On a blistery winter evening below the streets in St. Paul, Whitney Houston’s presence is felt throughout KJ’s Hideaway. The powerful voice that washes over every seat comes from a particular anomaly as the singer stands just over five feet tall. What Minnesota vocalist Julia Wheaton lacks in size and stature, she more than makes up for in the character and eloquence in her voice. Her command and control, mixed with the confidence and timbre in the delivery, stands toe-to-toe with any mainstream songstress with pipes. This being the 4th time she’s done a tribute show to Houston, there’s an honored passion in bringing to life the importance and brilliance of the legacy. It’s one that Julia wants to create with her own music career.
When Julia Wheaton started singing at 9 years old to the Disney movie Frozen, it sparked an adoration that eventually landed her a record deal at the age of 14 with a label based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Born and raised in Minnesota, Julia’s parents are Brazilian and there’s a heavy influence from that part of the world that continues to thrive in her fashion and songs. Fluent in Portuguese, the heritage of her family is carried forward in her music. Witnessing her pay tribute to Whitney Houston, alongside learning about the intention and style in her clothing, solidifies her natural talent and mojo as an artist.
“I never want to wear something I am not comfortable in. I believe fashion is an expression of one’s true self. So when I am on stage this is what I want people to see: someone who is confident and comfortable in her own skin ready to sing her heart out. That’s why I ditch these beautiful heels and go barefoot on stage.”
-Julia Wheaton
Julia’s earliest memories of fashion started off with a store called Justice when she was in 4th grade. Drawn to the amount of clothing with sparkles and cute colors, she became attached to that brand. She wouldn’t wear anything unless it was pink, twinkled, and had that brand name on it.
Julia went to a private school and had to wear a uniform all the time. As others would typically wear pants, she always chose to wear a skirt even in the coldest weather. Julia also found that with limited choices the tennis shoes became the piece she could express herself with. This mean wearing colorful Nike Dunk shoes and falling in love with the solid white Converse All-Star sneakers.
It was her transition into college that furthered her sense of style as now she can wear whatever she wants. This has bloomed into an appreciation for streetwear. The culture of streetwear flips the traditional fashion template on its head, disrupting the way fashion is fed to us. With a more direct-to-consumer business model for purchasing clothing, the younger generations are dictating trends. Streetwear is about mixing comfort and practicality with self-expression. For Julia, this shows in her love of wearing hoodies, ripped denim, and sneakers.
The other element that largely influences Julia’s sense of style comes from her family’s Brazilian heritage. As she’s gotten older it’s meant wearing more colorful clothing, more patterns, and flowy sleek pieces. The fashion culture in Brazil differs dramatically than here. People love to dress up in Brazil for even the smallest events. Jeans that have a tight fit and tapers down at the bottom are staple pieces. Clothing should be snug enough to hug the body, not loose-fitting or baggy. Brazilian culture has a stronger acceptance of showing skin as they take pride in their bodies and keeping them in good shape. This means more crop tops, smaller swimsuits, and deeper necklines.
In traveling back and forth, Julia will notice that on the plane she’ll be wearing baggy sweatpants and hoodies. After being in Brazil for some time, she’ll morph back into that culture with brighter colors, crop tops, and tighter fitting clothes that accents the femininity of her body.
The contrast between both countries keeps Julia dressing on both sides. She loves shopping at Zara because it’s more European focused and has a fancier style that fits into that Brazilian style. PacSun, H&M, and Express contribute to her streetwear vibe and colorful chic. Her closet remains filled with this contrast with lots of red and royal blue colors, jeans, and hoodies.
“I’m almost more comfortable in my own skin when I’m there because wearing something cropped or short isn’t looked down upon. I’ll dress up to go to the mall or dinner more. While being in here (U.S.) I’ll sometimes get weird looks from people because people don’t wear stuff like that here.”
-Julia Wheaton
Catching up with Julia before her Whitney Houston tribute show at KJ’s Hideaway, there was an instant glamour and salute to the grace that embodied Whitney’s character. Julia is enamored with the beautiful dresses and outfit changes that many artists work into their shows citing Ariana Grande as a prime example of the creativity and tying in specific outfits for each song. Julia mentions Madison Beer as another influence in her own fashion journey. Having seen Madison recently at the Varsity Theater, the darker toned streetwear and outfit changes really added another dimension to the performance. Each song had that intention with fashion and song.
