Julia Michaels Artistfacts

November 13, 1993
Julia Michaels started writing poetry and songs at a young age. Her first major co-writing credit was for the Austin & Ally theme song on the Disney channel when she was 17. "My dad was actually pressuring me to go to college," she recalled. "But I was like, 'No, I think I'm good at this!'"
With mentors and co-writers Joleen Belle and Lindy Robbins, Michaels began writing songs for artists like Kelly Clarkson ("War Paint") and Fifth Harmony ("Miss Movin' On").

She later linked up with Semi Precious Weapons frontman Justin Tranter. Together they have penned a string of Billboard Hot 100 hits including hit tunes for the likes of Selena Gomez ("Good For You"), Justin Bieber ("Sorry") and Hailee Steinfeld ("Love Myself").
Her real name is Julia Cavassos. Julia's father is Mexican-Puerto Rican; he was advised to adopt a more American-sounding stage name after moving to LA to be an actor. He picked the most American name he could think of: John Michaels.

When Julia tried acting as a child, she took her father's stage name, and she's had it ever since.
In January 2017, Michaels released her first solo single, "Issues." Inspired by her real-life relationship with her then-boyfriend, it became a worldwide hit.
Michaels treats her songwriting process differently depending on who she's writing for. When she's penning material for someone else, she likes to team up with other people to get more perspectives, but this is not the case for her solo songs. "I tend to write alone when it's my own music," she told Pop Sugar. "Someone can't write my memories for me; I have to do that."
Julia Michaels launched her own record label, GFY Records, in 2024 after leaving Republic Records the previous year. She told iHeartRadio it gave her control over her sound, lyrics, and visuals for the first time. "When I was signed to my major label, I was disheartened... I didn't feel like anyone really understood me," Michaels admitted.

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