Julien Baker

1.1. Childhood and Education

Julien Rose Baker was born on September 29, 1995, in Germantown, Tennessee, and raised in Bartlett, Tennessee, a suburb near Memphis, Tennessee. Her parents, both working in physical therapy, provided a supportive environment, though they separated during Baker's elementary school years. She has cited her father, who dedicated his life to making experimental prosthetic limbs after an accident in his twenties resulted in the amputation of his leg, as a significant source of inspiration.

Growing up in a devout Baptist family, Baker's initial exposure to music came from playing in her church. However, seeing Green Day on television sparked her interest in more alternative genres, leading her to explore bands like My Chemical Romance and Death Cab for Cutie. She later became deeply immersed in the punk, hardcore, metalcore, and screamo scenes, listing bands such as mewithoutYou, Underoath, The Chariot, Norma Jean, and Whitechapel among her favorites. As a young teenager, Baker struggled with substance abuse, but she found support within the house show community in Memphis and was influenced by the straight edge punk subculture.

Baker attended Arlington High School before enrolling at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). At MTSU, she initially pursued audio engineering, utilizing a campus job in the A/V department. She later changed her major to literature and secondary education, reflecting her profound academic interests. Although she temporarily left university to focus on touring following the success of Sprained Ankle, she returned to MTSU in the fall of 2019 to complete her literature degree. In February 2024, Baker was recognized for her achievements and named an Honorary Professor of Recording Industry at MTSU.

1.2. Early Musical Activities

Baker's musical journey began early, learning to play guitar using her father's instrument. In 2010, while in high school, she co-founded the band The Star Killers, which later rebranded as Forrister in 2015. Her early songwriting efforts before her solo career were often conducted late at night in the practice rooms at MTSU. These solitary sessions were where the material for her debut EP, and later album, Sprained Ankle, began to take shape. She recorded this early material for the EP with her friend Michael Hegner at Spacebomb Studios, self-releasing it on Bandcamp in winter 2014, intending it primarily for her friends.

2.1. Early Solo Albums (2015-2017)

During her first year at MTSU, Baker began to write songs independently, frequently using the university's practice rooms that remained open late into the night. The material for what would become Sprained Ankle was primarily written in her dorm room and recorded using free studio time a friend had acquired through an internship. Initially, Baker did not anticipate a wide audience for these recordings, making them available on Bandcamp primarily for her friends.

However, the album was picked up by 6131 Records and released in October 2015. Sprained Ankle quickly gained widespread critical acclaim, appearing on numerous 2015 year-end lists. Its success led to features in prestigious publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times, with critics describing the album as "heartbreaking," "hypnotic," and "striking."

In March 2016, Baker performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert, the first of what would eventually be four appearances at the renowned desk. She also performed at that year's South by Southwest (SXSW) and Newport Folk Festival. Her live performances during this period were often characterized as "hushed, reverential events," where audiences would typically remain quiet and deeply moved. In October 2016, she contributed a cover of "Ballad of Big Nothing" to Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith. On December 1, 2016, Baker contributed the song "Decorated Lawns" to Punk Talks' winter compilation, Jingle Yay.

In 2017, Baker signed with Matador Records and released a 7-inch single featuring the songs "Funeral Pyre" (originally titled "Sad Song #11") and "Distant Solar Systems." Her second album, Turn Out the Lights, was recorded with engineer and producer Calvin Lauber at Ardent Studios in Memphis, with the assistance of Cameron Boucher, a member of the American rock band Sorority Noise. The album was released on October 27, 2017. The album received further critical acclaim and saw Baker touring extensively across the U.S. and internationally throughout the following year. She performed alongside artists such as The National, Father John Misty, Half Waif, Adam Torres, and Lucy Dacus, and made notable television appearances on CBS This Morning and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Baker has also opened for or collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Death Cab for Cutie, Conor Oberst, Paramore and Hayley Williams, The Decemberists, Belle & Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit, The Front Bottoms, Touche Amore, Manchester Orchestra, and Bright Eyes. A significant collaboration occurred in July 2018 at Eaux Claire, where she performed with poet Hanif Abdurraqib, blending her song "Claws in Your Back" with a poem from Abdurraqib's "How Can Black People Write About Flowers at a Time Like This" series.

2.2. Boygenius and Third Solo Album (2018-2022)

In 2018, Baker co-founded the rock supergroup Boygenius with fellow indie singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, both of whom she had previously toured with. The group released three songs in August 2018, followed by their critically acclaimed eponymous EP, Boygenius, on October 26, 2018. The band toured the U.S. in November and performed "Me & My Dog" on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The trio has maintained a strong collaborative relationship since the EP's release, contributing backing vocals to Bridgers' Grammy-nominated album Punisher (2020), Dacus' "Please Stay" from Home Video (2021), Baker's "Favor" from Little Oblivions (2021), and Hayley Williams' "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" from Petals for Armor (2020).

