Julien Baker (born Julien Rose Baker on September 29, 1995) is an American musician and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. She is a member of the alternative rock band Forrister, formerly known as The Star Killers. She released a studio album, Sprained Ankle, on 6131 Records in 2015. For years, Baker and a group of close friends performed as the band Forrister (formerly The Star Killers), but when college took her four hours away, her need to continue creating found an outlet through solo work. The intent was never to make these songs her main focus, yet the process proved to be startlingly cathartic. As each song came into shape, it became more apparent that Baker had genuinely deep, surprisingly dark stories to tell. Tales of her experiences are staggering, and when set to her haunting guitar playing, the results are gut wrenching and heartfelt, relatable yet very personal. There’s something wonderfully hypnotizing about Baker gently confessing her soul with such tremendous honesty. At the prompting of a friend, Baker ventured to Richmond, Virginia to record a number of her new songs at Spacebomb Studios. The tracks from this session were circulated among Baker's friends, meeting high praise and lots of encouragement for the songs to see a proper release. Soon, she found a home on 6131 Records’ increasingly diverse roster, and plans were made to release her debut full length, Sprained Ankle. To call Sprained Ankle a happy accident would be misleading as to the nature of these poignant, emotive songs. Yet no one, least of all Baker, could have predicted she'd be releasing an album, especially as a solo artist. Thankfully, now the world is able to share in her passion and sorrow.
