Biography
Juanita Stein first earned notice serving as lead singer for the indie rock outfit Howling Bells, where her airy yet husky delivery complemented a knack for songs fusing folk-rooted traditions and classic pop forms with shadowy electronic textures. Her solo path opened with the 2017 album America.
Born June 25, 1977, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, she relocated with her family to Sydney several years afterward. Creative surroundings shaped her childhood: her father wrote songs, her mother performed in theater and on television, and her younger brother Joel Stein developed into a skilled guitarist. At age five she joined her father at a studio session and contributed vocals to a track, an event she later credited with sparking her musical ambitions. She took up guitar and often practiced late into the night on songs she loved.
During college she played casually with classmates, yet soon sought outlets for original material. After a short stint in Dirty Boots in 1999, she and Joel started Waikiki. The initial trio featured Joel on guitar, Juanita on bass and vocals, and Glenn Moule on drums; they issued the five-song EP Presents in 2000. Guitarist Jimmy Brandon joined, leading to the full-length I’m Already Home in 2002. When Brandon departed the following year, bassist Brendan Picchio came aboard while Juanita switched to rhythm guitar.
Waikiki dissolved by late 2003, but the four musicians moved together to London in 2004 and regrouped as Howling Bells. A demo reached producer Ken Nelson, previously associated with Gomez and Coldplay, who agreed to helm their first record. Bella Union released the self-titled debut in 2006 to favorable notices yet limited commercial impact. Greater attention arrived with Radio Wars in 2009, which reached number 28 on the Australian albums chart and number 55 in the U.K. Coldplay invited the band to open dates on the Viva la Vida tour. Songs written during those travels were tracked in Las Vegas for the third album, The Loudest Engine, issued in 2011. Heartstrings followed in 2014, marking the first release with bassist Gary Daines, who had replaced Picchio.
Around this period Stein pursued projects beyond the group. She supplied guest vocals for Coldplay, the Sleepy Jackson, the Givegoods, and Barrie-James O’Neill, and formed the side project Albert Albert alongside Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson. Solo songwriting began in 2012, though her debut outside the band, America, surfaced only in July 2017 on the U.K. independent imprint Nude Records. The follow-up, Until the Lights Fade, arrived on the same label in mid-2018 and featured the co-write “Forgiver” with the Killers’ Brandon Flowers. Prompted by her father’s passing, Snapshot appeared in October 2020; the sessions employed a backing group that included Joel.
Born June 25, 1977, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, she relocated with her family to Sydney several years afterward. Creative surroundings shaped her childhood: her father wrote songs, her mother performed in theater and on television, and her younger brother Joel Stein developed into a skilled guitarist. At age five she joined her father at a studio session and contributed vocals to a track, an event she later credited with sparking her musical ambitions. She took up guitar and often practiced late into the night on songs she loved.
During college she played casually with classmates, yet soon sought outlets for original material. After a short stint in Dirty Boots in 1999, she and Joel started Waikiki. The initial trio featured Joel on guitar, Juanita on bass and vocals, and Glenn Moule on drums; they issued the five-song EP Presents in 2000. Guitarist Jimmy Brandon joined, leading to the full-length I’m Already Home in 2002. When Brandon departed the following year, bassist Brendan Picchio came aboard while Juanita switched to rhythm guitar.
Waikiki dissolved by late 2003, but the four musicians moved together to London in 2004 and regrouped as Howling Bells. A demo reached producer Ken Nelson, previously associated with Gomez and Coldplay, who agreed to helm their first record. Bella Union released the self-titled debut in 2006 to favorable notices yet limited commercial impact. Greater attention arrived with Radio Wars in 2009, which reached number 28 on the Australian albums chart and number 55 in the U.K. Coldplay invited the band to open dates on the Viva la Vida tour. Songs written during those travels were tracked in Las Vegas for the third album, The Loudest Engine, issued in 2011. Heartstrings followed in 2014, marking the first release with bassist Gary Daines, who had replaced Picchio.
Around this period Stein pursued projects beyond the group. She supplied guest vocals for Coldplay, the Sleepy Jackson, the Givegoods, and Barrie-James O’Neill, and formed the side project Albert Albert alongside Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson. Solo songwriting began in 2012, though her debut outside the band, America, surfaced only in July 2017 on the U.K. independent imprint Nude Records. The follow-up, Until the Lights Fade, arrived on the same label in mid-2018 and featured the co-write “Forgiver” with the Killers’ Brandon Flowers. Prompted by her father’s passing, Snapshot appeared in October 2020; the sessions employed a backing group that included Joel.
Albums
Singles