“I want to do that. I want to run to the back and stress over changing quickly. I mean fashion is also art, so I think it’s such a big part of a show to use that.”
There’s an elegance in artists like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Ariana Grande that Julia draws from in channeling that showmanship. Vocally each are powerful figures that project class and talent, while their outfits reinforce it. Watching Julia exude that same level of confidence wearing a classic dress, while at the same time singing dynamic vocal lines and maneuvering chord changes, is impressive to take in. There doesn’t seem to be a bottom to the depth of power and range from Julia. And at 18 years old, it’s no wonder she has experienced quick success. Her take on “I Will Always Love You” quieted the venue and led to a moment where she paused, snuck a sip of water in, then charged into the climatic ending. The moment showed patience and understanding the ability to dictate the energy in the room. Julia’s even timbre and tasteful use of vibrato throughout the entire evening correlates to the artists that she’s influenced by.
Halfway through the performance Julia left to change into a classic red dress, emerging with a set focused on the Bodyguard soundtrack. She worked in information about Whitney’s personal accomplishments between songs, beaming with pride in covering such landmark songs. Her mother encouraged her to sing “One Moment in Time” at her very first talent show. Now, ending the evening with that song was a sentimental checkpoint to the distance and development from 11 to 18.
Julia’s iconic red strapless dress came from Raffine Bridal in Woodbury. It was initially purchased for a wedding in Brazil, which are very extravagant. She had it tailored in Brazil to compliment the curve and shape of her body. They cinched the waist and made it look ruffled at the bottom, giving it a waterfall look. The top has a corset structure built into the dress to create that extra elegance on top.
The Steve Madden silver sparkling heels came from Nordstrom and she joked they symbolized the “justice” part of her. Although these didn’t grace the stage for reasons mentioned above, the grandiose nature of the heels tied everything together.
Her boyfriend gifted the necklace of a heart with her birthstone, Amethyst, centered in it. the lilac stone matched perfectly with another lilac dress worn that night. The long dangling earrings matched the heels and came from Express.
Her lone ring also carries a lot of sentimental value as it was another gift from her boyfriend. It never leaves her hand. The bracelet came from her Grandma and Aunt as a graduation gift. The other bracelet with a single heart was a gift as well from her Grandmother.
Julia started the show wearing a soft lilac purple full-length dress that came from Raffine Bridal in Woodbury. It was her prom dress and has an open back. Both dresses are representative of the music and identity Julia conveys on stage.
Julia’s newest single, “Fala Pra Mim” is bottled up sunshine. Her voice raising over the horizon of music, with the chorus feeling like a burst of rays. A song about feeling that connection with a partner and the will to give love while finding comfort together in a strange world, “Fala Pra Mim” carries the same elegance and shimmer in her fashion.
Sleek and form fitting, Julia’s music videos tie nicely with her look and combination of streetwear and formal wear. “Desire” is shot around Minneapolis at night, “Fall In” covers a fancier nightlife and simplicity in high fashion, while “Longe Um Do Outro” combines both elements in a long car ride.
Her family remains a strong part of her music career with another project. The band Bloodline knits together her sister and brother for a unique multi-layered and distinctive pop sound. The harmonies between Julia and her sister Eliza are zipper tight, with Lukaz guiding the production of the music throughout.
It’s not often we get to witness the beginning stages of an artist that is driven to succeed. Her strong sense of style, strength with family, and abundant vocal ability give Julia the tools to develop as an artist. It’s also not often we get to witness an artist that brings the heated Brazilian mojo to the icy Minnesota plains, willing to stick out in front of the others. “I love standing out and like to be the best dressed,” she shares, “I don’t think there’s any shame in that.”
Check out the links below for ways to follow Julia Wheaton and all the things we discussed above.
Julia Wheaton YouTube - Fala Pra Mim Video - Instagram - Bloodline - Brazilian Fashion - Justice Clothing- Zara - Raffine Bridal Woodbury- Madison Beer