In 2019, Baker released two 7-inch singles. The first, released in June, featured "Red Door" and "Conversation Piece," while the second, released in October as part of the Sub Pop singles series, included "Tokyo" and "Sucker Punch." All four tracks showcased a slightly more polished sound compared to her earlier work and were met with positive reception. She also contributed a cover of "The Modern Leper" to Tiny Changes: A Celebration of Frightened Rabbit's 'The Midnight Organ Fight'.

On October 21, 2020, Baker announced her third studio album, Little Oblivions, simultaneously releasing the lead single "Faith Healer" and an accompanying essay by poet Hanif Abdurraqib. The album was released on February 26, 2021, preceded by additional singles "Hardline" and "Favor." Little Oblivions was largely written throughout 2019, a challenging and transformative year for Baker, which involved canceling various tour dates, grappling with her sobriety and mental health, and returning to MTSU to complete her degree. In January 2021, she performed "Faith Healer" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In 2022, Baker released a B-Side EP for Little Oblivions and shared the single "Guthrie."

2.3. Recent Projects and Collaborations (2023-Present)

In March 2023, Boygenius released their highly anticipated debut studio album, The Record, to universal critical acclaim. The band performed at Coachella 2023 in April, then embarked on the Re:SET Concert Series, and joined Phoebe Bridgers for some opening sets on Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. In a significant act of protest, in June 2023, the band performed in drag in Baker's home state of Tennessee, challenging the anti-drag legislation signed into law by state governor Bill Lee, which was later blocked in federal court. Following a North American leg, Boygenius toured Europe before returning to the U.S. for the latter part of their tour.

In October 2023, Boygenius released a second EP, The Rest, featuring songs debuted during their The Record tour. Baker is prominently featured on the collection's final track, "Powers." The Record received six nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year, ultimately winning three awards, most notably Best Alternative Music Album. As of February 1, 2024, Boygenius announced a hiatus, describing it as "going away for the foreseeable future."

In October 2023, Baker released the track "Thick Skull" (Re: Julien Baker) on Re: This Is Why, a remixed version of Paramore's album This Is Why. She also composed the opening theme for the television series Orphan Black: Echoes, which premiered in November 2023.

In 2024, Baker performed at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the Declassified series. She embarked on a fall tour later that year, headlining the inaugural New York edition of the All Things Go Music Festival. During this tour, she debuted new songs titled "Middle Children" and "High in the Basement." Baker also collaborated with several artists in 2024, appearing on tracks by Thomas Powers of The Naked and Famous, Touché Amoré, and Medium Build.

After a series of joint performances at Baker's 2024 New York shows, she and musician Torres officially announced themselves as a joint act, Julien Baker & Torres, for several 2025 festivals, including Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee and High Water Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, hinting at new music with the phrase "Put A Little Sugar In The Tank" on their new website. The duo debuted their new song "Sugar in the Tank" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 10, 2024. On January 29, 2025, they released their second single, "Sylvia," and announced their debut collaborative album, Send a Prayer My Way, scheduled for release on April 18, 2025.

2.4. Touring and Notable Performances

Julien Baker has maintained an active touring schedule throughout her career, performing extensively across the United States and internationally. Her early solo performances were known for their hushed, intimate atmosphere, often featuring just her voice, guitar, and a loop pedal.

Key festival appearances include:

• South by Southwest (SXSW)
• Newport Folk Festival
• Coachella 2023 (with Boygenius)
• Re:SET Concert Series (with Boygenius)
• Opening sets for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour (with Boygenius)
• All Things Go Music Festival (New York edition)

Notable live appearances beyond general tours include:

• Multiple NPR Tiny Desk performances, including solo sets in 2016 and 2018, and a Boygenius performance in 2018. She also appeared at a Tiny Desk with Hayley Williams in 2020.
• Late-night talk show debuts on CBS This Morning (October 2017) and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (January 2018 and January 2021).
• A collaborative performance with poet Hanif Abdurraqib at Eaux Claire in July 2018.
• A performance with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2024 as part of the Declassified series.
• Her debut with Torres as Julien Baker & Torres on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2024.

Her Japan tours include:

• January 26, 2018, at Shibuya WWW (渋谷WWW^Japanese) and January 28, 2018, at CONPASS Osaka (CONPASS大阪^Japanese), with Camille Faulkner on violin.
• February 9, 2019, at Billboard Tokyo (ビルボード東京^Japanese), with Aisha Burns on violin and guitar.

