Julia Cumming

Last updated
Julia Cumming
Julia Cumming - Sunflower Bean.jpg
Cumming on September 20, 2017
Background information
Birth nameJulia Rachel Harden Cumming
Born (1996-01-16) January 16, 1996 (age 28)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • model
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass
  • guitar
  • ukulele
Years active2009–present
Labels

Julia Rachel Harden Cumming (born January 16, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter who is the frontwoman and bass player of the Brooklyn-based band Sunflower Bean. Cumming models occasionally, and has modeled for several well known designers and has appeared in global campaigns for H&M and Diesel. Cumming is also a political activist and is active in the Model Alliance. She has produced and directed a video featuring her fellow models, encouraging young people to become politically active.

Contents

Early life

Cumming was born in Manhattan to Alec Cumming and Cynthia Harden, [1] who (at the time) were a creative partnership as well as a marital one - writing, performing, and releasing songs in the alternative pop band Bite The Wax Godhead (1990-1998). [2] Julia grew up in the East Village, Manhattan, attended New York City public schools, and started a band - Supercute! - along with neighborhood friends June Lei and Rachel Trachtenburg (of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players) in 2009. [3] Supercute!, a bubblegum-girl-group-psychedelic-pop amalgam, created (in Cumming's words) "ukulele rock operas"; the band lasted through 2013 with Cumming and Trachtenburg serving as their creative core. [4] "It was almost an art project about not letting your age or being a girl stop you from trying anything," Julia told the New Musical Express in 2016. [5] Cumming and Trachtenburg also co-hosted a talk show (Pure Imagination, 2011-2013), on the Progressive Radio Network, aimed at encouraging fellow teens to become involved in art and political action. [6]

In 2014, Cumming graduated as a vocal music student at Professional Performing Arts School, made her acting debut in the movie short People Who Don't Know Me, [7] and performed solo gigs with original musical material at local clubs. [8] She also interned at the Museum of Modern Art, where she curated an off-site show about instagram art. There she met choreographer Dean Moss, who cast her for a leading role in his dance piece johnbrown, which debuted at The Kitchen on October 16, 2014. [9] [10]

Musical influences

"When I was a really little kid," Cumming told the New York Times, "my parents had a VHS tape called 'Glam Rock.' It was about 15 songs of Gary Glitter, T. Rex and Alice Cooper, and I watched it every day until it broke." [11] She has said that other influences include The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, The Beatles, Devo, Fat White Family, Carole King, The Kinks, Cate Le Bon, Mr Little Jeans, Joni Mitchell, Kate Nash, New York Dolls, Plastic Ono Band, Iggy Pop, The Sex Pistols, Tina Weymouth and Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground, The Waitresses and The Who. [12] [13]

Sunflower Bean

Nick Kivlen and Julia Cumming performing with Sunflower Bean. Sunflower Bean.jpg
Nick Kivlen and Julia Cumming performing with Sunflower Bean.

In August 2013, Cumming joined guitarist Nick Kivlen and drummer Olive Faber in Sunflower Bean, a power trio initially based in Glen Head, New York that had started off a spin-off of the band Turnip King. In the following year, the band moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn and became a part of the borough's thriving "DIY" scene, [14] playing over eighty shows that year and earning themselves title of New York City's "hardest-working band of 2014". [15] The band's appearance at the 2014 CMJ Music Marathon received good notices from All Songs Considered's Bob Boilen [16] and from The New York Times's Jon Pareles, who wrote "New York is still home to bands as varied as Sunflower Bean, whose music suggests what might have happened if psychedelia had emerged after punk and the Police rather than before." [17]

The band recorded their debut EP Show Me Your Seven Secrets (initially self-released on January 27, 2015) and was signed to Fat Possum Records later that year. [18] The album Human Ceremony was released on February 5, 2016, garnering largely positive reviews;

"I Was a Fool", the first single released from Sunflower Bean's second album Twentytwo In Blue, debuted on NPR's "Songs We Love" series on November 3, 2017. [19] Twentytwo In Blue was released on March 23, 2018 by Mom + Pop Music in the U.S. and Lucky Number Music worldwide. [20]

She has collaborated with other artists and appeared on the Manic Street Preachers album The Ultra Vivid Lament in 2021.

