bubbly and when she was in down-to-earth, high school. tied together by “She had a piano, and when I was really little ... I would go to her piano, emotional lyrics and uplifting messages. For Kirkwood, writing songs comes which was in our basement, and I would just play on it,” Kirkwood said. “So it all as almost a second language. She writes her music as she records it, layering started with a piano in my basement.” Kirkwood shares her mother’s her vocals on GarageBand and singing passion for music, including her love for whatever lyrics come to her mind. “Most of my inspiration comes opera. “I love Marian Anderson; she was from, I’d like to say real-life experiences, one of the first Black opera singers who but not all of those experiences are mine was female as well, so I always looked up personally,” Kirkwood said. “A lot of the love songs I write are based off of things to her,” Kirkwood said. Growing up with this passion for people in my family have gone through music hasn’t been easy, Kirkwood said. or friends have gone through.” Her song “Keep Fighting” was Since Kirkwood is still young, she often struggles to find other musicians to written during quarantine, immediately collaborate with or feels like she isn’t after she watched Elton John’s COVID-19 relief concert. Kirkwood felt taken as seriously, she said. “A lot of times when you are a the need to contribute some positivity in these tough times.
By Maddy Erskine @maddyerskine_
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