Princess Julia | |
---|---|
Birth name | Julia Fodor |
Born | Hackney, London, England | 8 April 1960
Genres | Electronic, alternative, pop |
Years active | 1981–present |
Princess Julia (born Julia Fodor, 8 April 1960) is an English DJ and music writer who has also been called the "first lady of London's fashion scene." [1]
Princess Julia first came to notice in the early 1980s as part of the short-lived Blitz Kids club scene with the likes of Boy George. [2] She achieved mild success and clubland renown after her appearance in the video for "Fade to Grey", the UK hit single from Steve Strange's band Visage. [3]
After a stint as a fashion model in the early to mid-1980s, both in London and Tokyo, she started to build a successful career as a club DJ. She was a resident DJ at the Kinky Gerlinky club nights.
In 2005, pop star Kylie Minogue and her stylist William Baker chose Princess Julia to be part of the stage video for Kylie's successful 'Showgirl—The Greatest Hits' world tour. Julia recreated her Visage video appearance especially for Kylie's live show: "A club section features graphics inspired by i-D magazine, a special film of club legend Princess Julia inspired by the Visage video for "Fade to Grey", and clothes inspired by Katharine Hamnett's iconic slogan T-shirts of the 80s". [4]
After Kylie Minogue's return from illness in 2006, the same video footage was used during Kylie's second 'Showgirl' tour of 2006/2007. Julia's friendship with Kylie continued in 2007, as the two were seen partying together at London's fashionable Boombox club night, as reported on Kylie.com, "Kylie took the role of DJ with her friends William Baker and Princess Julia on Sunday night at Boombox, an established club with a cult following". [5]
In 2006, other musical collaborations included ex-Shakespear's Sister/Bananarama singer Siobhan Fahey on two songs, "Bad Blood" and "Pulsatron" which Julia remixed as well as No Bra's underground hit song "Munchausen" and Readers Wifes'[sic] single "Nostalgia". She has also collaborated with dance acts such as Punx Souncheck, [6] Larry Tee, Kinky Roland and Riton. [7]
She co-published music paper/fanzine The P.i.X [8] and regularly contributes to fashion website KCTV.co.uk [9] as well being music editor for i-D magazine. She writes a weekly column, Revoltage and Reportage for cult publication QX, reviewing clubs and writing interviews on bands and various musical projects. [7]
She continues to DJ.
Princess Julia is portrayed in the second episode of Ashes to Ashes , performing "Fade to Grey" with Visage at Blitz. Five years of her life were documented in the book What Would Julia Do, which was compiled by photographer Rebecca Thomas and features Princess Julia and her interactions with designers such as Jonathan Saunders, Louise Grey and James Long. [1]
She is influential in London's fashion, music and art scene. [10] [11]
Kylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fashion world as a major style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. Minogue is the highest-selling Australian female artist of all time, with sales surpassing 80 million records worldwide. In 2024, Time named her one of the most influential people in the world.
Visage were a British synth-pop band formed in London in 1978. The band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit "Fade to Grey" which was released in late 1980. In the UK, the band achieved two Top 20 albums and five Top 30 singles before the commercial failure of their third album led to their breakup in 1985.
The Blitz Kids were a group of people who frequented the Tuesday club-night at Blitz in Covent Garden, London in 1979–1980, and are credited with launching the New Romantic subcultural movement.
"Come into My World" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album Fever (2001). Written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, it is a dance-pop song in which the singer pleads to her lover to come into her "world". "Come into My World" was released as the fourth and final single from Fever on 21 October 2002, by Festival Mushroom, Parlophone and Capitol Records.
"On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records as the second single for her seventh studio album, Light Years (2000), and was distributed in various formats. The track was originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora and written by Steve Torch, Brian Rawling, Graham Stack, and Mark Taylor, while production was handled by the latter two, it was handed to Minogue to record. Musically, "On a Night Like This" is a Europop, dance-pop and house song that also incorporates elements of disco. Its lyrical content delves into experiencing unique, possibly sexual experiences during the night.
"Spinning Around" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her seventh studio album, Light Years (2000). Written by Ira Shickman, Osborne Bingham, Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul, the song was initially meant to be recorded by Abdul for her own album, but was given to Minogue after the plan never came to fruition. Produced by Mike Spencer, the disco-influenced dance-pop song was then released in Australia and the UK as the lead single from Light Years on 19 June 2000, through Mushroom Records and Parlophone. Lyrically, the song addresses the theme of reinvention, with Minogue claiming that she has changed as a person and learned from the past.
"Slow" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album Body Language (2003). It was written by Minogue, Dan Carey, Emilíana Torrini, and produced by Carey, Torrini, and Sunnyroads. The song is an electropop and synth-pop track on which Minogue invites a man to "slow down" and dance with her. It was released as the lead single from Body Language on 31 October 2003, by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone.