Modeling career

Although Cumming had done occasional modeling jobs in the Supercute! era, her fashion career was bolstered in February 2014, when she was asked to walk in Yves Saint Laurent's Ready To Wear Fall Winter 2014 show in Paris. Saint Laurent's creative director Hedi Slimane signed the musician to an exclusive modeling contract, using her in three campaigns and in six shows for Saint Laurent; Cumming was frequently referred to as "Hedi Slimane's muse" in the press at the time. [21] [22]

Since then, she has modeled for Anna Sui, Elsa Schiaparelli, Max Mara, Rochas and Fausto Puglisi, appeared in global campaigns for H&M and Diesel, and was seen on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Kazakhstan and in many fashion editorials, most notably in many of Vogue's international editions (US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan). [23] In March 2017, Cumming appeared with Madonna for Vogue Germany in the news-making film and photo spread "Her Story", released on International Women's Day 2017. [24]

Political activism

Julia Cumming interviewing candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at an "Anger Can Be Power" event, 2017. Julia Cumming interviewing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at an "Anger Can Be Power" Event.jpg
Julia Cumming interviewing candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at an "Anger Can Be Power" event, 2017.

In 2017, Cumming founded Anger Can Be Power, a project that "endeavors to invoke the DIY spirit to inspire people to integrate political involvement in their lives"; she has hosted several public events dedicated to the topic of young people, particularly women, moving into concrete political action. [25] Cumming is also active in the Model Alliance, and directed and produced a video featuring fellow models that encourages young people to directly call their political representatives. [26] She interviewed Iranian-American singer Rahill Jamalifard (from Habibi) about her experiences as a volunteer Persian translator during the protests against Donald Trump's travel ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Bean Cobain</span> American visual artist; daughter of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain (born 1992)

Frances Bean Cobain is an American visual artist and model. She is the only child of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. She controls the publicity rights to her father's name and image.

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players were an American indie rock/art pop family band. It consisted of main vocalist Jason Trachtenburg, his wife Tina, and their child Rachel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedi Slimane</span> French photographer and fashion designer (born 1968)

Hedi Slimane is a French photographer and couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he was the creative director for Dior Homme. From 2012 to 2016, he was the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent. Since February 2018, Slimane has been the creative, artistic and image director of Celine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Trachtenburg</span> American musician

Rachel Sage Piña-Trachtenburg, known professionally as Rachel Trachtenburg, is an American musician. She is most notable for her key role as drummer and backup vocalist of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a family band consisting of herself and her parents, Jason and Tina, from 2000 to 2011. Trachtenburg was also lead singer of the band Supercute! from 2009 to 2013, and is currently the guitarist and vocalist for New York-based trio Wooing. In addition, Trachtenburg is also a model, signed to Elite Model Management; a radio talk show host for Gary Null's Progressive Radio Network; and an actress who appeared in indie movies Happy Birthday in 2004, Ruchiki in 2011, and Exteriors in 2014, as well as a television pilot for an unaired children's TV show titled Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade World in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anja Rubik</span> Polish model and businesswoman (born 1983)

Anja Rubik is a Polish model, activist, philanthropist and entrepreneur. She is one of the most prominent models of the 20th and 21st century, continuously featuring on magazine covers, as well as runways and campaigns for the most notable fashion houses. By 2009, Rubik was dubbed a "top model" by French Vogue and continues to influence the fashion industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Saint Laurent (fashion house)</span> French fashion house

Yves Saint Laurent SAS, also known as Saint Laurent and YSL, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. Its cosmetics line, YSL Beauty, is owned by L'Oréal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Gibson</span> Musical artist

Laura Anne Gibson is an American singer-songwriter. She currently records for the U.S. independent label Barsuk Records, and the Berlin-based label City Slang. Gibson's most recent album Goners was released October 26, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine (brand)</span> French fashion brand

Celine is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1945 by designer Céline Vipiana. The headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification.

George Barnett is the English drummer of the band These New Puritans. He is also a model, having appeared in campaigns for brands such as Burberry, Lanvin and Valentino.

Ashley Stymest, better known by Ash Stymest, is an English male model, actor and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh Pep!</span> Australian indie folk band

Oh Pep! are an Australian band formed in Melbourne, Australia by Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs. Their debut album, Stadium Cake, was released on 24 June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Hartzel</span>

Grace Kathleen Hartzel is an American fashion model from Zionsville, Indiana. She was discovered at the age of 15 while dining at a St. Louis Cheesecake Factory with her family. She has walked in nearly every major show during the fall/winter 2015 and spring/summer 2016 shows after being noted as a muse of then-YSL fashion designer Hedi Slimane in the fall/winter 2014 show. Slimane's spring 2014 show was entirely made in Hartzel's image, when she was an unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunflower Bean</span> American rock band

Sunflower Bean is an American rock band from Glen Head, New York and Brooklyn founded in 2013. The band consists of Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen, and Olive Faber (drums). Their most recent album Headful of Sugar was released in May 2022.

