- October 29, 2026
- 03:41 PM
Bingkai Karya – Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Julia Gartha releases her six-track EP, ‘California’s Killing Me,’ bringing together pop, indie, folk, and singer-songwriter influences in a deeply personal reflection on ambition, belonging, and the desire for change. Released today, the project pairs Gartha’s honest, conversational songwriting with the emotionally direct production of Caleb Dee, who produced and co-wrote the EP.
Written during a period of stagnation in Los Angeles, ‘California’s Killing Me’ captures the complicated experience of building a life in a place that can inspire both love and frustration. Across six tracks, Gartha explores the tension between pursuing a dream and questioning whether the life she has built is still the one she wants. Homesickness, nostalgia for familiar surroundings, and the urge to start over form the emotional foundation of the project.
The EP’s focus track, “Not In The Room,” brings these themes into the context of a long-distance relationship. Through the song, Gartha questions whether someone who offers only the bare minimum truly misses her when she is gone. Meanwhile, “Itching for Change” turns inward, examining her desire to move forward in both her personal life and career despite the uncertainty that comes with taking a new direction.
Throughout the project, Gartha considers how distance can reshape our relationships with the people and places we love. Rather than offering straightforward answers, the songs sit with the discomfort of being caught between what feels familiar and what might come next.
“’California’s Killing Me’ is ultimately about being caught between the life you have, the life you miss, and the life you’re still trying to build,” Gartha says.
The EP also reflects the breadth of Gartha’s musical experience. Born in Ontario, Canada, she began learning piano at age 10 and writing songs at 12 before graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2019. She later co-wrote and performed on A.R. Rahman’s “Hands Around the World,” a global climate change awareness anthem released for Earth Day 2020, and contributed to “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” featured in the closing credits of the 2021 Netflix film Mimi.
Beyond her solo work, Gartha has established herself as a sought-after backing vocalist, with credits involving Daniel Caesar, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter. She is also currently touring with Harry Styles on the Together, Together Tour and has written songs for Jonita Gandhi, Ariza, and Janani K. Jha. Her music has reached a broad online audience, with hundreds of thousands of Instagram Reels created using her songs and more than 74,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, according to the source material.
With ‘California’s Killing Me,’ Gartha transforms a period of personal uncertainty into six songs that speak to the experience of searching for belonging while figuring out what comes next. Listeners can explore the EP and discover a candid portrait of life between the place they know and the future they hope to build.
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