"Giving You Up" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue for her third greatest hits album Ultimate Kylie (2004). The song was first released as the album's second and final single on 28 March 2005. It was co-written by Minogue with Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, Paul Woods, and Nick Coler, while production was by Higgins and Xenomania. The song is an electropop track, which features instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards, whilst the lyrics talk about the thrills of a new romance. The track was her last solo single before she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months later; her next single was "2 Hearts" in 2007.
"Chocolate" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, taken from her ninth studio album Body Language (2003). It was written and produced by Johnny Douglas, with additional writing by Karen Poole. The song is a ballad that uses a chocolate simile to describe Minogue's obsession with love. It is a quiet storm song that contains elements of disco and funk and employs breathy and whispery vocals. It was released as the third and final single from the album on 28 June 2004 by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone.
"Red Blooded Woman" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album, Body Language (2003). Written by Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole and produced by the former, it is a hip hop and synth-pop track containing a vocoded "Boy! Boy!" hook and backing vocals from a choir, and was released by Parlophone as the second single from the album on 1 March 2004.
"Cowboy Style" is a song recorded by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, for her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997). The song was released as the fourth and final single in Australia only on 5 October 1998 through Mushroom Records. Minogue wrote the track with Steve Anderson and Dave Seaman while Brothers in Rhythm produced it. Backed by guitars, synthesisers and drum instruments, "Cowboy Style" is a Celtic pop track in which Minogue sings about her relationship with her then-boyfriend, French director Stephane Sednaoui. Critical response to "Cowboy Style" was positive, with praise driven to Minogue's songwriting and the song's composition; some critics highlighted it as a career stand-out track. Released in Australia and New Zealand, the song charted at number 39 on the Australian Singles Chart.
Mixes is the fifth remix album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 3 August 1998, by Deconstruction Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her sixth studio album, Impossible Princess (1997). The remixes were done by DJs such as Brothers in Rhythm, Junior Vasquez, and Todd Terry. The remixes was influenced by various genres of dance music, such as electronica and dance-pop. The album was originally scheduled for a 1999 release, but Deconstruction pre-poned the release date of Mixes in the United Kingdom to August 1998, since the Australian counterpart, Impossible Remixes (1998), had been released earlier than its original date. With favourable critical reception, Mixes charted in the United Kingdom at number sixty-three on the UK Albums Chart, her highest remix album at the time. The Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Too Far" was released as a promotional single in the UK and North America.
Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour was the eighth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her second major greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie (2004) and visited Europe. It began on 19 March 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland at SECC Concert Hall 4 and concluded on 7 May 2005 in London, England at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The tour was announced on 24 October 2004, promoted by 3A Entertainment in Europe and Frontier Touring in Asia and Australia. Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour was intended to be a celebration of both Minogue's career and long-term relationship with her audience.
Intimate and Live was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her sixth studio album, Impossible Princess (1997). The tour marked a return to touring for Minogue, with her previous tour Let's Get to It Tour (1991) taking place seven years prior.
"Butterfly" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue from her seventh studio album Light Years (2000). The song was written by Minogue and Steve Anderson at Real World Studios, Wiltshire in 1999. Minogue recorded her vocals at Cello Studios, Los Angeles in January 2000 with American DJ Mark Picchiotti, who subsequently produced the track in Chicago. "Butterfly" is a contemporary house, dance-pop, and EDM track that portrays spiritual freedom and joy of life. Although Light Years was not released in the US, "Butterfly" was issued as a promotional single through Blueplate Records and its sublabel Blue² Records, both of which are owned by Picchiotti.
Stephen John Harrington, known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer and nightclub host and promoter. Strange began his career in several short-lived punk bands of the late 1970s. Quickly becoming disaffected by the British punk scene, he became one of the most influential figures behind the New Romantic subcultural movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which spawned the Blitz Kids.
"Fade to Grey" is a song by British synth-pop band Visage, released in November 1980 as the second single from their debut album, Visage (1980), on Polydor Records.
Stephen John Anderson is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his work with Kylie Minogue on her tours and albums, and as part of the production group Brothers in Rhythm. He has also worked on songs and albums for many recording artists such as Britney Spears, Westlife, Christophe Willem, Judie Tzuke and Susan Boyle.
"Too Far" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, taken from her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997). It was written and produced by Minogue, with additional production credits to Brothers in Rhythm. The song is a drum and bass song where Minogue describes her anger and frustration through its lyrics. It contains elements of club music and breakbeat music, and employs spoken word techniques.
"Kiss of Life" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue and English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. The song was released on 29 October 2021 as the second single from Disco: Guest List Edition, the reissue of Minogue's fifteenth studio album Disco (2020).