An award-winning original artist - singer, songwriter, piano player, producer, and guitarist - Julia Biel brings together a self-taught and singular approach to jazz with folky, diasporic, art-pop sensibilities and an instantly recognisable and timeless voice that drips with emotion with every syllable.

Fiercely gentle, and channelling depth and defiance as well as joy and triumph via the music that flows through her, the half German, half South African, British-born artist has been one of the leading lights of London’s vibrant jazz scene since the release of her much fêted debut ‘Not Alone’ back in 2005. With the release of the MOBO-nominated ‘Love Letters and Other Missiles’ (2015) and its eponymous follow-up ‘Julia Biel’ (2018), extensive worldwide touring with her band ensued and she was to be found performing headline sets alongside household names right across the UK, Europe and beyond at some of the world’s biggest jazz festivals including an opening set for Bob Dylan at his request for his gala concert at Stuttgart’s Schloßplatz for JazzOpen, Rochester International Jazz Festival (New York), Jazz in Marciac (France), Zorlu PSM Festival (Istanbul), and many, many more.

Now, four albums in, Julia Biel is taking a bold next step in her artistic evolution. Arising out of the challenges of touring from her base in the UK in 2020 in a post-Brexit landscape and during a global pandemic, she needed to undertake her 2020 French dates with Paris-based musicians at short notice and in the single rehearsal that was possible, the music spoke for itself. It quickly became clear that something magical was taking place in the happenstance of the line-up and the seeds of a Paris recording were sown.

Wanting to go deeper and further musically, fifth album ‘When If Not Now’ builds on the noted spiritual dimension of her critically acclaimed solo voice and piano record ‘Black and White, Vol.1’ (2020) to further the sonic explorations around the singular character of her voice and piano sound world with the combined talents of drummer Tilo Bertholo (GREGORY PRIVAT), originally from Martinique, plus the masterful double bassist Samuel F’Hima (DAÏDA), alongside the revered UK tenor saxophonist (and her longstanding musical partner) Idris Rahman (ILL CONSIDERED, WILDFLOWER, SOOTHSAYERS), whose reputation as an incredible spiritual jazz player has also been travelling far and wide.

The results are a testament to music’s ability to connect both musicians and audiences on a shared wavelength no matter where they are from. Openness, curiosity and the authentic vitality of music made in the moment are revealed as Julia Biel’s main priorities here, feeding her need to search for truth in a complicated modern world.