On a recent afternoon, the singer-songwriter Julia Minkin finds herself talking about where she’s been, where she's headed, and most importantly, the point at which she’s arrived. A Chicago-based multi-hyphenate artist who is set to release her stunning forthcoming debut solo album, Not Ready, Minkin has finally landed at her long-desired destination: making thrillingly catchy music with deft lyrics, memorable melodies, and elegant vocals. Minkin, it’s safe to say, is a voice on the rise.

“I wanted to have control and create something that was my own and that I was proud of,” she says of Not Ready, conceived and produced alongside her French guitarist husband, Andrew Sudhibhasilp. “But,” Minkin, who studied Creative Writing at NYU and is currently pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing at Bennington College, quickly admits, “it took me a long time to get here.”

Minkin first ignited her musical career in 2014 with the French pop band Kid Francescoli, with whom she collaborated on two albums, With Julia and Play Me Again. Songs from both albums were exhibited to the world in a major way: some were used in major ad campaigns (ALDI, Lancome, Hyundai) as well as in TV and film (Emily In Paris, Get Shorty), with one song, “Moon (And It Went Like),” becoming a viral sensation on TikTok. “Moon” was featured in celebrity posts by Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo and others, and has amassed more than 118 million streams on YouTube to date.

Now, with Not Ready, Julia proves her chops as a solo artist. “I wanted to do it properly. For myself,” Minkin says of Not Ready—and from both a sonic and lyrical perspective, the songs are a showcase for not only her vocal talent, but also her subtle humor, emotional resonance, and ear for sweet melody. The result is a genre-busting album that touches on everything from “French Touch” to 80s pop; to Julia’s background singing jazz and folk. 

Not Ready, Minkin says, tells a story about moving reluctantly towards maturity. “This was not conceived as a concept album,” she clarifies. “The songs happened organically. I didn’t know if they’d all go together. But I think it just happens that way when you write things in the same period. They tend to come from the same soup.”

Minkin’s often tongue-in-cheek lyrics explore the theme of misguided attractions (“American Fantasy,” “Marilyn Monroe,” “Daisy”) or indirectly reflect her complicated relationship, as a younger female performer, with being on stage, and touring with a band of older men (“Push My Buttons,” “Marilyn Monroe,” “Clouds”). 

“Some of them are looking-back songs,” she says. “In the past, I was working really hard to be pleasing and that took so much of my energy and it took away from my ability to be creating for myself—whether music or writing. I couldn’t get out from under the fear that people wouldn’t approve or validate what I put out there. I’ve been slowly liberating myself from that.”

Now, as Minkin looks ahead in anticipation of the release of Not Ready, she has simple yet incredibly forthright expectations for where things go from here. “My objective is simply for this album to have a life,” she says proudly. “I just want it to find its listeners.”

Press - Julia Minkin, Not Ready

“There’s a certain honesty in admitting you’re not ready . . . Julia Minkin leans all the way into that space instead of running from it. The record feels like a moment suspended in time . . . The production carries a soft, almost weightless quality . . . There’s a dreamlike texture to the sound, like thoughts drifting rather than landing. That atmosphere becomes the foundation for everything Minkin builds on top of it..”

“A fantastic debut, full of confidence, excellent vocals, and compositions, truly a step forward for Minkin . . . Rest assured, whether you’ve been a fan of Julia Minkin before or not, the album will become a favorite of yours for a while in 2026.”

“Finally, someone is making indie-pop interesting again, and that someone is Julia Minkin. I love the hypnotic, yet slightly menacing opening to ‘Not Ready’, which ends ominously with the phrase “every caress/is a threat”. The effortlessly chic, slightly blasé quality of the vocals flowing over the kitsch beat makes me imagine someone performing this in full glam as the apocalypse unfolds behind them. Magical.” MUSICnGEAR

“On her new single ‘Clouds’ Julia Minkin . . . captures that feeling of staring out into the horizon and tracing figures in the sky. ” Soundvsystem

“Lilting acoustic tones guide the track as Minkin and Sudhibhasilp fill the corners of the mix with flickering guitar effects and chiming tones. The disparate, contrasting elements eventually meld together into a sweeping climactic crescendo, working in concert with Minkin’s plaintive vocal melodies. The effect feels like waking up bathed in the warm morning glow of a new day.” Under The Radar Magazine

““Daisy” is more than a strong debut, it’s a statement. Julia Minkin isn’t just making a solo track, she’s charting her identity, placing herself within the discourse of attention, persona, and performance in 2025 . . . It’s an elegant, thoughtful launchpad for Julia Minkin. It carries enough polish to draw attention but retains the songwriter’s fingerprints and emotional complexity.”Unsocial Aesthetics

“Known for co-writing viral hits with Kid Francescoli, Minkin now finds her own creative voice, shimmering, rhythmic, and heartfelt . . . After years of collaboration and global recognition, Minkin’s new chapter is one of independence and vision. Produced with her husband Andrew Sudhibasilp, “Daisy” proves that Minkin’s blend of dance-floor energy and introspection is both bold and refreshingly sincere.” Thoughts Words Actions

“Daisy” strikes the dancey pop chord, similar to Kid Francescoli, plus a healthy heaping of La Femme, Metronomy, and Sylvan Esso (especially with Minkin’s vocal timbre and delivery). The Big Takeover

Press - Christophe LeLoil, OpenMindeD

“LeLoiL's virtuoso trumpet, which has been showing off its padded sound in the European jazz scene for several decades . . . offers itself . . . an inhabited dialogue with the diaphanous voice of the mesmerizing singer Julia Minkin.” Paris Jazz Club 

“I asked [Julia] to sing a melody, then two… And since I’d noticed her taste for language and American poetry, I asked her to write lyrics… which impressed me. She let herself be guided by the titles and the trajectory of the melodies that I brought, but the reading that she did and the depth of the texts that she offered us blew me away.” - Christophe Leloil (translated from the French) Ventilo

“[Julia Minkin] returns to the stage for a song she composed. Colors of folk music, but with a melodic line that emancipates itself with each measure. . . The whole concert was a very beautiful moment of music, expression and inventiveness. A treat for the columnist! We want the festivals to hear the record and see the band live: there is an urgent need to promote this very beautiful program as it deserves.” (Translated from the French) Jazz Magazine

Press - Kid Francescoli, Play Me Again

“[We] are seized by the whirlwinds of this touching disc, illuminated by a sensitive electronic pop . . .  We also have a big weakness (hand heart) for “Bad Girls,” sung entirely by Julia, which feels like a lymphatic version of a mainstream R&B hit à la Rihanna, produced by Phil Spector. Masterful.”  (Translated from the French) Tsugi

“The smooth voice of Julia Minkin is always irresistible. An album that works well live, too . . . It works because, despite the light and melodic tone of this Frenchy synth-pop, the lyrics are not trivial.” (Translated from the French) Star Wax

“Julia appears in almost every song on the album, which is a good thing because her voice adds an authentic touch of sensuality and lightness.” (Translated from the French) Just Focus

“Julia is very present on stage, the public is absorbed by the freshness she exudes, in particular thanks to her delicate voice which fits perfectly with this style of music.” Live Performance Review, Kid Francescoli, Play Me Again Album Release Party at Café De La Danse - Paris. Just Focus