Meet Julia Appleton - 2018 ETC Labbie
What does the average morning for Julia Appleton hold?
To be honest, I'm not much of a morning person! Usually I pour myself a strong cup of coffee first thing and take my time waking up. Depending on the day, I'll either start getting ready for my day job (I am a server when I'm not creating music), watch an episode of the office, or I'll take my dog on a walk around the neighborhood. On the weekends, I'm very involved with my church. I lead worship most Sunday mornings, and on Saturdays my husband and I lead rehearsals to mentor other musicians in our community.
If time would allow, what would you add into that morning?
I truly wish that I had the discipline to write something every day! But seriously, my long-term goal is to be a creative freelancer full-time (whatever that means!) When I figure it out, I'll let you know. :)
You have a beautiful voice, When did you start singing / writing music? What or who encouraged you to continue?
Thank you so much! I started singing when I was 7 years old. My mom overheard me singing the theme song to The Little Mermaid on the way home from the grocery store one night and she had me go into the studio that weekend to record a cover of it, haha! Both of my parents always encouraged me in my songwriting and performing and I'm really glad that they did. I wrote my first song at age 10, and it's continued to be a passion of mine ever since. The past several years, my husband has been my greatest source of encouragement and collaboration in music. We love writing songs together and performing them live every chance we get!
What are your passions outside of music?
I've always been intrigued by theatre and musical theatre! The first show I remember going to was Into the Woods staring Bernadette Peters as the Witch, and I was totally hooked! I also really enjoy great film and television. I love exploring outdoors, playing with animals, and trying new things. As nerdy as this sounds, I also geek out over administrative tasks such as team building, scheduling, marketing, etc. thanks to my years in restaurant management.
What was the most challenging part of the ETC Musical Theatre Lab?
The close quarters! Haha. There were a few days where I'd head back to my room and my ears would be ringing from all of the different collaborations that were happening at once. It stretched me in a good way though - with such tight time constraints there wasn't any time to be a diva. You just had to put some headphones on and make it work.
What was the most rewarding part of the ETC Musical Theatre Lab?
Getting to collaborate with such incredible people is an experience that I will never forget. For one week, we were all equals. Everyone brought their best skill sets to the table and only the best ideas won. And somehow, there were no egos present. Everyone was truly gracious and encouraging to one another - and that was pretty invigorating!
What’s next for you?
My husband and I are about to start recording a full-length Christmas album with our band, Lighthart, that we are really excited about! My musical, The Yellow Wallpaper, is in the workshopping phase and my amazing friend and collaborator, Hannah Church, and I are excited to produce it again next year for further development. Finally, I am excited and hopeful to continue working with Eclipse because you guys rock!
feature photo by @johngundy - ETC associate artist