Renowned British singer-songwriter Julia Fordham released her new album ‘Earth Mate’ last month. The collection showcases Fordham’s extraordinary vocal range and heartfelt songwriting, marking a significant milestone in her career spanning over three decades. She is also on tour and will be playing a homecoming show at Portsmouth Guildhall on November 15th.
“It’s about pipe dreams that turned to smoke and ash” says Julia of the record, which represents a reflective stage of her life. “Being older but not necessarily wiser and still open and eager to crack the code of this complicated and ever evolving and unfolding life. Love and loss with a handful of hope tinged themes.”
Autobiographical lead single ‘My Old Table’ paints a nostalgic journey through the romantic start to a relationship from “the roses in the candlelight through the thorn filled screaming fights.” Set around an actual table that has witnessed so many mixed memories and emotions.
Julia Fordham’s musical journey began at 14, writing and performing at local folk clubs on the south coast. Her talent led to an invitation to sing with the UK’s National Youth Jazz Orchestra, sparking a lifelong love for jazz. In 1988, Fordham signed with Virgin/Circa Records and released her self-titled debut album, which reached No.20 in the UK chart and earned her a platinum disc. Her single ‘Happy Ever After’ topped the charts in Japan, where she continues to tour regularly and has recorded TV adverts for Toyota.
1989 follow-up album ‘Porcelain’ became Fordham’s landmark work, charting in the UK, Japan, and Europe and the USA. It featured some of her most well-known songs, including the title track, ‘Girlfriend’, ‘Lock and Key’ and ‘Manhattan Skyline’. Her third album, ‘Swept’ (1991), included her biggest hit to date, ‘(Love Moves In) Mysterious Ways’, which was the theme song for the Demi Moore film, “The Butcher’s Wife”.
In recent years, Fordham has continued to evolve as an artist. She embarked on sold-out UK tours with fellow singer-songwriters Judie Tzuke and Beverley Craven as part of the “Woman To Woman” project. Her 2020 album ‘Cutting Room Floor’ showcased songs written for films, and her greatest hits – ‘The Julia Fordham Collection’ has now garnered nearly 10 million streams. Now Julia is back doing what she does best, singing heartfelt songs in an honest and intimate fashion.
Full dates can be found below and tickets are available HERE.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton