Julia Bhatt by Kevin Condon
“I used to do ‘grab bags’ on Instagram where I would cover a few random songs, and I did like 100+ of those,” says 21-year-old Miami-based indie artist Julia Bhatt in reference to the title of her upcoming sophomore EP — Grab Bag out independently on November 17, 2023. “Performing songs on Instagram is what launched me into the public eye. So, I decided to call this mix of covers and originals ‘grab bag’ as a tribute to that.”
The first single release is a vibrant rendition of one of her favorite songs right now, Aminé’s “Charmander.” “I love the ‘fuck off’ vibe it gives, and I wanted to replicate it so badly,” she says. “I haven’t really recorded a rap song either, and that’s something I like to do. The energy of Aminé’s words just makes me feel better, I suppose.”
Similar to her 2022 debut album (it is what it is), which Loud Women describes as “…like an audio version of Bhatt’s home, Miami: there’s a brightness and clashing of different elements that are necessary for the end product,” this Grab Bag EP shines with Bhatt’s ever expanding gen-Z genre-fluid talent. For this EP, she brilliantly intertwines her original tracks (the melancholic, pensive “For The World” and the forlorn, cathartic “Time”) with the luminescent interpretations of Aminé’s “Charmander” and Broox’s “Mom.”
Bhatt says this EP is a result of taking a break from music because she felt like it was “more of a necessity to get the songs out” than anything. However, these songs are ones that had come to her “very naturally” and “peacefully,” which she says doesn’t usually happen. “As soon as they were written, I recorded them immediately so I wouldn’t change them too much. The covers are also songs that I couldn’t get out of my head until I played them. They all represent where I’m at right now – a little lost, a little sad, but still going. They make me happy when I listen to them.”
“I’m honestly just proud of the EP, itself,” she says. “I find people never know what genre to put me in, and this will increase confusion!! I never like to stick to one genre since there are so many beautiful ones out there. This is me exploring that without having to stick to a certain image people may have of my music.”
