Julia Golden Shines on NBC’s “The Voice”
Nineteen-year-old Julia Golden is well on her way to becoming a nationally known name, but we get to say we knew her before she was famous. The singer, originally from Carthage, recently auditioned for NBC’s The Voice and she advanced to the next round. The show’s 29th season, which just premiered Monday, Feb. 23, introduces a new Battle of Champions theme, spotlighting three coaches: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine.
For Julia the process was both nerve-racking and exciting. “It was the most surreal thing I have ever experienced — something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” she says.
Julia auditioned with “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter. “I’ve been singing this song at all of my cover gigs in Moore County since I started when I was 15,” she says. “It’s a coming of age song. I thought it really resonated with me and my journey leading up to The Voice. I thought it represented me.”
Julia admits that during her performance, she wasn’t sure any chairs would turn. “The song builds, you know,” she says. Although she couldn’t tell if she was winning over the judges, she knew the crowd was loving it. So midway through the song, she shifted her focus to the cheering audience to make the most of the opportunity. “I was so into the moment I didn’t even see when John Legend first turned around. You can see it on my face when I noticed.” Moments later Kelly Clarkson turned her chair. “What they don’t tell you is you have to keep singing,” she laughs.”Grammy Award-winning artists are staring at you and you have to keep doing it.”
When a chair spins during the blind auditions on The Voice, it’s a clear sign the judges are wowed just by the power of the singer’s voice. Not only is it a huge shoutout to the performer, it also means they’re moving on to the next round. This season also has a new twist in its voting system.
“I’m excited to do what I’ve been doing, to create art and connect with people on a larger stage,” says Julia. “It’s also a blessing to represent my hometown and show the fruits of my labor with the work I’ve been putting in the last couple of years.”
Julia chose to be on Team Kelly, meaning she will perform under Kelly Clarkson’s guidance for the remainder of her time on the show. Thought she almost went with John Legend, Julia says her gut told her to pick Kelly. “She is a woman in the music industry,” says Julia. “I knew she would have a lot of advice for being a new woman artist in the industry.” Kelly’s range of music is also inspiring to Julia, who is looking forward to stepping out of her comfort zone more this year.
In the days since the premiere aired, Moore County’s social media feeds have been flooded with Julia’s name. From sharing clips of the audition to sharing old photos of Julia in her numerous gigs around The Pines, it’s clear she’s made the whole county proud.
The show will air regularly on Mondays at 9 p.m. with streaming available the next day on Peacock.
But The Voice isn’t the only headline in Julia’s world. She just dropped a new single, “Meant to Be,” on Feb. 5. “I have so much love for this song,” says Julia. “I wrote that song all by myself in my bedroom in Carthage. I’m really proud of this piece of music.”
“I wanted to write a love story that doesn’t get told often,” she says. Unlike songs about hating the other person or one person falling out of love, this is a song about two people who still have a lot of love for each other but know the relationship isn’t right for them. “It kind of feels like a turning point for me as a songwriter. It feels like I’m really finding my footing as an artist and what I want my sound to be,” says Julia.
From her EP “Everywhere I’ve Been” to a string of singles and collaborations, Julia continues to expand her catalog.
Her newest feature is on “Let You Down,” the debut release from Liquid Smile. Entirely different from Julia’s country roots, the upbeat song carries an alt-pop sound. Lead singer Stewart Heigold is actually from Costa Rica where his band is based. He and Julia met in Raleigh during an event last year. Out of the blue, she got a call from him saying he wrote a duet and would love for her to be on it. “I absolutely loved it and I’m trying to blend genres and step out of my comfort zone a little more,” she says. The music video, she says, was filmed in a single day.
Opportunity isn’t something this young musician takes for granted. Over the past few years, Julia has simply said “yes” to every chance to learn and grow — from parades and modeling gigs to live shows all over the East Coast and, most recently, participating in New York Fashion Week. For her, each experience has been a step into making her world, well, golden.
Like many singers, Julia always aspired to call Nashville home. After plenty of hard work, she’s officially made the move. “It’s such a crazy thing to be able to move to the city of your dreams at 19 years old,” she says. Though her zip code changed, her love of Moore County never will so you can still expect to see her at local gigs. “It’s so important to me and this is where it all started,” she says. Plus, eight hour drives will give her plenty of time for car karaoke.
In addition to regular gigs, you can see her headlining her own show, “The Golden Hour Concert” at The Sunrise Theater on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. You’ll get the chance to hear new and unreleased music. Tix are on sale now.
