Julia Kate isn’t just walking the same path as some of pop’s biggest names—she’s blazing her own glittering runway with hooks that hit hard and lyrics that cut even deeper. She name-drops Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Lana Del Rey as songwriting inspirations. You’ll catch their influence in her melodies and storytelling if you listen closely. But make no mistake—her sound is anything but copy-paste. At its heart, her music pulses with the neon-lit energy of 80s new wave, channeling the sass and swagger of Blondie and The Go-Go’s. We also detect a dash of Transvision Vamp here!
Straight out of Sherman Oaks, California, she freely admits to being a valley girl (fer sure!) —and let’s be honest, that’s a cultural legacy with some serious 80s cred. The same scene that birthed one of the decade’s most iconic movie soundtracks – and decades of hit music since – runs through her veins, so it’s no surprise she’s got new wave in her DNA.
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Her latest single, Fake Friends, is a knockout example of her electrifying fusion—imagine Debbie Harry in a pop-drenched showdown with today’s pop theatrics, à la Chappell Roan. It’s an irresistible, high-voltage anthem that blends retro cool with a sharp-tongued critique of modern-day fakery. Nostalgia meets now, and the result? Absolute ear candy with a bite.
“The song started to percolate two years ago when my Uncle Craig took me to a Blondie concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles,” Julia Kate says. “I’ve always been a fan of Debbie Harry’s vocals, but singing and dancing during a full Blondie set filled me with a new appreciation for female-led eighties New Wave groups.”
The artist explains that the lyrics mirror our social media-obsessed world in 2025. “With the rise of social media, almost everyone my age has a friend who is kind to your face but speaks poorly of you behind your back.”
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The production of Fake Friends is slick, punchy, and dripping in 80s new wave attitude – bold beats and a touch of rock ‘n’ roll edge. Julia Kate channels the sass and seduction of that era while keeping it fresh with a modern pop-rock twist. The result? A track that’s as fierce as it is infectious, with hooks that cling to you like a late-night confession.
With Fake Friends, Julia Kate doesn’t just prove she’s got the chops—she delivers a sharp, sexy takedown of today’s social media-fueled fakery, all wrapped up in a high-voltage, can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head anthem.