The Prettiots is an American all-female alternative band from Brooklyn, New York. It consists of Kay Kasperhauser (Goldberg) and Lulu Landolfi. Rachel Trachtenburg was the band's drummer briefly. After performing five shows at SXSW in 2015, the band was praised by NPR music critics Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton and was signed to Rough Trade Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Glazerr</span> American rock band

Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Sami Perez and drummer Tabor Allen. The band's sound has transitioned from lo-fi and garage rock on their debut release Haxel Princess in 2014 to a more polished rock sound, with elements of grunge, punk and new wave on their subsequent releases Apocalipstick and Stuffed & Ready. Their fourth studio album, I Don't Want You Anymore, was released on Secretly Canadian on September 29, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gracie and Rachel</span> Piano-violin chamber pop duo, active from 2014

Gracie and Rachel is a chamber pop piano-violin duo composed of singer-keyboardist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles, high school friends from Berkeley, California based out of Brooklyn, New York.

<i>Twentytwo in Blue</i> 2018 studio album by Sunflower Bean

Twentytwo in Blue is the second studio album by American indie rock band Sunflower Bean. It was released on March 23, 2018, under Lucky Number in the UK and Mom + Pop Music worldwide.

Madison Louise Stubbington is an Australian fashion model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lili Sumner</span>

Lilian Sumner Gilbert is a New Zealand fashion model based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Secret He Had Missed</span> 2021 single by Manic Street Preachers

"The Secret He Had Missed" is a song by Manic Street Preachers presented as the second single from their 14th studio album The Ultra Vivid Lament. It was released on 16 July 2021, alongside an official YouTube video, directed by Kieran Evans and filmed in Tenby and Newport's Dolman Theatre.

References

  1. ↑ "A Couple Find Instant Attraction, Longtime Love, Then Discord". The New York Times. January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Radio Stuyvesant (Deluxe Edition)". Soundcloud. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. ↑ Supercute!; Tina Trachtenburg (April 30, 2010). "Q&A: Rachel Trachtenburg's SUPERCUTE! on Boys, Beer (Or a Lack Thereof), and Opening for Kate Nash". Village Voice (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Tedder. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  4. ↑ William Goodman (October 2011). "Sweet Talk". Nylon Magazine. pp. 122–123.
  5. ↑ "Sunflower Bean On Their Brilliant New Album, The Strokes And, Er, Gary Glitter". NME. February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Pure Imagination, Hosts: Rachel Trachtenburg & Julia Cumming". Progressive Radio Network. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ "People Who Don't Know Me". IMDb. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Minor Music with Jesse Krakow: Playlist from September 23, 2013". WFMU. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. ↑ "An Abolitionist's Soul Goes Marching On, Rowdily". The New York Times. October 22, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  10. ↑ Moss, Dean (October 12, 2014). "Choreographer Dean Moss talks about his new work, johnbrown". TimeOut New York (Interview). Interviewed by Gia Kourlas. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Julia Cumming, Teenage Model and Rocker". The New York Times. April 12, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Sunflower Bean: NYC's Coolest Young Band Talks Classic-Rock-Inspired Debut". Rolling Stone. January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Listen: YSL Muse Julia Cumming's Summer Playlist". Fashion Blog. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hedi Slimane Muse and Sunflower Bean Singer Julia Cumming on the Band's Debut Album". Vogue. February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ "The 10 Hardest-Working Bands of 2014". Oh My Rockness. December 10, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Bob Boilen's Top 10 Discoveries From The 2014 CMJ Music Marathon". NPR Music. October 27, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Newcomers and Comebacks: Eras Mix Among 1,300 Groups at CMJ Music Marathon". The New York Times. October 26, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Signing Story: Sunflower Bean". Music Connection. March 15, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Get Into The Melancholy Groove Of Sunflower Bean's 'I Was A Fool'". NPR Music. November 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Sunflower Bean - Twentytwo In Blue / Lucky Number from Piccadilly Records". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Julia Cumming, Hedi Slimane's New Girl?". WWD. October 21, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Supercute Sunflower Bean singer, Julia Cumming, is Hedi Slimane's new muse". i-D. August 1, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Julia Cumming: Portfolio". Premiere Model Management. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Madonna Releases Short Film Dedicated to 'Women Who Fight For Freedom'". Out Magazine. March 8, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  25. ↑ "2017 was the Year Models Fought Back". Dazed. December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Watch Sunflower Bean's Julia Cumming and her model mates' new activist Infomercial!". i-D. February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  27. ↑ "What It's Like to Be An Immigrant Artist in Trump's America". Noisey. March 20, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.