With nothing to hide and everything to say, Julia Cumming is claiming center stage on her own terms—living, performing, and creating exactly as she declares in her hit single “My Life”: “My life is mine.” Making space to love hard, learn, and grow, all while making her name as a solo act, Cumming found her footing through Sunflower Bean, the band where she first made her name in music. Now, the artist has rediscovered her voice while creating her eponymous solo album. “I get to learn and create myself again as a performer! It’s both very familiar and entirely new,” she explains.

The moment she decided to go solo, she says “was as soon as I wrote ‘My Life.’ I knew immediately that there was a new voice coming through, one that I needed to develop and discover.” The experience has been liberating, but one that Cumming approaches with gratitude. “Having the freedom to explore topics and ideas without wondering if they are speaking for a whole group” is the gift her solo album has given her, she explains. The entire process was lengthy, taking a total of three years from first imagining to finally completing the album. Her in-depth creative process is one that doesn’t shy away from discomfort. “I had to spend a lot of time in some tough places in my mind,” she explains. This internal contemplation informs her writing, a process that shows in her music. “I really had to look hard into my subconscious and find out what was going on in there. That could be a painful and strange process. Sometimes feelings came out that were surprising or scary, or heartbreaking,” she says.

With inspirations for the album stemming from Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Judee Sill, all with the aesthetics of LA’s Laurel Canyon in the 1970s, Cumming sought to create an active listening experience rather than a passive one, transporting the listener and asking them to recognize themselves within her vision. But music isn’t the only act in Cumming’s new one-woman show. She’s made a name for herself in fashion, modeling for brands like Anna Sui, Diesel, and Schiaparelli, as well as film, making acting debut in director Edgar Wright’s 2025 film The Running Man. Solo shows, acting projects, and new music: there’s a lot in store for Julia Cumming. “It’s been a long time coming,” she notes, “and it’s just the beginning.”

Photography Dennis Leupold

Fashion Christopher Campbell

Makeup Pablo Macias (Opus Beauty)

Hair Davontae’ Washington (Opus Beauty)

Editor & Casting Kev Ponce

Production Preslee Adams

Cinematographer Lukas Chmiel

Photo Assistants Ben Chant, Winston Kingstro

Makeup Assistant Katherine Moncada

Hair Assistant Taylor Thorton

Location AGP West