3.1. Musical Style and Evolution

Baker's music is broadly categorized as a blend of indie rock, indie folk, alternative, and emo. Her early sound, particularly on her 2015 debut Sprained Ankle, was characterized by sparse, "fragile, gentle" arrangements, primarily featuring only her voice, guitar, and occasional piano. For many years, her live performances mirrored this minimalist approach, often consisting of Baker alone on stage, utilizing a loop pedal to build her intricate soundscapes.

With her second album, Turn Out the Lights (2017), Baker's sound expanded to include occasional violin, as well as organs and a "cavernous-sounding production," while continuing to develop her honest and confessional lyrical style. Her performances from this period continued to be described as "hushed, reverential events," fostering a quiet and emotional atmosphere among audiences.

For her 2021 release, Little Oblivions, Baker actively experimented with a more comprehensive, full-band sound. She has openly discussed feeling constrained by expectations to maintain her established minimalist style. This album notably featured drums, bass, keyboards, mandolin, and banjo, all played by Baker herself during the recording process. Following the album's release, she toured with a full band, debuting new, multi-instrument arrangements of her previous work. She has humorously described her band's evolved sound as "post-rock."

3.2. Songwriting Themes and Lyrical Content

Baker's songwriting is deeply personal and confessional, frequently imbued with religious themes and occasionally marked by striking, even violent, imagery. Prominent motifs throughout her work include hope, redemption, love, and the complex interplay of addiction, shame, and self-loathing, often featuring direct appeals to God. Her music serves as a frank exploration of addiction and sobriety, and she has been consistently open in discussing her experiences with substance abuse and mental illness. This candidness allows her music to resonate deeply with listeners who share similar struggles.

Poet Hanif Abdurraqib, in an essay accompanying the release of Little Oblivions, offered a profound interpretation of Baker's body of work:
"The grand project of Julien Baker, as I have always projected it onto myself, is the central question of what someone does with the many calamities of a life they didn't ask for, but want to make the most out of. I have long been done with the idea of hope in such a brutal and unforgiving world, but I'd like to think that this music drags me closer to the old idea I once clung to. But these are songs of survival, and songs of reimagining a better self, and what is that if not hope? Hope that on the other side of our wreckage - self-fashioned or otherwise - there might be a door. And through the opening of that door, a tree spilling its shade over something we love. A bench and upon it, a jacket that once belonged to someone we'd buried. Birds who ask us to be an audience to their singing. A small and generous corner of the earth that has not yet burned down or disappeared. I can be convinced of this kind of hope, even as I fight against it. To hear someone wrestling with and still thankful for the circumstances of a life that might reveal some brilliance if any of us just stick around long enough."
This interpretation highlights how Baker's music, despite its often somber themes, ultimately offers a path towards survival and a vision of a better self, infusing hope into a challenging world.

4.1. Identity and Spirituality

Baker openly identifies as a lesbian, and her often fraught experiences with organized Christianity are a significant influence on much of her musical output. She came out to her parents at the age of 17, after observing friends being sent to conversion therapy or ostracized by their families. However, she found her own family to be "radically accepting."

Earlier in her career, Baker sometimes referred to herself as a Christian socialist. However, she has since expressed how being consistently labeled as the "sober queer Christian" early in her career negatively impacted her understanding of her own identity. This constant labeling led her to question and reevaluate many foundational aspects of her life and beliefs. She has since discussed the evolving nature of her relationship to faith, stating that she is no longer interested in rigidly categorizing her beliefs. Baker is actively striving to adopt a less dichotomous worldview than the one she was raised with, describing this realization as "freeing."

4.2. Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Baker has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. Her music frequently explores themes of addiction and sobriety, and she has been remarkably open and candid in discussing her personal experiences with substance abuse and mental illness. This transparency is a hallmark of her work and contributes to the powerful resonance her music has with listeners.

4.3. Academic Pursuits and Public Image

Beyond her music, Baker maintains a strong academic interest, particularly in literature, and also previously studied audio engineering. She has expressed a deep fondness for school, contributing essays to literary magazines and discussing her aspirations to continue her studies in philosophy, history, and theology, with a potential desire to become a teacher. In interviews, her kind, playful personality and Southern politeness are often noted as a contrast to the weighty and intense themes she explores in her music. In 2023, Baker relocated from Nashville, Tennessee, where she had resided, to Los Angeles, California.

7.1. Studio Albums

7.2. Extended Plays

7.4. Guest Appearances

7.5. As part of Julien Baker & Torres

• Send a Prayer My Way (2025)

7.6. As part of Boygenius

• Boygenius (2018)
• Boygenius Demos (2020)
• The Record (2023)
• The Rest (2023)

7.7. As part of Forrister

• American Blues (2013) (as The Star Killers)
• "Esau" and "Black Poppy Wine" for Little Moses/The Star Killers Split (2014) (as The Star Killers)
• "Choked Up" (2015)